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If you would like to ask us a question please e-mail us at info@plymouthfiredept.org. We will post questions and answers that might be of interest to others here. We will only use first names. Thank you.
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(RECEIVED & REPLIED BY POSTAL MAIL)
Dear Firemen,
Our names are Catharine O. and Fletcher C. Catharine lives in Plymouth, and Fletcher lives in Culver. We go to Washington Elementary School. We are writing this letter because we want to know about the Plymouth Fire Department. We're writing this letter because we are learning about government services.
How many people work there? What do you do there? Do you rescue people that are stuck in ice? Where do you get all the equipment? Do the suits you wear protect you from fire? What are the people's names that work there? Are there girls that work there? How many boys work there?
Could you write a letter back? If you write back thank you. We would like it if you answer the questions. We will answer your letter if you ask questions.
Your friends,
Catharine and Fletcher
I am sorry it has taken me so long to reply. I hope you will forgive me. In this letter, I will try to answer all your questions and provide you with the basic roles we play at the Plymouth Fire Department as a government service.
We have a full-time Fire Chief, 6 full-time Firefighters, 1 Fire Inspector and 33 Volunteer Firefighters. None of this includes our Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT's). The Plymouth Fire Department's main purpose is for fire protection and fire rescue in our territory that covers the City of Plymouth, Center & West townships. This area is approximately 100 square miles. In 2001 we responded to 33 house fires, 7 Apartment Complexes, 32 Factory Alarms, 30 Business Alarms, 2 Hospital Alarms, 10 Nursing Home Alarms, 14 Vehicle Fires, 77 Vehicle Accidents, 9 Grass Fires, 6 Carbon Monoxide Investigations, 17 Assist to surrounding Fire Departments (like the Culver Fire Department where you live, Fletcher), 7 School Alarms, & 13 Haz-Mat Incidents. Now another big part of our jobs is to teach people how to prevent fires. You may have even seen one of our fire safety programs in school. Have you ever been through our Fire Safety House we bring to the schools? We use it to teach people how to escape their homes in case of a fire. If you have not you should ask your teacher about it.
You also asked if we rescue people that have fallen through the ice in the winter. Marshall County has a Diver Rescue Team called the Marshall County Dive Team (MCDT) that respond to those types of calls. The Plymouth Fire Department along with the Plymouth Rescue Squad does assist in the water rescue calls, but the MCDT does the rescuing and we just assist them.
All of our equipment comes from many places. Last year we purchased a new fire truck and it was built in Appleton, WI. Our personal fire gear is purchased through several companies just as you buy your clothes at places like JC Penny. Our Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) does not protect us from fire but does protect us from the heat of a fire. In our gear, we can withstand heat as high as 1,000 degrees. Of course, we also need our self-contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) to be able to withstand that type of heat and smoke.
If you visit our web page on the Internet (www.plymouthfiredept.org), you will be able to see a list of all our firefighters along with pictures and the history of the Plymouth Fire Department. Last year we put our first woman firefighter on the Plymouth Fire Department. You may have seen an article in the Pilot News about her joining. Her name is Ann Davis. She does a great job and we wish we could find more people that want to be firefighters like Ann.
I hope this gives you a good understanding about our Fire Department and answers all your questions. Please feel free to stop by anytime to see our equipment & us.
Art Jacobs, Plymouth Vol. Firefighter
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My name is Craig, and I'm 12 years old. I was wondering - how old do you have to be to be a firefighter at Plymouth? I think there's a difference between the ages for a volunteer and a full time firefighter, isn't there? If you want to know - I want to be a firefighter when I grow up, I don't know what else! I love firefighting 'stuff". Please write me back if you can. Thanks!
Craig,
In Plymouth the age to be a full or a volunteer firefighter is the same; 18 years old. If you are from the Plymouth area please feel free to stop in and say hi... If not I am sure you could stop by any fire dept. and they would be glad to show you around.
Remember to all ways practice EDITH (Exit Drills In The Home). Know two ways out of every room, have the proper number of Smoke Detectors, check them monthly and change the batteries every 6 months.
Thanks for writing,
Art
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My name is Craig, and I am 12 years old. I decided I wanted to become a firefighter ever since I was 10 years old. I wanted to know - -How do you determine which engines or units go out on a call, and which ones stay?- Please email me back about this question. Thanks!
Craig, that is a very good question. It really depends if it is a fire in the city or township. We have two main engines. Engine #1 is the first responding engine for city calls. It is set up to get its supply of water from another engine or from a hydrant (which we only have in the city). If it is a structure fire in the city we would roll Engine #2 to supply Engine #1 water or to assist in attacking the fire or possibly both.
In the County we would roll Engine #7 which is set up to draft out of a 3000 gallon drop tank that the engine carries with it. We would roll Tanker 6 second in the County; which is a 3000 gallon tanker.
On all calls we would then roll out our Squad 71 for support. It has the ability to fill our air tanks along with a multitude of other tasks to support the fire operation.
On small grass fires we have pickups with small tanks (250 gallons) and a small engine we use for them. For a field or woods fire we would roll those (2) first and then Engine #7.
Well, I hope all of this helps.
Art
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