Introduction
A great deal of time this month was consumed preparing and hosting the September 11th memorial service, Chief DePuy's retirement party and getting all the new apparatus arranged and fitted out with equipment. Each of the special events were well attended and greatly appreciated.

Personnel
EMT Mike Downey was appointed as a member of the Glen Arbor Fire Department this month. Mike completed his EMT class while attending TBA under the instruction of Chief DePuy. He lives in Grawn and is a member of Blair Township EMS. After completion of his orientation and Emergency Vehicle Driving program Mike will be available to beginning participating in duty shifts in the evenings. He is also scheduled to begin the upcoming Firefighter I and If program in Traverse City.
As a result of Chief DePuy's retirement, I will be serving as Acting Chief of the Department. This is planned to last for approximately 60 days, during which time the Township will search for eligible candidates and complete a process which will result in a permanent replacement.

Training
Department members completed the orientation and maintenance programs on both Tanker 322 and Engine 311 this month.
A number of members who needed portions of the Quint training began make-up sessions this month also. Two different rappelling classes were performed on the weekends.
A Driver's Log is now in the Communications Room. All members and employees who drive any department apparatus should log their time, the weather conditions and other activities in this book. This will be used for performance evaluations and insurance. Each member should attempt to log several hours of time behind the wheel of each vehicle for which they are trained.

Certification/Licensing
November's EMS training is the semi-annual Special Programs course required for all EMTs by the Northwest Regional Medical Control Authority.

Apparatus
Engine 312's air compressor was noticed to have been inoperable during daily maintenance checks. The unit was removed from service and the compressor valve was changed. This failure resulted in the vehicle's spring brake being locked up not allowing the vehicle to be moved.
Engine 312 and Tankers 321 and 322 had lighted corner "sticks" attached to their front bumper. These rods help in the judging the distance of the front bumper and hood.
Convex mirrors were also added to each side of all the fire apparatus. This again should help in providing better visualization when backing.
The bumper damage to Tanker 321 , which resulted from a collision earlier this year, has now been repaired.
Each of these additions, are measures to assist in reducing the potential for vehicle damage and increase safety.
Vehicle damage occurred on two vehicles over the past year. The department goal is zero damage through comprehensive driver education. An intensified driver training and evaluation program is being developed to reduce/eliminate vehicle damage through increased driver/operator care and awareness

Facilities
The windows in the office/quarters section of the building have all had one bead of chalk applied to them. Some may need to have another bead as well. During heavy winds and rain it was found that some of the units developed leaks between the glass and aluminum frames. John Kenney spoke to both the manufacturer and installer who advised this would be the best remedy.
Batteries in some of the electronic security locks have begun to need replacement. It would appear that this may have caused the loss of some of the information stored in the locks. Those problems are being taken care of as they are recognized; the data losses have most often been simply inconvenient.

Equipment
The remainder of loose equipment needed to compliment the department's apparatus has been ordered. This equipment will be mounted on the respective apparatus as it arrives.

Response
The dispatch center has begun dispatching fire emergencies using the geographical deployment system (box cards). On the few calls in which it has been used it seems to be going well.

Programs
The 9/11 memorial service went well, with over 40 citizens, officials, firefighters and EMS personnel from all over the area attending.
The department's website development is well underway. Joanne Rettke is donating her time and web development skills for this important project.
After several public hearings and meetings the Department's 2007-2008 budget was approved. The increase in funding will provide for the final staffing phases recommended in the Staffing Committee report.

Prevention/Education
October is Fire Prevention month. Rachel Schaap has scheduled numerous activities at the local schools and daycare facilities. Many people are also inquiring about station tours.

Total Department Activity
September

Submitted by:
John A. Dodson
Acting Chief of the Department