Archive: Around Town

Lansing's Fire Commissioners voted to approve the department's 2005 service awards at their meeting Tuesday night.  25 volunteer firemen earned service awards, which are awarded on a performance point system.  With 71 department members eligible, awards are going to about 55% of the department.  But if you take inactive members out of the mix about 40% have earned the awards.

The award recognizes volunteer participation with a $700 contribution to a fund the member may access after reaching retirement age.  A member must earn the award for a minimum of five years in order to be vested -- otherwise monies earned go back to the department.  The point system encourages members to participate in department activities.

Fire Department members can earn points in about a half dozen categories.  25 points go to members who respond to at least 10% of calls in a year.  members earn one point for each department meeting they attend.  A 40 hour training course is worth a point, and department proficiency training sessions earn 3 points.  Extra appoints are awarded to officers, who are voted into office by the eligible members.  As Chief, Scott Purcell gets 25 points.  Deputy Chief Brad George gets 20, the three Assistant Chiefs get 19 and so on down the line.

The department used to require the 10% calls in order to qualify for service awards, but the system was changed to conform with State regulations that require 50 points no matter how they are earned.  But Purcell says it's hard to make the 50 points without those 25 points.  "It was set up to be a recruitment tool and to keep people here as volunteers.  Other fire departments are doing it," he says.

Purcell says department members do it for the love of fire fighting, not for the award.  "I don't think anybody says 'I've got to get 5 points this month to keep on track,' he says.  "If you're active you're going to make your points, and if you're not you won't."  But he notes that it is a nice perk for volunteers serving the community."If you take some guy that starts out at 18, 19 years old and sticks with it for 30 years, he'll have a nice chunk of change for doing something that is fun.".  

When the awards were established in Lansing four years ago members who had been active for ten years or more got a retroactive award of five years worth.  "As of the end of the year we had $140,000 in the service awards program," says District Treasurer George Gesslein.

The names of members who earned the Service Award for 2005 are posted at the Central Fire Station on Ridge Road.

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