New fire truck approved

Officials from Fabius and Park townships this week agreed to purchase a new fire truck, which will be used by the Fabius Park Fire Department.

Park Township Supervisor Joe Eichorn said the new $313,000 truck will be paid for evenly by the townships. The truck has a 3,000-gallon capacity for water and will replace a 1985 truck that has a 2,000-gallon capacity. Scott Roderick, chief of the two-township fire department, said the 25-year-old truck that will be replaced has generated repair bills in excess of $45,000 over the past decade.

Fire Department may expand

Officials from the Fabius Park Fire Department have indicated an interest in expanding its coverage into all of Flowerfield Township.

Chief Scott Roderick told the department’s board of trustees last week that he would plan to attend an upcoming Flowerfield Township meeting and pitch the idea. The Fabius Park Department currently provides service to the east half of the township, while the balance is protected by the Marcellus Fire Department.

The agreement currently in place between Flowerfield Township and the Fabius Park Fire Department costs the township $18,500 annually.

Smoke alarm saves a life

Chief Dan Tomlinson of the Three Rivers Fire Department said a properly working smoke alarm is being credited for saving the life of a Three Rivers resident, following an incident at a Three Rivers apartment over the weekend.

Tomlinson said a fire was reported shortly before 1:30 a.m. Saturday at a unit in the 600 block of Erie Street. The occupant, described as a young adult, told fire personnel she was cooking on the stove but shortly thereafter fell asleep.

The smoke alarm activated after the apartment filled with smoke and the occupant escaped without incident. Tomlinson said the incident underscores the significance of having a properly working smoke alarm.

Calls decrease at SJC 911

St. Joseph County’s E-911 Central Dispatch in 2009 received the fewest number of calls over a four-year period, St. Joseph County officials were told this week.

Central Dispatch Director Andy Goldberger presented county commissioners a report that showed the Centreville-based central dispatch fielded 80,442 calls last year. That was the fewest number of calls dating to 2006.

Goldberger said 911 calls from cell phones exceeded the number of 911 calls placed from land-based lines, a trend he said isn’t a surprise.

Goldberger said St. Joseph County was the second in the state when it implemented technology allowing dispatchers to pinpoint the location from which a cell call is made.

On another note, Goldberger gave an update on a bill supported by the Michigan State Police Troopers Association. The bill calls for merging central dispatch services to cover population pockets of 100,000 people or more. Under such a bill, St. Joseph County would likely pair up with either Branch County or Cass County.

Goldberger said the plan would strip counties of their local control and based on his research, the plan probably won’t have enough support from legislators.

New fire fighters in Three Rivers

A pinning ceremony took place Tuesday during the Three Rivers City Commission meeting. Erick Penn and David Wagner were pinned by Three Rivers Fire Department Chaplain Bob Anderson, as Penn and Wagner recently completed a fire academy program they started in January.

Chief Dan Tomlinson said the two received more than 300 hours of classroom experience and hands-on training, and obtained certification in a number of operations and procedures.

The pinning makes official their membership to the fire department, for which they will serve as probationary on-call firefighters, Tomlinson said.

Near drowning in Three Rivers

The Three Rivers Fire Department responded to a near-drowning incident at 6pm Thursday evening on 8th Street. Initial reports indicated a subject was swimming near the discharge side of the hydro-electric plant and could not escape the undertow currents. The subject managed to swim out of the situation, and was found on the shore when the fire department arrived. The subject was taken by ambulance to Three Rivers Health for treatment.

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