2025 – GRAAFSCHAP FIRE DEPARTMENT YEAR IN REVIEW

Chief DenBleyker has released the 2025 annual report for the Graafschap Fire Department. His report is below in it’s entirety:

As we close out 2025, we would like to share a snapshot of the past year and provide a few important safety reminders to our community.

We ended the year with a total of 899 calls for service, representing a 2.6% increase over 2024. Of those calls, 571 occurred in Laketown Township and 229 in Fillmore Township. We also assisted other fire departments 99 times, bringing the total to 899 calls. In addition, we received assistance from neighboring departments on 54 occasions. These numbers highlight the continued demand for emergency services and the importance of regional cooperation.

Staffing remains a challenge, but we made progress in 2025 by hiring two paid-on-call personnel. Our current roster stands at 18 members, which is still well below where we need to be. We are grateful for the dedication of our team. Four of our newer members recently completed a six-month EMT course, and one of our newest members has begun the fire academy, where he will train two nights per week and most Saturdays for the next five months. This level of training requires significant commitment, and we are fortunate to have individuals willing to invest that time and effort.

The following highlights a snapshot of a few of the activities conducted on a weekly, monthly, or yearly basis within the department.

In 2025, the department’s blood drive collected 172 units of blood. A single blood donation can potentially help up to three patients through the separation of blood into its individual components. This process includes donation, testing, and component separation. Certain donations, such as platelets, are especially critical for cancer patients, while red blood cells are vital for individuals suffering from anemia or significant blood loss.

Total training hours for the department in 2025 amounted to 2,767 hours. This includes EMS, fire, and duty crew training conducted every Saturday. Additionally, the State of Michigan now mandates specific training requirement hours, with an audit of training hours conducted every three years to maintain active status with the state.

Community Risk Reduction efforts totaled 154 hours in 2025. These efforts included school visits, smoke alarm installations, weekly blood pressure screenings, home safety audits, CPR classes, and business pre-plans.

Weekly apparatus inspections, which are essential to maintaining a constant state of readiness, require approximately 38 hours per month. Any identified maintenance or repair issues increase the total time dedicated to these inspections.

In 2025, a total of 67 rental properties were inspected, consisting of 41 short-term rental properties and 26 long-term rental properties. Due to several properties containing multiple rental units—such as motels, duplexes, and apartment buildings—the total number of individual rental units inspected was 111.

During 2025, the department also took delivery of a new pumper/tanker. To reduce costs, all equipment was mounted in-house at the station rather than contracted out. A total of 80 staff hours were dedicated to placing the new apparatus into service.

The chassis for the next pumper/tanker is currently at Spencer undergoing inspection. Once approved, it will be transported to Graafschap for storage until late spring.

None of these activities would be possible without the dedicated staff we are fortunate to have. Their continued focus is on delivering the highest level of service to the residents we serve.