Introduction

• Historically, December is a rather steady month as it relates to calls for service. With unseasonably warm weather, motor vehicle collisions have been far less and there has not been enough snow to allow for any skiing or skiing-related injuries. The holidays limited the schedule of this month’s state and county meetings, thus there is little to report in that regard.

Personnel

• Tim Butts has fulfilled all the necessary training and orientation requirements to regain his eligibility to volunteer for shifts and respond on calls.  He will soon be signing up for duty.
• Eric Dubord and Paige Ashcraft completed orientation for the ambulances.  Eric spent several days becoming familiar with fire apparatus and respective loose equipment; he is contributing to our daily staffing in a very positive manner.
• December marked our first full month of EMT staffing on a 24/7 basis.  This has afforded us the opportunity to get a great deal of additional chores done at the station, clearly improving on the facility’s appearance.

Training

• Larry Mueller and Chris Peron from the Traverse City Fire HazMat team came out for our annual HazMat refresher.  They provided nearly two hours of classroom presentation and activity related to the management of hazardous materials incidents and then provided an overview of the resources available from the Regional Hazmat Response Team based out of Traverse City, which is a part of the Traverse City Fire Department. 
• Our department Christmas party was held on the 17th in lieu of our regularly scheduled monthly fire training session.  It was well attended and provided a nice opportunity for us to interact socially.  Special guests at the party included Township Supervisor John Soderholm and Emergency Services Advisory Commission (ESAC) Chairman Bill Batterson.  Past ESAC Chairman Stan Brubaker also attended.  A resolution remarking on the contributions of the Fire Department and the appreciation of the Township and its citizens was read.  Special thanks are extended to Chief Emeritus John DePuy for preparing the fabulous fried turkeys, all of which were consumed

Apparatus

• The drive casing gasket on Engine 311 has developed a small leak. The piece causing this leak is custom made. The manufacturer has recalled apparatus with this part for replacement—not just ours, but all apparatus on which it is installed. Once the rebuilding of our replacement parts are complete, Bill Davis will take the unit to Halt, our vendor, in Wixom. This particular part is placed on all types of fire equipment from many different apparatus builders, so the exact time for repair is uncertain. This leak and its repairs are all covered under warranty and pose no safety issue.  This part may also need replacement on our quint, however, we have not had issues at this time. 
• Both Tahoes have been fully converted in their roles of medical response vehicle and command vehicle.  Equipment has been changed over and installed.  The red Tahoe is now a  “Romeo” (medical first response) vehicle and its number designation will be “393.”  It is officially licensed by the State of Michigan as a Medical First Response unit. The white Tahoe is the unmarked command vehicle and also carries basic EMS equipment; however it is not licensed by the State of Michigan as an EMS vehicle.  Its designator will be “300.” 
• Both ambulances had small mechanical problems simultaneously which briefly impacted our transport capability.  One unit was being evaluated at Taghon’s garage and one failed to start, necessitating the use of Cedar’s ambulance for the transport of one of our patients to Munson.  The unit being evaluated by Taghon’s was returned early and used until the other unit was repaired.  Both ambulance units were evaluated and mechanical repairs effected on site the next day at a notable cost.  The availability of unit 393 afforded us the capability to provide medical care until transportation arrived. 
• Members are reminded that with the winter weather, special attention should be given to driving safely.  As a reminder, apparatus engine retarders should be disabled as appropriate when driving on slippery roads.  A general order was issued and is posted in the Communications Notebook regarding road weight limits and winter driving. 
• Numerous installations of outlets and equipment have occurred over the past month.  This is allowing us to safely secure items such as radios, handlights, and charging equipment on 331 and 311.  Andrew Anthony has worked diligently on this project. 
• As you drive the apparatus, either for training evolutions or actual responses, please remember to complete the Driving Log, which should be located on the gray cart in the apparatus bay. 

Facilities

• Eric Dubord has completed the fabrication of some nice map cases for the back hallway. Dave Grattopp did a finish stain on them and one of them is now hung.  The other should be up shortly. 
• The driveways and parking areas around the station were marked in anticipation of snow removal for the season.  Snow removal is being provided when the snow reaches a depth of 4 inches.  Walks and other areas that require snow removal by shovel or snow blower is the responsibility of department members.  This should be done as needed, and special attention must be paid to the corner access doors of the apparatus bay, where ice tends to build up occasionally. 

Equipment

• Dave Grattopp spent a great amount of time converting the apparatus check sheets into electronic forms.  They are now on the tablet PC and should be used to checklist the trucks.  The use of these electronic forms is not reserved for full time staff.  It is suggested that all members take the opportunity to use them as they check apparatus as well.  The paper forms will no longer be used for regular ambulance and fire apparatus checks.

Programs and Additional Services

• Notebooks containing the pre-incident surveys completed this year have been placed in the apparatus. 
• During the month the department assisted the township by replacing bulbs and readying the Township Christmas tree to bring in the season.  Santa was afforded a ride to the town hall to kick-off the festivities. 
  

Acknowledgements

• We would like to thank the following citizens or vendors who graciously sent us holiday greetings in the form of Christmas cards/chocolates/cookies: 

• John and Josephine McCormick
• Pam Warnes
• Homestead Resort
• Salamander Technologies
• Beth, Marv, and Mary Lee Schram
• Bill and Sue Vogel
• Leelanau County Emergency Dispatch Center Staff
• Leelanau County Sheriff’s Office, Sheriff and Staff
• Radio North
• Peggy Marks and David Rockowitz
• Netlink Business Solutions
• Bill Deckett/Halt Fire, Inc/Pierce Manufacturing
• Joan Groening and Glen Lake Staff
• Bill, Jan, and Keith Davis
• Don and Alice Strachan
• Patrick Schad
• Leelanau County American Red Cross Staff
• Renewed Performance, Inc.
• East Jordan Iron Works, Inc.

Submitted by:
John A. Dodson
Chief of the Department