Edenville Township Fire Department UTV PSA
Edenville Township Fire Department represents a safety-minded, forward-thinking group of local volunteers, who care deeply about the safety of their local residents.
Utilizing funds from its Equipment Fund, which allocates money for specific equipment needed to ensure the Fire Department is able to function at a successful level, the Fire Department purchased a Polaris Ranger Crew XP 1000 North Star R20RS. In response to the dam failures and ensuing flooding, the Township recognized the need for rescue personnel to have access to the uneven and often unsafe lake beds in the event of an emergency. Because there is no lake, Firefighters and other First Responders have no way of accessing the lands where the lakes once were. The ground is quite uneven with high banks, which often prove prohibitive for accessing emergency situations without an off-road vehicle. Although the original impetus for adding the UTV to the Edenville Township Fire Department equipment was the dried-up lake beds, Police Chief, Roger Dufresne also anticipates the UTV to be used for a multitude of reasons. According to Dufresne, “Most of the Township is on state land and the trails are open, so with this UTV we will be able to help with emergencies on the lake beds, wild land fires, hunters and DNR on state land, and other Townships like Larkin and Billings in a lot of different ways.”
The UTV also came with a Fire and Rescue skid, which has a tank that carries 70 gallons of water and three gallons of foam as well as hosts a spot for transporting a patient out of the woods or off of the lakebeds. Naturally, this high level of rescue operations requires state level training and certification. The certification course requires emergency personnel to complete a four-hour classroom and three-hour driving course that also includes understanding the manual, maintenance care, and proper operation. Over the course of the last month, all of the Edenville Township Firefighters as well as several from Larkin Township have completed the training and are prepared to help the community if the need arises.
