TRAVERSE CITY, Mich., (WPBN/WGTU) — Walk through most northern Michigan fire departments and you are bound to see a variety of trucks and vehicles they use to respond to emergencies.
But one local fire department has a new addition unlike any other department around.
“It’s different every day. I get to meet different people every day. Unfortunately, sometimes I see them in their worst conditions, but it’s different every day,” said Fire Chief Paul Fabiano.
Something different every day. For the firefighters at South Torch Lake Fire and Rescue, that means they have to be prepared for just about anything.
A quick walk through the fire station shows you they are.
“Every vehicle has a purpose,” Chief Fabiano said.
But their latest addition — just a few weeks old — might seem familiar in form, just not expected in this fleet.
“Our newest addition is behind me, t’s our new Rehab One,” Chief Fabiano said.
It’s a 2011 former TBA ISD school bus, donated to the department by Dean Transportation and then transformed to meet their needs on long response calls under brutal conditions.
“They can get into the vehicle there; they can get out of their gear; they can get some nourishment; they can get some rehydration; they get their medical vitals checked and once they pass medical vitals, then go back to battle the fire,” Chief Fabiano said.
They have customized the interior to make sure their firefighters have a place to get out of the elements, be in hot or cold, to catch their breath, and to get back into the fight.
“Well, if we don’t rehabilitate the firefighter on the scene, once he gets to that strenuous point where he’s tired, he’s working at half-strength, that’s when he gets hurt,” Chief Fabiano said.
This is the only one like it in northern Michigan, and this department says, it’s available to other local departments if needed when the response warrants it.
It changes the way fire crews on the scene catch their breath.
“Normally, you’ll see firefighters huddled against a fire truck or leaning against an ambulance or sitting under a shady tree, they’re seeking their rehab. This gives them a safe area to go to,” Chief Fabiano said.
Because fire departments know, you can have a fire station filled with a vehicle for every possible call.
But by far the most valuable and important tool inside a station like this, are the people this is meant to take care of.
“I can get all the fire trucks in the world to a fire, but if I don’t have people at the scene to fill all those positions to fight that fire and to be healthy, I can’t do anything,” Chief Fabiano said.
The fire department is still collecting donations for the new vehicle, which they have already received a lot of from businesses, firefighters and other departments.
They are hoping to be able to cover its entire cost through donations and they said they are will on their way.