Kayla Tucker
mlive.com
(TNS)

GRAND HAVEN, MI – Grand Haven voters are being asked this November to pass a new millage proposal that would fund a major renovation to the city’s public safety building.

The proposal asks for a 2.0 mills tax levy for 10 years, 2026 through 2035. If approved, the city is expected to take in $1,588,799 in tax revenue the first year, according to city records.

The new millage will be on the Nov. 4 election ballot. The next public information session is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 24 in the Mackinaw Ballroom at Central Park Place, 421 Columbus Avenue.

Grand Haven homeowners could pay on average between $250 up to $1,000 more per year, depending on the home’s taxable value. Homeowners with a taxable value of $125,000 (which would be a home value of $250,000) would pay $250 more per year, according to city records.

• Homes with a taxable value of $250,000 (home value of $500,000) would pay $500 more per year in taxes.
• Homes with a taxable value of $375,000 (home value of $750,000) would pay $750 more per year in taxes.
• Homes with a taxable value of $500,000 (home value of $1,000,000) would pay $1,000 more per year in taxes.

Of the tax revenue that’s collected, 65% would go towards facility upgrades.

The Grand Haven Department of Public Safety building is located at 525 Washington Avenue next to city hall. It was first built in 1975 with federal funds as a community bomb shelter, with separate spaces for police and fire services.

Now, employee safety concerns about firefighter fumes and air quality issues, on top of a crumbling building, are causing city leaders to make a decision.

The first priority in future building upgrades would be a decontamination area, where firefighters can properly clean their gear and shower after being exposed to fumes while battling a fire.

The department has an employee who is battling a “work-related firefighting form of cancer,” said Nichole Hudson, director of the Grand Haven Department of Public Safety.

“So, it is our goal moving forward that we never have a second or a third,” Hudson said. “One is not acceptable.

“Firefighting is a very dangerous job that brings a lot of risks, not only on scene, but even after scene … No one’s immune to potentially getting cancer from this career. It’s just a little bit higher here, due to our lack of decontamination and some of the systems that we have in place.”

The department is hosting tours where the public can get a behind the scenes look at the fraying parts of the building.

Another public information session is scheduled for Oct. 23 and guided tours are available on several dates in September and October.

Repairs are needed on the front of the building, where emergency vehicles exit the garage, where pieces of the building are crumbling and fall to the ground.

The building’s age also shows in its small doorways old floor tiles that are coming apart in some places and that still contain asbestos from the original construction.

“You can actually hear tiles cracking and chipping,” Hudson said. “That continues to fill the air with asbestos and mold.”

In the past years, staff have volunteered time to replace floors and paint in certain areas, and some spots are covered by rugs.<

Thermal imaging technology has transformed firefighting tactics over the past decades, enhancing firefighters’ abilities to detect heat signatures invisible to the naked eye. While thermal imagers are commonly associated with search and rescue or fire attack, their role in overhaul is equally critical.

Manfred Kihn, discusses how firefighters should use thermal imagers during overhaul operations in this episode of TIC Talk.

Using a thermal imager during overhaul provides valuable “eyes” that detect hotspots still radiating heat but not visible due to smoke or debris. Thermal imaging enables firefighters to ensure a complete extinguishment, enhancing scene safety and reducing liability.

During active firefighting, thermal imagers seek large, intense heat sources: open flames, fire extension, possible victims trapped inside. In overhaul, the focus shifts to smaller pockets of heat, residual embers, and hidden hotspots.

Kihn explains that thermal imagers display heat using color scales or grayscale images. In basic black-and-white mode, white represents hot areas and black cold spots. Colorized imagers assign colors like yellow, orange, and red to indicate increasing temperatures. However, once the fire is mostly out, most of the scene will appear dark or gray, making subtle differences crucial to detect.

Any white or colorized hotspot that appears during overhaul warrants investigation. These may signal a residual ember or smoldering material that can cause rekindle.

Learn more about how thermal imagers are used in overhaul by listening to the full TIC Talk episode above.

The post TIC Talk: Overhaul appeared first on Fire Apparatus: Fire trucks, fire engines, emergency vehicles, and firefighting equipment.

In Inside Fire Facilities, Chris Mc Loone sits down with Zach Willard, general manager of Fire Facilities, to discuss the critical role of live fire training towers in firefighter preparedness. Fire Facilities has been manufacturing steel live fire training towers for over 35 years, pioneering innovations that have shaped firefighter training nationwide.

Willard stresses that live fire training provides an irreplaceable experience that simulation technologies cannot match. “When you get into situations with heat, combustible gases, and smoke inside buildings, you don’t get that from simulated smoke or radiant heat lamps,” he explained.

Modern fires burn hotter and spread faster than they did decades ago due to changing combustible loads in homes and commercial spaces. Fire Facilities designs towers that create realistic fire environments, replicating conditions firefighters face on the job. The towers’ patented burn rooms, featuring either refractory boards or the innovative West Tech stainless-steel panel system, allow repeated burns while withstanding intense heat, sometimes reaching 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit.

The West Tech system, in particular, offers durability by flexing under heat and resisting thermal shock from firefighting water streams—a frequent pitfall in older training props. This innovation reduces maintenance downtime and enhances training longevity. In emphasizing safety within realism, Willard highlights how these design features prepare firefighters to recognize fire behavior and manage real emergency scenarios more confidently.

Safety features also extend to risk management on site. For example, advanced temperature monitoring systems—such as Scout and Fire Watchman thermocouples—track burn room heat in real time and relay data via cellular devices to safety officers who don’t need to be in hazardous zones. Emergency systems including exhaust fans and pull-stop controls facilitate quick evacuation if conditions become unsafe. These integrated safeguards help departments maintain control over live fire training operations and reduce incidents that could halt training progress.

Looking ahead, Willard identified decontamination (decon) areas and advances in technology as shaping the future of live fire training. Decon facilities are growing in importance to manage carcinogen exposure from modern synthetic materials burned during training. On the tech front, partnerships with companies like Simtek are advancing gas-fueled props and thermal imaging tools that provide instant feedback on fire suppression and search patterns within training towers.

For more information, visit www.firefacilities.com.

The post Inside Fire Facilities appeared first on Fire Apparatus: Fire trucks, fire engines, emergency vehicles, and firefighting equipment.

The Moncks Corner Rural Fire Department is mourning the loss of Deputy Chief Jimmy Townsend, who died in the line of duty early Sunday morning. WCBD reports Townsend suffered a fatal cardiac event just hours after responding to a call.

Townsend had served with the department since 1990, and this November would have marked his 35th year of service in Berkeley County. Colleagues described him as a mentor, leader, and friend who was always willing to share his knowledge and step in to help others.

Firefighters say his legacy of commitment, service, and leadership will continue to guide those who worked alongside him.

The post SC Fire Department Deputy Chief Dies in Line of Duty appeared first on Fire Apparatus: Fire trucks, fire engines, emergency vehicles, and firefighting equipment.