Wednesday night, the Trustees and Fire Board representing Fillmore Township organized an evening of appreciation for the three fire departments that protect and serve their residents. Graafschap, Hamilton, and Overisel fire departments were invited to a dinner and festivities at…
On Saturday, members of the Graafschap Fire Department delivered toys to locations in their service area that are collection points for the Marine Corps Reserve – Toys for Tots. This year, 3 locations were identified as drop off spots. Knob…
There are 183 occupancies in the Graafschap Fire Department coverage area that are considered commercial or public assembly. It would be impossible for every firefighter or officer to know the floor-plan, occupancy, special hazards, and other details about each location.…
Many years ago I attended a seminar by Gordon Graham, a retired law enforcement officer that has branched out to public speaking mainly about risk management. His high-risk, low frequency message stuck with me all these years. There have been…
The following information is reproduced from the Consumer Product safety Commission: WASHINGTON, D.C. – As families across America prepare to gather for Thanksgiving, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is issuing an urgent reminder that the holiday season marks the…
This Thursday, November 20th, the Graafschap Fire Department is hosting an American Red Cross Blood Drive at the fire station. The times are 10:00 – 3:45. So far only 25 of the 45 appointments are spoken for. There are plenty…
Last week, voters in Fillmore Township passed a five year, 2.0 mills levy to provide funds for fire and first response protection service. Fillmore Township is covered by Graafschap Fire Department, Hamilton Fire Department, and Overisel Fire Department. Each department…
This week, Graafschap Fire Department hosted an informational demonstration of a new fire reporting system. The United States Fire Administration (USFA) has developed “NERIS” to replace “NFIRS” as the national reporting program for all incidents. For us, it involves a…
The fire service is rich in traditions and meaningful ceremony. This is one of the ways any tight-knit group keeps it all together and moving forward. One of those traditions started Monday evening when the new Pumper/Tanker 740 was put…
Being a firefighter is a way of life, not just a job. We help people in their time of need, sure. However, we also like to give back to the community that supports us whenever we can. This year was…