When Danger Happens, Franklin-Bingham Fire Department is Ready!
(Sam Gurwin, April 13, 2024)
Franklin, MI- Situated between Southfield, Bloomfield Township, Bingham Farms & Farmington Hills is the three-square mile Village of Franklin. Protecting that tiny space is a technologically skilled fire department ready to step in when disaster strikes.
THE TOUR OF THE STATION
Seeing the quaint little fire station at 32707 Franklin Rd, nestled in the quaint little stretch of mom-and-pop businesses of Downtown Franklin, one might think of decades past, a Mayberry type feel for those who remember, where people walking by might wave as firefighters pull their truck out for a good shine or an inspection.
But don’t let the historic small-town vibe fool you, Franklin Fire Department knows what they are doing.
Founded in 1937 as a fire department and a station built in 1959, the fire service has continuously grown. In 2005 they expanded the building, adding another bay and a nice big red engine to go along with it.. The station is always staffed, with first responders ready to go at a moments notice. There is a second level with kitchen and bunking facilities for those on long shifts to rest between fire, accident, and medical runs.
We spent some times with Lt. Tim Adams, who gave us a tour of the facility. The tour included both large and small equipment, the vehicles, medical rescue equipment and the living space.
Tim graduated from the academy in 1998 and became a Service Aide for Beverly Hills Public Safety. In 1999 Adams became a volunteer firefighter/911 Operator in Franklin while still employed in Beverly Hills. And in 2004 he came to Franklin full time.
“It’s been a fun job with a lot of opportunities in training that the department has put me through, and all the people I get to meet. Find something you love and get someone to pay you to do it,” Adams said. “The people you work with become like your brothers and sisters”
The station on-duty staff are often in equipment-checking mode. The morning begins with looking at “the board”- a list of issues or challenges with Equipment that Firefighters work on to solve (if any). As most of the men and women are handy, they try to take care of it themselves. If not, they have contractors who can fix any issue.
“I’ve always enjoyed helping people,” Adams said. “Back when I was three years old and seeing a hurricane down in Texas, and still remembering a fire truck pulling up in front of the house down there, and ever since it’s kind of what I wanted to do.”
There are five full time firefighters and 25 volunteers. Some live in Franklin and some in nearby cities. Those who live within five miles can be on-call from home, while those living more than that come into the station for volunteer shifts.
People volunteer for Franklin for a lot of reasons. Some are trying to gain experience to help them break into the profession. Some are laid off from other departments and wanting to stay current on training and keeping their resumes consistent. Others are people with other professions looking for a way to help the community, be part of a team, and have some excitement in their lives.
ORGANIZATION DETAILS & FIRE VEHICLES
The Fire Service is a Non-Profit Organization Corporation (501(c)(4). They contract with 3 Cities- Franklin, Bingham Farms and parts of Southfield Township. There Fire/Medical Vehicles consist of:
4 Trucks:
(1) “Engine” their main truck- a “pumper” or the device that pumps incredible amounts of water per minute
(2) “Tankers” Trucks that carry water- one carries 2500 gallons of water and the other one carries 3000 gallons of water
(1) “Ladder” Truck for Hi-Rise or Residential Firefighting that holds 600 gallons of water.
Their “Tankers” are bigger than most communities Fire Departments because Franklin does not have Fire Hydrants.
2 Rescues (Medical Trucks)
The vehicles vary in age, but the department does it’s best to keep them maintained and looking great. The last ladder truck taken out of service was over 20 years old- that’s how well they take care of them. They have all pumps on the trucks checked once a year. The ladder on the ladder truck also has to be certified. The medical rigs too have to be licensed in Michigan.
A NORMAL DAY AT FRANKLIN FIRE SERVICE
A normal Shift looks like this:
(1) Board check (repairs needed)
(2) Maintenance of vehicles (make sure all apparatuses work, all lights work, enough Fuel, enough water, SBA’s (self breathing apparatuses) function & filled
(3) Smaller devices check- “jaws of life” and such
(4) Truck tour- all of them clean and organized
(5) Staying in shape (the gear they wear can weigh up to 65 pounds!).
SMALLER EQUIPMENT
There are standard tools that have been used for years, plus the more state-of-the-art equipment used by the Franklin Fire Service.
Some of the old school items include a huge amount of ladders of various sizes, picks, axes, bolt cutters, a special tool called a Halligan, and sledge hammers. The “jaws-of-life” cut, spread, and ram items that may stand in the way of rescue worker access – such as cutting open doorframes, parts of vehicles in crashes, debris and the like. A strong arm is similar, but works in small spaces. And “logs” are used at accident scenes to keep vehicles from rolling while the firefighters work.
TECHNOLOGY
All Firefighters have an app called ACTIVE 911. The address of the incident goes to the phone plus a big screen at the station showing all of the necessary information.
It also shows fire hydrants, though Franklin does not have any and must rely on water stored in the trucks themselves. Businesses and ctizens can get a “Knox Box” where a key is available in an impregnable safe for emergency entrance into a house or facility by emergency responders.
Another fascinating aspect of modern Fight-fighting is the help system available to all departments from neighboring or even far-away Cities. MABAS (Mutual Aid Box Alarm System) Franklin is a part of it.
The system is nationwide, including throughout Oakland County. With the system it is easy for fire departments to help each other on fires – known as rendering “mutual aid.”
WHAT THEY DO WHEN A FIRE OCCURS
When there is a fire, an alarm sounds and the dispatch calls the situation. They then grab the needed gear and go to the truck or trucks they need. Volunteers are called to assemble and get to the station, then to join their contemporaries on the scene if needed, or possibly to staff the station in case another call comes in.
ON THE JOB: FIRE STORIES
Lt. Adam’s mentions some of the worst things he has seen in his career are people losing their homes, performing CPR on someone and not seeing them come back.
“We have a good Crew here that if you have one of those calls that’s bugging you- you always have someone you can sit down with and talk to” .
The biggest and worst fire, for Adams, was the Oakland Hills Country Club mutual assist where the clubhouse was engulfed in flames. It was a big fire, with weather challenges and it was hard to get to the fire structurally.
INTERVIEWING CHIEF AVERBACH
Chief Tony Averbauch of Franklin has been in the fire protection and prevention profession for 31 years.
The Chief had worked for the Royal Oak Fire Department, worked his way up to running the GM Proving where he created industrial, fire and emergency protocols for that self-contained community.
His experience on the Federal level includes COVID leadership positions in Detroit during the pandemic, disaster origination help in Haiti, Olympic Games Help Experience & various State of the Union positions in Washington D.C. over the years.
He always comes back to talking about his beloved Franklin regardless of his expertise and experience. “We are a unique department,” Chief Averbauch said. “If you look at the goal of a fire department; we help people at their worst times; the end goal is always the same but how you approach it”.
He says the Department is low key and very employee-oriented. “A good team of people,” he said.
Chief Averbach is always looking for interested in Volunteers to join this highly professional Fire Service. For more information, please contact him at the Franklin Fire Station.
Smaller than most fire services but big in heart and skills, citizens in Franklin and beyond can sleep well at night knowing these brave men and women are nearby and ready to go when the calls come in!
For more information on the Franklin Bingham Fire Department visit http://www.fbfd.com/