Looking back at 2024

Last year (2024), the Graafschap Fire Department responded to 876 calls for service. 620 were

EMS responses and 255 were fire/other responses.

The majority of EMS responses are “first responder” calls. Residents sometimes ask why the fire department came when they needed an ambulance. The answer is related to ambulance availability. AMR Ambulance is the transport provider for our service area. Depending on staffing and time of day, AMR will have 2-4 transport units with 1 paramedic and 1 EMT each assigned to the Holland area. You might see them staged in different pre-determined spots. Their dispatchers have a GPS locator that helps them keep the units in the most advantageous places for response.

Graafschap firefighters are usually dispatched first since they are generally more readily available and know their area the best. This also helps for complex calls where the location of the patient may not be easily accessible. Vehicle crashes are a good example of the teamwork. It takes a team to evaluate, treat, load, and transport a patient. Firefighters are trained as EMTs and Medical First Responders so they can integrate seamlessly with the ambulance team.

Fire calls consist of simple smoke alarm installations up to structure fires. Most fires are contained to the area of origin and don’t make the news. Other calls for service include drone calls, public events requesting our services, wires down, etc. The balance of time at the station is spent conducting vehicle maintenance, truck and EMS inventories, station upkeep, ARC Blood Drives, data management, Community Risk Reduction, , blood pressure clinics, pre-plan business inspections, rental property inspections, training development, SCBA maintenance, ground ladder inspections, turnout gear inspection/cleaning, and other requirements from the NFPA, Emergency Response .

Training for all members came in many forms. Hands-on training (shown above), classroom interactive lectures, online webinars, and off-site certification classes were some of the mediums our crews used for education. A total of 2,151 hours were recorded in 2024.

Graafschap Fire Department hired 4 probationary firefighters in 2024, and had 2 leave for other opportunities. A new pumper/tanker chassis was delivered, awaiting completion at Spencer Manufacturing this spring. The annual July 4th pancake breakfast saw over 1,200 visitors. The year also finished with ZERO reported injuries to firefighters, which is always a huge win!

If anyone has interest in joining us as a paid-on-call firefighter, please contact us. All training is on us and a modest wage is paid for your time investment.