March was yet another busy month for the Lowell Area Fire Department.
The team responded to 81 incidents in the 31-day month. The City of Lowell accounted for 40 of those responses, Lowell Township had 32, Vergennes Township had 8 and there was also one mutual aid assist to the Saranac Fire Department on a working barn fire.
The department has responded to 295 calls in 2023, which is up from the total of 282 through March of 2022. Fifty-six of the responses were medicals, 9 were vehicle accidents and the rest ranged from carbon dioxide alarms to grass fires to trash fires.
In staffing news, Lieutenant Bob Hults was promoted to the Captain position while Firefighter Jim “Ozzie” Oswald retired from the department after faithfully serving the community since 2004.
The fire department’s many monthly trainings covered topics including forcible entry and ropes and knots.
The team also spent a cold Saturday morning training on search and rescue and downed firefighter protocols at the city owned property at 990 N. Washington. The March trainings totaled over 116 man hours.
The March pancake breakfast fundraiser was a huge success, serving 316 people and raising more than $5,100 in donations. The money raised was used to purchase four thermal imaging cameras and the remainder was dedicated to uniform upgrades for the Honor Guard.
The breakfast was 100% funded by sponsor donations. Chief Witherell wanted to again thank the following sponsors for their generosity:
- Dusty Lane Farm
- Dairy Discovery
- King Milling Company
- Priceless Storage
- Altogas
- Veolia
- J & H Family Stores
- John Grace Restoration and Construction
The Lowell Area Fire and Emergency Services Authority, the board that oversees the Fire Chief, equipment and the budget, meets on the second Thursday of each month. Meetings are held at 7pm at the fire station and all are welcome.
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