Marquette Fire/Rescue History

Fire and protection from fire are woven prominently into the historical fabric of Marquette. Volunteer fire companies existed in the City as far back as the early 1850s. A catastrophic inferno in 1868 consumed much of the downtown district and the wooden ore docks. This spurred the initial development of a piped water system and better organized and equipped fire companies. In 1877, the City established a combination full-time and on-call fire department, constructed its first fire hall, and installed a telegraph fire alarm box system headquartered at the new fire station located in the 100 block of East Spring Street. The original alarm bell from that station is a prominent feature of the new Firefighter's Memorial Bell.Tower at Ellwood Mattson Park. Horse drawn pumping apparatus were added in 1878. A second fire station was erected in the 700 block of Front Street in 1913 which is still in use today. By 1929, the department had made the complete transition from horsepower to motorized vehicles. The year 1937 saw the City make a commitment to an exclusively paid full-time department. Firefighters organized under the banner of the International Association of Firefighters in 1939. The period from 1877 to 1939 witnessed some spectacular fires, including the First National Bank building, the Nestor Block, the Opera House/Masonic Lodge, and several schools. It was demonstrated that a well-drilled and equipped fire department was able to confine these fires to their buildings or area of origin.

Presently, the City has two fully-staffed fire stations, located at 418 South Third Street (headquarters), and at 723 North Front Street. The department consists of three, 24 hour shifts of eight officers and firefighters, one full-time fire inspector, and a chief. Marquette enjoys one of the lowest per capita fire incident rates in the state. Fast response, continuous training, pre-incident planning, aggressive code enforcement, and a fire prevention program all contribute to a low value/risk/loss ratio from the destructive effects of fire. The city’s public fire protection insurance classification is 5. For the past two years, Marquette Fire/Rescue has pursued an aggressive upgrade program to improve this insurance classification rating and is preparing for an insurance re-inspection this year. Over the last three years, Marquette has averaged three dozen structure fires, of which six could be characterized as serious. Vehicle fires average fifteen per year. Total annual responses average about 500 calls.

Fire/Rescue Operations

In addition to regular fire fighting duties, the department has developed a highly-trained staff of medical first responders and emergency medical technicians. Department services include assists with MGH crews, accidents with injuries, festivals and large gatherings coverage. Another area of specialization is a vehicle rescue and extrication unit. .The rescue unit utilizes up-to-date electric and hydraulic rescue tools and well coordinated rescue teams. Emergency responses for medical and crash emergencies average over two hundred per year. In addition, the department has a trained and equipped cliff rescue team, and a confined space rescue team. Because of the city's several miles of coastline, the department has recently been developing a water/ice rescue training program in cooperation with the Coast Guard station. In the event the city's fire/rescue resources prove to be insufficient to properly control an incident, the department has established strong mutual aid agreements with Chocolay Township, Marquette Township, Coast Guard, and the County of Marquette. Significant time is devoted to joint training with these agencies, so that all agencies work together effectively during large emergency incidents.

Code Enforcement

Five years ago, the city fire department adopted a performance-based approach to fire/life safety code enforcement. During this time, commercial and public assembly occupancies have benefited from this new application of fire/life safety rules. This approach provides flexibility and many cost-saving options to business owners, while protecting the public from fire hazards. It is a point of pride for the department that it has been able to work with business/institutional owners and provide various approaches in meeting present codes. Additionally, the city fire inspector and fire chief perform property maintenance inspections and enforcement, plan reviews, and city licensing inspections (motel/hotel, boarding houses, and liquor licenses).

Fire Prevention

One of the Fire Department's strongest assets is its multi-faceted fire prevention program. Prevention efforts are targeted to, and include, literally every age group in the city with the following programs:

· Preschoolers and first-graders visit the fire stations and participate in a fun program with Sparky the Firedog.

· Third to fifth graders receive the internationally acclaimed National Fire Protection Association "Learn Not to Burn" program. Classroom teachers deliver key program elements and are assisted by duty firefighters to help reinforce fire safe behaviors.

· The Fire Safety House is an award-winning, locally-developed smoke escape program delivered during Fire Prevention Week. The trailer and mock house were one of the first utilized in Michigan.

· The fire department Baby-sitting Program is taught in the Life Skills class in middle schools. Teachers at Bothwell and Graveraet allow a firefighter to visit the class and instruct potential baby-sitters in fire safe and emergency behaviors. This program, area teachers, and firefighters were recognized by the Michigan Municipal League for their efforts.

· In addition to custom fire safety programs for mature citizens, businesses, and others, the city fire department instituted a free home smoke detector/courtesy inspection program. The department is presently engaged in a project with Electricians' Local 1070 to identify and install specialized smoke detectors for the hearing impaired.

Tomorrow

The fire department's use of emerging technology has been ongoing and was among the first to utilize a thermal imaging device, positive-pressure smoke removal tools and techniques, performance-based code applications, and the use of computers to develop building occupancy diagrams and hydrant flow data.

An aging postwar generation will pose challenges to the Rescue/EMS component with more tourist and visitor activity on and around the waterfront that will require coverage. Building materials and furnishings will increasingly become synthetic-based, posing unique flame and smoke features.

The need for early warning and smoke control will become a critical strategic consideration for fire department operation. Fire extinguishing methods will become increasingly sophisticated as will techniques and tools employed to limit smoke and water damage.

Rescue tools and methods will also evolve to meet new vehicle and structural challenges.

Prevention and code enforcement programs will be more customized and interactive as these programs become available on web sites.

Built-in alarms and fire extinguishing systems will become more technologically oriented, requiring a large body of training and knowledge. As these systems evolve and become cost-effective, the opportunity to retrofit older buildings will become possible.

Firefighter training will also become more in-depth and specialized. Several thousand hours per year are presently devoted to classroom and hands-on training, and that number may easily double in the future.

Marquette Fire/Rescue is preparing for the future now and is looking forward to the exciting changes in and about the community. What will not change, though, will be the department’s community-based, complete fire/rescue service. The Fire Department's mission is and will remain: to protect life and property.