Fire Departments
Portage Township is responsible for
providing both fire and police protection for it's residents. MCL 41.806
passed in 1951 provides for the establishment and maintenance of both
police and fire departments; joint service agreements and the delegation
of powers. The statute, originally written in 1951 and only slightly
modified when township laws were recodified in 1989, is often referred
to as "Public Act 33" which was the public law number when it was first
adopted.
Neither, this
statute, nor any other, requires a Township to have a fire department.
While a township board has, by law, the general responsibility for the
health, safety and general welfare of the township, it has broad
latitude as to how that responsibility is to be carried out. All
townships in Michigan, have made some provision for fire protection,
either through contract, interlocal agreement, or through owning and
operating it's own fire department like Charter Portage Township.
Hurontown Fire and Rescue
47890
Main Street
Houghton, Michigan
49931
Emergency Contact: Dial 911
The medical needs in each emergency are answered by either Mercy EMS or first responders from adjacent areas.
The Huron Fire Department was founded in 1882. In 1936, during the WPA days, the present brick building was moved from the Duncan area and erected over the older fire halls burned out foundation. Initially, Hurontown covered Stanton Twp. plus the Otter Lake area as well.
The Fire Hall has a "roll of honor" display that commemorates the Departments deceased and retired members.
The Department has (2) tanker trucks, one that holds 3,000 gallons and the second holds 2,700 gallons. The Department also has one pumper truck that holds 1,500 gallons plus a four wheel drive, four person cab, 250 gallon "brush truck" used to address forest and brush fires. Given all the equipment capacities, the Department can arrive on-seen with approximately 7,000 gallons of water.
According to State Law, a volunteer fireman must receive 170 hours of training over the course of his/her initial two years of service. This training consists of both practical as well as classroom training over the two years and it results in Fire Fighter 1 certification.
The Department meets on the first Monday of each month at 7:00 PM at the Hurontown fire hall. They usually have one practice scheduled for each month too.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Portage Township Office: (906) 482 - 4310
Jared Routsala - Hurontown Fire Chief - (906) 201 - 2929
Otter Lake Fire and First Responders
34830 Tapiola Road
Pelkie, Michigan 49958
Emergency Contact: Dial 911
The Otter Lake Fire Department is all-volunteer.
It receives 43% of the millage the township collects for fire
protection. The township fire millage is $1.50 per $1,000 of taxable
value.
The Otter Lake Volunteer Fire Department has approximately
25 volunteer firefighters and 7 Medical First Responders.
The
Department has 1 pumper truck with 1000-gallon capacity, 1 tanker truck
with a 2,000-gallon capacity, and a hybrid tanker/pumper with a
1,000-gallon capacity. The Department also has a four-wheel drive, 250
gallon "brush truck" for responding to small brush fires, and a retired
four-wheel drive ambulance that serves as a Medical First Responder
rescue rig for responding to medical emergencies.
According to
State Law, a volunteer fireman must receive 170 hours of training over
the course of his/her initial two years of service. The training
consists of both practical as well as classroom training. In order to
receive Firefighter 1 certification, the candidate must then pass a
state certification exam. Medical First Responders must pass a state
certification exam and provide documentation for continuing education
credits when they recertify every 3 years.
The Department meets
on the first Tuesday of each month at 7:30 PM at the Fire Hall in
Tapiola.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Anders Kallungi - Fire Chief - (906) 299-2556
