WHERE Are We $pending Your Money? — The Fire Authority
PART THREE
Adam Carroll has been Fire Chief of the Hartland Deerfield Fire Authority (HDFA) since 2003 (he is also the current temporary Fire Marshall). Adam is responsible for overseeing Hartland-Deerfield’s
· Fire Prevention
· Building Inspection
· Code Enforcement
· Plan Review
“We are a regional fire authority, established under Public Act 57,” said Chief Carroll…
“Our 48 firefighters serve Hartland, Parshallville and Deerfield. We run a fiscally smart, safety-progressive organization and we are dedicated to preventing fires and educating our residents. The Fire Authority’s tax value is tied to three key areas”…
- REGIONALIZATION
“Regionalization of the fire department prevents duplication (especially in the areas of administrative services and equipment), and it allows for cost-sharing across communities. For example, by joining Hartland’s forces with Deerfield, more resources became available — which was a collective improvement.”
2) COMBINATION STAFFING MODEL
“The HDFA has limited on-duty staff. We have 48 staff members, but only five full-time employees. Our 43 firefighters wear pagers and are on-call.
Limited on-duty staff does not mean poor response rates or lesser service for citizens needing help! I am very proud of the fact that the HDFA scored a split class 4/6 out of 10 on the Insurance Service Office (ISO) Fire Suppression Rating Schedule, which rates fire protection in each community.
The Hartland-Deerfield community earned one of the lowest ISO scores in the area which saves residents and businesses money on insurance rates, while enjoying improved fire prevention and safety-related services.
It took a lot of hard work to earn the upgraded ISO score; my staff and I improved policies and procedures, equipment, incidence response and our staffing model in order to pass the rigorous ISO rating requirements and inspection.”
3) FIRE PREVENTION
“We put a lot of effort into fire prevention, which can be tough to quantify.
Originally, firefighters went to places that were on fire. That was the job. Now we work to prevent fires — we’re literally in business to put ourselves out of business!
Residents can actively assist in fire prevention, too, by following these three suggestions:
A) Don’t delay in calling 911! There is no charge for the call, and we would rather be notified of a problem early and get there and have nothing to do, than get there too late. We are happy to help our residents with all kinds of problems — please call!
B) When building a new home, add a residential sprinkler system. These are required in many states, but they are not required in Michigan. However, they work extremely well and I strongly recommend installation in a new build. I have a residential sprinkler system in my own home.
C) Replace smoke and carbon monoxide detector batteries annually. Replace the entire alarm every 10 years (carbon monoxide every 7 years).
We encourage residents to contact us to evaluate, check or replace their smoke detectors. We don’t mind — for us, it’s just that important.” [Call the station for an appointment at 810–632–7676]
WATCH THE VIDEO!
RESOURCES
Follow the HDFA Facebook Page
Browse the HDFA Website
CONTACT the HDFA
Emergency? Call 911
Everything else, call the station 810–632–7676
Missed PART ONE or TWO? Explore what your property taxes pay for, here:
Part One: WHERE Are We $pending Your Money
Part Two: WHERE Are We $pending Your Money: Capital Improvements/Roads & Parks
Video, text, photography by Jean MacLeod, Communications Director, Hartland Township
