PHELPS
Oct. 9, 2013
Courtesy of the News-Review and The Three Lakes News
Page 27
Phelps Fire Department adds new
pumper/tanker, volunteer recruits
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BY ANTHONY DREW
NEWS-REVIEW ASST. EDITOR
___________
The Phelps Volunteer Fire Department took delivery of a new
pumper/tanker this past year, and it
also added a handful of new recruits, according to Fire Chief Steve Waier.
The 3,000-gallon pumper/tanker replaced a converted 1981 milk truck firefighters have been using.
“It’s fully automatic, for one,” said
Waier. “Our old vehicle was a 16-speed.
We’ll use it for initial attacks and it will
also serve as an additional water source
on scene.”
The new vehicle cost approximately
$200,000 and was paid for through the
town of Phelps, according to the chief.
In the future, the department hopes
to build a new fire station east of town
on Highway 17 near the Sand Lake Pub
in which they’d house the new vehicle.
“We want to build a second fire station in the vicinity of the Sand Lake
Pub,” said Waier. “That will greatly enhance our response time for the Big
Sand Lake, Long Lake and Smoky Lake
Phelps residents. It also could lower peoples’ insurance costs.”
The department is always looking for
new volunteers to respond to fires and
other emergencies, according to Waier.
The newest recruits to the Phelps Volunteer Fire Department include Raymond Kangas, Brent Hafer, Ron Buell,
Lucas Gill and Craig Booth. Emergency
Medical Service (EMS) recruits include
Heather Kangas and Heidi Kriske.
Other than the pumper/tanker and
possible plans for a new station, it’s been
business as usual for the department.
They continue to raise funds for purchases through annual fundraisers including the Firemen’s Picnic and
Voorhees Memorial Golf Tournament in
August.
The department also will hold its annual prime rib dinner at Hillside Resort
Saturday, Oct. 13. For more information
about the event, contact Waier at (715)
545-3012.
The chief added that the department
could always use more help fighting
fires, responding to emergencies and organizing fundraiser events.
“We’re always looking for more volunteers,” he said. “We’re pretty lucky and
we just got a bunch of younger volunteers to join. But we could always use
more people.”
The Phelps Fire Department also
purchased five new radios for its trucks
and rescue utility-terrain vehicle (UTV),
along with 20 new radios for firefighters
and a base radio and antenna for the de-
Some of the Phelps Fire Department’s newest recruits showed off
a modern 3,000-gallon pumper/tanker, which replaced a converted
milk truck from 1981. The new members include, front row from left,
partment headquarters in 2011.
“They’re all Motorola radios which
we were able to buy through a Federal
Emergency
Management
Agency
(FEMA) grant for $26,000. We matched
$4,600 of that,” said Waier.
FEMA, an agency of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, provided
grant money to comply with a Federal
Communications Commission (FCC) requirement to switch to radios compatible with digital technology.
The mandatory switch can be attributed to the growth of cell phone communications, which were beginning to
interfere with the traditional emergency
signals, according to the FCC.
In addition to the radios, Phelps EMS
purchased a Ruggedized Panasonic
Toughbook from Telrepco Inc. at a cost of
$3,560. The laptop will be used to perform ambulance run sheets while in the
ambulance, said EMS coordinator Carole Selin.
The laptop was purchased with
monies placed into an account for the
ambulance service from the Northwoods
Living Care Foundation (NLCF). Every
August the NLCF raises money for the
Phelps ambulance service through the
annual Picnic in the Park event.
Phelps EMS took delivery of a new
Life Line ambulance from Jefferson Fire
Ron Buell, Joel Chmiel and Raymond Kangas; back row, Thomas
Crawford, Eric Selin, Brent Hafer, Lucas Gill, Mike Duquaine and
Craig Booth.
—Photo By Sharon Gifford
and Safety Inc. in 2010. The state-of-theart ambulance cost $136,000, according
to Selin.
The profits from several fundraisers
were placed into the same account to
help Phelps EMS save for the ambulance. The funds also are used for updated training sessions for the emergency medical technicians (EMTs), as
well as emergency supplies.
Emergency service in the greater
Phelps area is offered 24 hours a day,
seven days a week. Phelps EMS is licensed in Wisconsin and Michigan and
covers all of Phelps, Alvin, Nelma and
the Smoky Lake area. The department
also provides mutual aid for Conover;
Land O’ Lakes; Eagle River; Watersmeet, Mich.; Iron River, Mich.; and
Stambaugh, Mich.
Phelps EMS and the fire department
also received nine extrication suits with
a grant, according to Waier. The department received a donation from Chip
and Lynne Shotwell to purchase a TomTom global positioning system and four
extrication helmets for protection of firefighters while on an accident or fire
scene.
“We also received other donations
that we used to help purchase a Rescue
Randy dummy to help us practice extrication from a vehicle, tree stands and
water rescues,” said Waier. “Training is
very important to help us keep our skills
up. Training supplies and equipment
are always a good investment for the fire
department and EMS.”
The fire department updated its
equipment for firefighters in 2009, according to Waier.
Thanks to a FEMA grant, the department was able to purchase 12 sets of air
packs and 10 sets of turnout gear. The
grant application was submitted in
2008.
The turnout gear worn by firefighters
is lighter in weight and withstands heat
better than the jackets and pants of the
past.
Waier said the abilities of the firefighters have improved as rescue personnel have completed state-certified
Firefighter II training. He said firefighters are required to go through 60 hours
of training to reach the state-certified
Firefighter II level.
In 2008, the department was able to
purchase a new Jaws of Life extrication
system for $8,900 and an air compressor
to fill air packs for $18,500, all through
its fundraising efforts.
Another piece of equipment purchased that year was a spreader, cutter
To PHELPS, Pg. 29