Polk Township Vol. Fire Dept.
Mutual Aid: Helping neighboring departments
As every volunteer firefighter knows, we lead very busy lives. With the demands of family and work, there is very little time left for all of the meetings and training, let alone the fire and EMS calls. Most volunteers work at their paying jobs during the day. Most work outside of their department's area and can't respond to daytime calls. Others may work inside their area but can't leave work to answer calls. There are a few who can leave work for a call and have the privilege to make up lost time on the job. Very few have 2nd or 3rd shift jobs which makes them available for daytime calls. Then there are the hard-working farmers that respond to almost all calls!
As you can see, the daytime calls are the toughest to cover for almost all volunteer fire departments. That's were Mutual Aid comes to the rescue. Fire departments and EMS coming together to help one another.
Here's a typical daytime scenario
Marshall County 911: "Polk Fire, Polk Fire...Report of a house fire on 3450 Tamarack Road...House fire on 3450 Tamarack Road"Polk Fire Base: "Clear Marshall County, House fire on 3450 Tamarack Road"
(...the Polk dispatcher dispatches the call again...only six firefighters respond that they are in route ...our Chief; Polk 801, listens as only five other firefighters respond...he knows other help is needed fast!...)
Polk 801: "Polk base...Call Lapaz Fire for Engine, Tanker and manpower...Walkerton Fire for 2 tankers...Koontz Lake to stand-by our station 1 with an engine!...Walkerton EMS to standby the scene..."
Polk Fire Base: " Clear 801...Lapaz for engine, tanker and manpower...Walkerton for 2 tankers...Koontz Lake to standby station 1 with an engine...Walkerton EMS to standby the scene"
(...the Polk dispatcher notifies both Lapaz and Walkerton Fire departments that we need their help at the scene and notifies Koontz Lake that we need an engine to standby our station 1 if another call comes in and notifies Walkerton EMS that we need their help at the scene for firefighter safety and possible victims...)
Polk Fire Base: "801...Lapaz, Walkerton, Koontz Lake and Walkerton EMS have been notified"
Polk 801: "Clear Polk base..."
"Ask and you shall receive..."
All requests for mutual aid are very specific depending upon need. We only ask for the equipment and manpower that is necessary. Because we are asking them to leave their area they are protecting to come and assist us. We are asking them to leave their jobs or families to come and help us. But they know they can depend on our help when they need it also. That's the beauty of the mutual aid! Working together to save lives and property.
Our Closest Mutual Aid Departments
Lapaz Fire Department
Walkerton Fire Department
Koontz Lake Fire Department
Plymouth Fire Department
North Liberty Fire
Department
Lakeville Fire Department
Mutual Aid EMS Departments
Walkerton EMS
Union-North EMS
Plymouth EMS and Rescue
Starke County EMS
Other Fire Departments we have helped
Bremen Fire Department
Argos Fire Department
Culver Fire Department
Center Township Fire Department in St. Joseph County
Portage Township Fire Department in St. Joseph County
Hamlet Fire Department in Starke County
We would like to thank all of our mutual aid fire departments and EMS for their continued support.
We urge you to support your local fire department and EMS because...
...they help your neighbors...
...and your neighbors a few miles away as well!
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John D. Einhorn