Fire Department History

January 27, 1941, the Spring Hill farm burned to the ground; no fire fighting equipment was available. Utica's only fire truck could not leave the city. After many incidents, such as this, a committee headed by Al Barke petitioned to have placed on the April 6, 1941, ballot a proposal that would allow $10,000 for fire fighting equipment and $2,000.00 for its maintenance. The proposition was voted down.

It was only after Utica Heights Community Hall, on Condor Street, was completely destroyed by fire because of no fire protection, that another committee headed by Al Barke was formed. This committee petitioned to have placed on the November 7, 1944, ballot, a proposition which would allow for purchasing and maintenance of the fire fighting equipment. This proposal was approved by the voters of Shelby Township.

At a meeting called January 12, 1945, to discuss the procedures of organizing a fire department, Fred LaGodna, Shelby Township supervisor, informed the group that the issue had been placed improperly on the ballot and that the proposal was void. Mr. LaGodna also informed the group that a temporary arrangement had been made with the Utica Volunteer Fire Department to supply Shelby Township with fire protection. This service was the first fire fighting protection for the residents of Shelby Township.

On April 2, 1945, a proposal was again placed on the ballot for $9,000 to purchase and house fire fighting equipment. This proposal was again approved.

The Utica Volunteer Fire Department provide the fire protection for Shelby Township from January 1945 to January 1955. In 1952, a small group of residents called the "Citizen Association of Shelby Township", headed by Odilon Houtekier, saw the need for a fire department in Shelby Township. Thru the work of the Citizen Association, a proposition was placed on the February 16, 1953 ballot. This proposal created a tax levy for the maintenance and operation of a fire department.

In May 1953 a volunteer fire department of 45 men was organized under the leadership of Fire Chief Earl Kraft and Assistant Chief Larry Herbert. The first fire truck, a General Detroit 500 gpm (gallons per minute) pumper with a 700 gallon booster tank, on a 1953 Dodge chassis, was delivered in January 1954. In May 1954 a F.W.D. 750 gpm pumper with a 700 gallon booster tank was purchased with the assistance of the Civil Defense.

After delivery of the F.W.D. pumper, the Volunteer Fire Department was divided into two units, one to be housed at 47092 Ryan Road and the other at 49960 Van Dyke.

On January 1, 1955 after all personnel had been trained, the responsibility for the fire protection of Shelby Township was turned over to the Shelby Township Fire Department. The first official fire alarm answered by the new department was on January 10, 1955 which was a truck fire at the corner of Ryan and Hamlin Road

And Today

Today the 58 sworn members of the Shelby Township Fire Department are charged with protecting the lives and property of over 68,000 persons. In 2006 we responded to 4015 emergency medical calls and 581 fire alarms for a total of 4596 calls from four fire stations within the township.

Although it still says Fire Department over our doors, the Shelby Township Fire Department has grown far beyond this historical role established over 45 years ago. Today, in addition to fire suppression and emergency medical response, our personnel are crossed trained in disciplines as varied as Water Rescue, Hazardous Materials Response, Confined Space and Rope Rescue. With constant training and modern equipment, our goal is to provide the finest possible service 24 hours a day, every day of the year.

Fire Prevention

The Shelby Township fire suppression division operates 5 engines, each capable of delivering 1,500 gallons of water per minute. Our Quint truck will reach 70 feet into the sky to effect a rescue, deliver a water stream or ventilate a burning building. Our special rescue vehicle carries a wide range of equipment for unusual situations including scuba gear, unique tools to rescue a worker in a tunnel or a highly specialized hazardous materials equipment.


Emergency Medical Services

Our five Advanced Life Support ambulances are staffed with Paramedics and EMT's. We train and work directly with local emergency room physicians to offer one of the most advanced pre-hospital care systems in the country. Our ambulances are truly a mobile extension of the emergency room, offering cardiac monitoring, emergency medications and more, all before arrival at the hospital.