High winds take down utility wires, keeping the FFD busy
New station plans unveiled at township annual meeting
Downed power lines, faulty detectors, and an assist finding a missing person were all part of the Frankenmuth Fire Department’s alarms over the past week.
At 9:13am Thursday, March 12, a carbon monoxide detector alarm alerted residents living in a home in the 300 block of Ardussi Street. FFD Crew Leader Jeff Weiss advised the detector was faulty and outdated.
Engine 1 and crew were able to clear after checking for readings and finding no trace of CO. Thirteen firefighters reported and cleared after 25 minutes.
At 2:07pm Friday, March 13, downed and arcing power lines in the 7000 block of Frankenmuth, near Truax Road in Tuscola Township, resulted in a FFD response.
FFD Chief Phil Kerns said a tree fell across primary power wires, causing one wire to fall and make contact with the ground and an adjacent pool of water. The department stood by until 4pm while waiting for the DTE Energy crew to respond and handle the incident.
While there, another downed line was reportedly burning brush approximately two miles east, toward Vassar. The FFD traveled to the scene and then turned over this matter to the Richville Fire Department. A total of 15 fire personnel checking in at the station.
At 5:27pm Friday, the FFD responded to a call of downed wires in the 600 block of Heine Street. Upon arrival, Brush 7 found that a street light pole had snapped off, and fell across a residential driveway due to the high wind gusts experienced.
𠇏ortunately, no one was injured and there was no local power outage as aa result,” Kerns said.
Fire personnel notified the resident and neighbors and they were able to tape off the area fore safety, until Consumers Energy crews arrived. Eight firefighters reported and cleared within 20 minutes.
Also on Friday, at 8:59pm, fire personnel were summoned to the 900 block of Flint Street for wires up, and arcing. Engine 2 notified the affected property owner of the situation and contacted Consumers Energy.
FFD Captain Doug Van Wormer noted 11 firefighters traveled to the hall, clearing within 20 minutes.
Just after midnight Saturday, March 14, alarm No. 41 for 2026 saw the FFD’s public safety drone was requested to assist law enforcement for a missing person, thought to have wandered into a large, vacant tract of land near South Towerline Road and State Street in Bridgeport Township.
Squad 4 responded and the crew conferred with police agencies on the scene, and, prior to deploying the drone, the subject was located in a neighboring community. Squad 4 and seven fire personnel cleared the scene after 45 minutes.
The high winds continued to create havoc in the area on Monday, March 16. At 4:24pm, 15 firefighters reported for an alarm in the 7600 block of West Tuscola Road for a utility pole down in a residential backyard. This created a localized power outage and Consumers Energy was notified. Engine 2 and crew cleared 30 minutes later.
Alarm No. 43 took place at 5:59pm for wires down at the intersection of West Schleier and North Franklin streets. Engine 2 responded, and determined it was a communication line that had broken free. The AT&T line was secured and the dozen fire personnel cleared within 20 minutes.
In other FFD news, Assistant Chief Dan Schneirla, Senior Firefighter and drone pilot Wayne Nuechterlein and Kerns met with morning and afternoon high school juniors and seniors attending public safety classes at the Saginaw Career Complex on Wednesday, March 11.
The trio reviewed Frankenmuth’s Public Safety Drone Unit and they demonstrated a training flight.
Flow tests were performed for the self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA). Over 30 breathing masks and 26 air packs were part of the flow test certification process.
The Frankenmuth Township Board of Trustees held their annual meeting on Monday, March 16. The FFD Building Committee made a presentation on the status of the new station planning and projected cost pf the project, which is approximately $10 million.
Because the FFD is an authority of both the Frankenmuth City and Frankenmuth Township governments, funding of the department is based on each community’s taxable value. That number typically hovers around 75 percent funding from the city, and 25 percent from the township.
“The number of annual fire runs is also very close to that same property value ratio,” Schneirla pointed out.
Although so much goes into properly funding a fire department, Kerns firmly believes the community is well aware that our current station is obsolete and deficient in meeting the needs of both apparatus housing and basic firefighter needs.
“I am optimistic that community support from all aspects, agricultural to industry and residential, will help us fund a modern building that will meet the needs of the community for decades to come,” Kerns stated.
Kerns expects conceptual plans will be released in early April, with presentations to local groups and citizens thereafter to detail the needs and planned construction.
“Until then, nearly 20 years of planning is progressing and government leaders have been genuinely involved in this lengthy and time-consuming process,” Kerns pointed out.
Saginaw County is one of numerous Michigan counties whereby local units have agreed to participate in a fire service agreement which offers mutual aid when major disasters occur and communities have depleted their local and regional firefighting assets due to the extent of the situation.
As of this Tuesday morning, Saginaw County was asked to ready potential fire apparatus to send to Wexford County and northern Michigan due to widespread ice damage.
“We have committed a minimum of four personnel to send, if need be, and are awaiting a specific deployment request, along with other area fire departments,” Kerns advised.
Kerns said that FFD volunteers have made commitments to go if needed, without pay. As the public knows, Frankenmuth is a giving community and this is just another example of our firefighting volunteers stepping up to the plate to help others in need.
For most municipalities in the state, statewide tornado testing will take place at1pm Wednesday, March 18. Saginaw County will not be testing sirens, since the county conducts their testing on the first Wednesday of each month.
“In the event you are outside Saginaw County, be advised that this may be happening in other areas across the state,” Kerns said.
At 2:45am Saturday, March 14, the Reese Faith Community Church, located on M-81 in the middle of Reese, was ablaze. The white wood-framed church was totally destroyed and a former youth center next to it was damage.
𠇊lthough we did not get called to church fire, our thoughts and prayers go out to the congregation and we are thankful there were no injuries,” Kerns said.
Reese Fire Rescue was assisted immediately with mutual aid from Fairgrove and Richville fire departments, with additional agencies Blumfield Township, Merritt Township, and a ladder truck from the Caro Fire Department also went to the scene.
The cause of the fire is currently under investigation.
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