Billowing black smoke clouded the dreary Allendale sky as sirens wailed and fire trucks zipped down Lake Michigan Drive on Oct. 14.
A team from the Allendale Fire Department unloaded into the field, unwinding their hoses as they combated the flames that threatened to devour stalks of corn. After several hours of effort, the fire was out.
The incident was one of the more than 800 fires that the AFD respond to each year. The number of incidents that the department responds to has grown in recent years as the township’s population increases. Calls to the department are up from about 700 incidents two years ago.
“As a fire department, it’s going to get busier,” said Mike Keefe, AFD fire chief. “We’re already seeing increases and it’s going to be a challenge to meet those needs in future years and make sure we’re still operating the way we are. That’s what the challenges are, and we’re going to have fun doing it.”
Chris Holmes, a firefighter and paramedic with the AFD, said calls such as Thursday’s create a rewarding but hectic lifestyle for Allendale’s 14 paid on-call firefighters.
“We live our lives the best we can normally, and when the fire pager goes off, we drop what we’re doing and go to whatever call we got, whether it be a structural fire, a medical emergency or a car accident,” Holmes said.
Keefe had one word for his firefighters’ dedication: “Awesome."
“They’re really good,” he said. “We probably have one of the best groups of guys and gals that are in the area to be firefighters. They’re well-trained, they do an awesome job when they’re on-scene and they’re great people.”
Holmes, who has worked with the AFD for four years, works for Allendale Township in addition to his full-time job as a paramedic in Grand Rapids. The job not only helps Holmes fulfill his life-long aspirations of helping others, it also allows him to follow in the footsteps of his mother, who worked as a firefighter for the AFD for five years.
The family tradition is a common thread throughout the department. Keefe said he was drawn to the profession because of his father, also a firefighter.
“You just follow in the footsteps,” he said. “When I became of age to be a firefighter, that’s when I started.”
Firefighters in the AFD go through extensive training to be able to respond to a variety of calls, which range from car accidents to medical emergencies to outdoor fires. Between training and the calls that come in, Holmes said the commitment can be difficult on his family. Holmes and his wife are expecting their first child in May.
“I’ve missed holidays because of calls, and now with us expecting, she knows I’m going to be missing things with our baby when that happens,” Holmes said. “… She’s proud of what I do, but on a personal aspect, she misses the fact that the time we’re supposed to have together gets taken away.”
A team from the Allendale Fire Department unloaded into the field, unwinding their hoses as they combated the flames that threatened to devour stalks of corn. After several hours of effort, the fire was out.
The incident was one of the more than 800 fires that the AFD respond to each year. The number of incidents that the department responds to has grown in recent years as the township’s population increases. Calls to the department are up from about 700 incidents two years ago.
“As a fire department, it’s going to get busier,” said Mike Keefe, AFD fire chief. “We’re already seeing increases and it’s going to be a challenge to meet those needs in future years and make sure we’re still operating the way we are. That’s what the challenges are, and we’re going to have fun doing it.”
Chris Holmes, a firefighter and paramedic with the AFD, said calls such as Thursday’s create a rewarding but hectic lifestyle for Allendale’s 14 paid on-call firefighters.
“We live our lives the best we can normally, and when the fire pager goes off, we drop what we’re doing and go to whatever call we got, whether it be a structural fire, a medical emergency or a car accident,” Holmes said.
Keefe had one word for his firefighters’ dedication: “Awesome."
“They’re really good,” he said. “We probably have one of the best groups of guys and gals that are in the area to be firefighters. They’re well-trained, they do an awesome job when they’re on-scene and they’re great people.”
Holmes, who has worked with the AFD for four years, works for Allendale Township in addition to his full-time job as a paramedic in Grand Rapids. The job not only helps Holmes fulfill his life-long aspirations of helping others, it also allows him to follow in the footsteps of his mother, who worked as a firefighter for the AFD for five years.
The family tradition is a common thread throughout the department. Keefe said he was drawn to the profession because of his father, also a firefighter.
“You just follow in the footsteps,” he said. “When I became of age to be a firefighter, that’s when I started.”
Firefighters in the AFD go through extensive training to be able to respond to a variety of calls, which range from car accidents to medical emergencies to outdoor fires. Between training and the calls that come in, Holmes said the commitment can be difficult on his family. Holmes and his wife are expecting their first child in May.
“I’ve missed holidays because of calls, and now with us expecting, she knows I’m going to be missing things with our baby when that happens,” Holmes said. “… She’s proud of what I do, but on a personal aspect, she misses the fact that the time we’re supposed to have together gets taken away.”
Keefe balances work with family by coaching football, which gives him a chance to play with his two kids: Joey, 9, and Matty, 4.
“My family loves [my job],” he said. “They probably wouldn’t want me doing anything else.”
For more information on the AFD, visit www.allendalefirerescue.com.
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