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Texas Township Fire & Rescue responds to over 65 calls for fires yearly. These range from smoke investigations to large structures on fire. We have one full time Fire Chief, one full time firefighter, and 23 On-Call personnel that respond to calls by pager alert from the Sheriff's Department 9-1-1 center. All personnel are certified as Level Two Fire Fighter. Our department is equipped for mainly residential structure fire fighting, so any larger structures we call for assistance from other departments for equipment and personnel. In many areas of the Township there are no fire hydrants so water must be brought in by tanker truck. Texas Township Fire & Rescue responds to over 35 rescue calls per year. These range from children stuck in chair rails to automobile accidents where a person is pinned in the vehicle. We have one full time Fire Chief, one full time firefighter, and 23 On-Call personnel that respond to calls by pager alert from the Sheriff's Department 9-1-1 center. All personnel become certified to operate the "jaws" and in water and ice rescue. Our department is equipped with a variety of tools and equipment to effect rescues. We also have specialize rescue equipment for cave-ins and confined spaces available to us from Oshtemo Township and the City of Portage. Texas Township Fire & Rescue responds to over 220 emergency medical calls per year. These range from people that are feeling ill to someone in cardiac arrest. We have one full time Fire Chief, one full time firefighter, and 23 On-Call personnel that respond to calls by pager alert from the Sheriff's Department 9-1-1 center. All personnel become certified as Medical First Responders through the State of Michigan as well as County certified to operate the cardiac defibrillator. Half of our fire / rescue personnel are Emergency Medical Technician certified and 1 is Paramedic certified. Texas Township Fire & Rescue responds on all reports of hazardous materials releases or spills, power lines arching or down, and bomb scares. Typically there are about 25 of these types of calls yearly. All of our fire / rescue personnel are required to be trained in hazardous materials operations, and we have one hazardous materials technician. Our main objective in all hazardous condition responses is the safety of the public. We will respond and secure the area from entry, evacuate if necessary, and call specialized personnel to take care of the hazard. We have contracted with Young's Environmental Services of Grand Rapids to assist in hazardous materials emergency response. See Hazardous Materials response and cleanup agreement for further details. We also work with the City of Kalamazoo Public Safety for any bomb scares and explosive removal. They have trained technicians and specialized equipment for these types of incidents. LOCK-OUTS; BUILDING AND VEHICLE ASSISTANCE We have all been in the situation where our keys were locked in a vehicle or the house. Texas Township Fire & Rescue has some tools that can assist in opening vehicles and building locks. While we are not locksmiths, our success rate is about 50%. We will try to open the locks without damage, but it may necessitate calling a locksmith. Good preparedness is to try to carry an extra key with you besides the one on your key ring. It is never a good idea to "hide" a key somewhere. If its hidden too well you will never find it when you need it. If it is hidden in a usual place, burglars will know where it is also! Another option for homes and businesses are the KNOX®key safes that are available from the Fire & Rescue Department. SMOKE AND ODOR REMOVAL FROM BUILDINGS Overcook that Thanksgiving turkey? We can help get that smoke out so your guests can sit down and enjoy the rest of the dinner. Our trucks have large power fans to remove smoke and odors from your home or business. Contact the Fire / Rescue station at 375-1591 or on evenings, weekends and holidays contact the Sheriff's department non-emergency number (383-8821) and they will radio page us. The Texas Township Fire Ordinance requires all outdoor fires to be attended and if the smoke or odor is bothering others, the fire must be put out. If you have a burning or smoke complaint, contact the Township Office at 375-1591 or on evenings, weekends and holidays contact the Sheriff's department non-emergency number (383-8821) and they will contact us. We will contact the person that has the fire and make them aware of the regulations. If the fire is not attended we will extinguish it. See Burning Permits for more info on outdoor burning. Child Safety Seat Inspections can be made by appointment by calling the Texas Township Offices at 269-375-1591. The Texas Township Fire and Rescue Department has two personal who have completed a 32 hour training course and are certified by the National Safe Kids Campaign to inspect and install Child Safety Seats. The Texas Township Fire & Rescue Department conducts regular inspections of all public buildings and businesses in the Township, as well as common areas of multi-family buildings. We are also available for consultation for any concern that you may have about your business as it relates to fire and safety. If you have a complaint about a fire hazard or unsafe condition, you may contact us and we will investigate. Contact the Fire / Rescue Department at 375-1591 for more details. Texas Charter Township has an agreement with Young's Environmental Cleanup of Grand Rapids for hazardous materials releases or spills. Our Fire & Rescue Department does not have the proper equipment to contain and clean up large spills or releases, so we contact Young's in these situations. They have specialized equipment and trained personnel to handle hazardous materials emergencies. Our job is to assist them with support equipment and protection of the public in the effected area. Texas Township Fire Department participates in a key lock box program through the Knox Corporation. These key lock boxes provide fire and rescue personnel with quick access to building keys and other unlocking devices. These “key safes” are constructed entirely of steel, 100% welded, assembled under strict quality control and protected by a weather resistant polyester coating. They are virtually indestructible. Knox Boxes feature an Underwriters Laboratory Listed Medeco® lock and key. These keys are a patented design that features a cross-cut design that eliminates picking. Only the Fire & Rescue department has the key for your box. This key is custom cut and is unable to be forced or picked open. The lock boxes are heavy-duty high security construction and mount to the building wall or door. Also available from Knox are combination key storage and document lock boxes that provide storage and quick access to right-to-know and hazardous materials information on your site. For more information about Knox Rapid Entry Systems, visit Knox Corporation at www.knoxbox.com. |
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