Axe in hand, firefighters hit the books

By Michael Buhler
Sun Editor

This past December, 19 Leelanau County residents returned to school. Wedged into a Glen Lake classroom that also doubles as a storage room for textbooks, chairs and stage props, these eager students, ranging in age from their teens to their 50s, embarked on a grueling, five-month adventure.
But in that first class, as the syllabus, assignments, workbooks and 700 page texts were distributed, the instructor mentioned that the State of Michigan required all firefighters to take this 250 hour course.
Two-hundred and fifty hours. The room grew still. Inside, I began to panic. “I must be insane,” I thought, wondering how I’d survive a class that took four hours every Monday and Wednesday night, and eight hours about every other Saturday. Granted, I have 200 credit hours of college coursework on my transcripts, but those were earned full-time, not as an intense night course. Nevertheless, I decided to stick it out, as did 13 others.
Camaraderie became our keyword, as students from the Northport, Leland, Cedar, Elmwood, Grand Traverse Band and Glen Arbor fire departments came together. With five students (and no drop-outs), Glen Arbor boasted the largest presence, possibly because Chief John DePuy organized the class.
We quickly learned that there was more to firefighting than axes and hoses. It was about tools, of course, but also theory, procedure, prevention and lots of acronyms… And fighting fires is just one aspect of the public safety role that fire departments are asked to handle. “It was eye-opening,” says Brian Clark. “I see things in a different light now, and I am always noticing extinguishers, sprinklers and potential fire hazards.”
Brian is typical of the volunteers in our class: a local resident with a sense of commitment and duty to our community. His father-in-law is a retired fireman, and had sparked Brian’s interest. “I heard that Glen Arbor was looking for volunteers, so I came in and spoke with John DePuy, and now I’m here,” he recalled in front of the fire station on a recent evening.
Oh, those acronyms! SCBA (self-contained breathing apparatus), K-12 (a ventilation saw), PASS (personal alert safety system), OS&Y (outside screw & yoke valve)—these joined scores of other terms to give us all an entirely new and sometimes arcane vocabulary.
Tim Butts became our local expert with the axe, being the fastest to rip through a metal roof using one, and humorously making it his tool of choice. During a more serious moment, Tim revealed that he always wanted to be a fireman “and now I finally got the time and opportunity. I want to help people, and contribute to our town.”
Tom Hollenbeck, one of our youngest students, just graduated from Glen Lake, and is heading off to the Army with some great training under his belt. He volunteered at the fire station for over a year, and when the opportunity arose, he added this nighttime class to his day schedule.
Steve Hooper was recruited by neighbor and firefighter Pete Stern, and also while shingling John DePuy’s roof. “I thought it would be something I’d be good at,” he says, adding that “it was a lot of work. Still, it was great to meet the folks from the other departments.”
One department that wasn’t represented in class was Empire, but new Chief Ryan Deering looks forward to turning that around. “People just don’t know how to go about joining,” says Ryan. “But they just need to talk to me anytime.” Ryan, who heads a small but dedicated department, can be found at Deering’s Market or the fire hall (326-5250), and will begin anyone’s training now, until the next class forms.
Yes, the class was long, but after the written exam and practical exam—and learning that we’d passed both—we have been able to participate as full members of the Glen Arbor Fire & Rescue squad. Fortunately, I haven’t been busy, but I know that some night this summer, or in the years to come, I’ll get to serve someone in need, knowledgeable and versed in what needs to be done, and able to rely on any of the women and men in our department and the others.
To serve. That seemed to be the theme in all 14 of our stories, as we chatted on our class breaks about why we’re doing this. Still, I had another reason. I wanted to drive the BRT (big red truck).