Editor’s Opinion Ed Ballam

By the time you read this editorial, the passing of Bobby Halton will be old news. We will have all gone through the seven steps of grieving and we’ll be long on the way to acceptance and moving on.

Bobby died on December 19, and I am writing this when the news and emotions are fresh and raw. Bobby was a towering figure in the fire service, iconic. Even to work with him was a privilege. To call him a friend and a boss was an honor of a lifetime. There are probably 40,000 fire chiefs in the United States. There’s only one editor in chief at a time for the Clarion Events Fire Group, and there will only ever be one Chief Bobby Halton.

Although I only worked with Bobby for a couple of years, I had known him for many years before that. Even though we worked for competing publications, we were always cordial and respected each other’s position. I know when I interviewed for the position I have now, it was done via Zoom because of COVID-19 precautions, and the minute Bobby saw me on the screen, he said, “Oh, I know you. We’re good. As far as I am concerned, you’ve got the job.” And that was it—I was working for Bobby.

Among the first e-mail exchanges I had with Bobby after he hired me was sharing photos of cars in our respective collections. I sent him photos of a special little British car I’ve owned forever, and he sent me photos of his national award-winning gleaming red 1965 Mustang. We both shared a love of automobiles, and occasionally I’d get random calls or texts from Bobby solely to talk about cars. I was eating breakfast out with my wife one Saturday morning and my phone rang—it was Bobby. I immediately answered, thinking something was critically wrong with the Web site or the magazine had an issue. Nope. “Hey, buddy, how ya doing? Tell me about that Model T Ford you bought. Send me some pictures. I am with some friends, and they don’t believe me about the deal you got.” That was it. No shop talk. No magazine talk. Just his way of making a connection.

Bobby was the type of guy you rarely heard from, professionally, as long as you were doing your job to expectations or better. He was a hands-off boss, which I greatly appreciated. But he wasn’t afraid to let you know when you fell short of expectations. I only saw that side of him once, and his bark was a lot worse than his bite.

• Bobby Halton, Fire Engineering Editor in Chief, Passes Away
• Indianapolis (IN) Fire Department Releases Tribute Video to Bobby Halton
• Bobby Halton Archives

Bobby had a way about him—pick good people for the job and let them do it. I understand that’s how he operated as a fire chief too. Make sure your people are well trained, have the equipment they need, and get out of the way. There’s a lot to be said about that management style.

To say Bobby was an opinionated conservative would be a gross understatement. He was passionate and knowledgeable about all things political. Some would call him a strong cup of tea. Unabashed, or his term “unapologetic patriot,” is appropriate to describe Bobby. He loved busting my chops about my far more liberal and Democratic leanings and took every opportunity he could to point out something he thought boneheaded left-leaning liberals were doing in government and the world.

Rosenbauer—Frankfort (IL) Fire Protection District aerial ladder quint. Commander 6011 cab and chassis; Cummins X12 500-hp engine; Waterous CXC20 1,500-gpm pump; UPF Poly 500-gallon water tank; two 20-gallon foam cells; FoamPro 2001 dual-agent foam system; Rosenbauer EXT heavy-duty extruded aluminum body; SMART aerial controls; Rosenbauer Green Star IRT 7.9-kW generator. Dealer: Bill Schreiber, Sentinel Emergency Solutions, St. Louis, MO.

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Jim Kasuba
The News Herald, Southgate, Mich.
(TNS)

Feb. 10—Nonworking hydrants prevented an obstacle for firefighters who battled a house fire Thursday afternoon, but officials don’t believe the issue had a major impact on the residence.

The Huron Township Department of Public Safety Emergency Dispatch Center received a 911 call at 2:48 p.m. regarding a structure fire in the 28000 block of Spruce Drive, which is located within the Country Meadows manufactured home community off Will Carleton Road.

The 911 caller reported that the home had smoke coming out of it through the vents and that he could see that the inside of the residence was smoky.

According to Public Safety Director Everette Robbins, the township’s police and fire departments were on the scene and working the structure fire 8 minutes later, at 2:56 p.m.

No occupants were inside the residence and the fire was contained to just one house

The Huron Township Fire Department, in accordance with an auto-aid agreement that automatically requests assistance from area departments, received assistance from six area departments.

Area departments that responded to the fire came from Ash Township, Woodhaven, Flat Rock, Rockwood, Exeter Township and Gibraltar.

Robbins said Huron Valley Ambulance and Rapid Response responded to the scene to be on standby to assist throughout the afternoon and evening in the event that a firefighter from any of the communities were injured.

Asked about a tip that came from a nearby resident that water access was an issue, Robbins confirmed that water to the park was, in fact, shut off throughout the mobile home community starting at 8 a.m. that day, due to a needed repair and maintenance.

“It did cause a time delay, but firefighters were able to adapt and use other methods,” Robbins said. “We do not believe the delay caused a significant impact to the ultimate damage to the residence.”

The public safety director said firefighters were able to use mutual aid tankers from Exeter and Ash townships to fight the fire, in the absence of working hydrants.

He said they also were able to shuttle and draft water out of portable pools to supply water to Flat Rock’s ladder truck and Huron Township’s fire engine.

“Our auto-aid agreement worked just as intended and we can’t thank the fire departments that responded enough for their assistance,” Robbins said. “It is amazing to see multiple fire departments working together as a team to not only protect property, but to make sure everyone on the scene gets home safely.”

The on-scene fire departments reported that the fire was out and cleared the scene at 6:27 p.m. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

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(c)2023 The News Herald, Southgate, Mich.

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The most recent American Rescue Plan Act grants in Cass County will benefit a fire department, brainerddispatch.com reported.

The grant was requested by the Federal Dam Volunteer Fire Department in the amount of $20,000 to assist in purchasing a new fire truck, the report said. A fire official said with the department being solely made of volunteers it does not have adequate funds to purchase a new vehicle.

Recently the department, with funds received from Enbridge and Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, was able to purchase a tanker truck from the state, which required painting and lights in order to be put into service, the report said.

When responding to a fire recently it was realized more repairs were needed to this vehicle, the fire official said, plus they had another truck break down at a previous fire, according to the report.

The fire official said at the moment more funding from Enbridge and Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe is not obtainable and with the department covering about a 100-mile area it would like to purchase another vehicle. The fire official also told the board he located a truck for purchase for $25,000, the report said.