The Yankee Springs Township Board will meet at the Payne Lake Fire Station Sept. 8, and hear a report from Wayland’s Deputy Fire Chief Dan Miller.

"The township board has asked for an update since we took over April 1," Miller said. He has worked part time at the station since the partnership was formed. “I’ve got things pretty much in order now. Presently, we have eight firefighters going into an academy to get certification. I think it will start Oct. 1 and complete in May, 2017,” he said.
 

“We have 16 Firefighters from the immediate area who respond to the Yankee Springs Township Fire Station; eight certified firefighters, eight probationary firefighters, one paramedic, two EMTs, three Medical First Responders (MFR) and five waiting to take their MFR National Registry exam are among our total personnel,” Miller said. “All of these personnel are the backbone of the department.”
 

Since the partnership or merger, the department has responded to numerous medical emergencies. They  have had no structure fires “which is great.” Power lines/trees down, traffic crashes, watercraft accidents/fire, alarms, public relations programs and mutual aid are some of the responses the department has been called out on.

“We all were very pleased with the response from the public at an Open House in June and the cooperation from the Yankee Springs Township Board in getting their fire department up and running,” Miller said. “It's great to keep that transparency and let the public see what the fire department has available to respond with when needed.”

At the board meeting, Miller plans to introduce seven new MFRs who have just completed the four month class through Wayland Area Emergency Medical Services. The department is still recruiting firefighters and MFRs.

Applications can be picked up at the Yankee Springs or Wayland fire departments.