Ferndale Fire Department

By Jenn Goeddeke

CHIEF TERESA ROBINSON HAS WORKED FIRE DEPARTMENTS AND EMS FOR 26 YEARS. She has filled numerous roles, including firefighter, paramedic, fire instructor, training chief, and Assistant Fire Chief. Impressively she is also the first female to hold a leadership role in Ferndale Fire Department History.

Robinson's enthusiasm for her position as Chief and her staff truly shines through. She describes her department as “Phenomenal! One of the best I have seen. This is our home away from home, and we are all close, as brothers and sisters.”

Station #1 (1635 Livernois) teams up with Station #2 (1070 E. 9 Mile Rd) to handle fire and EMS response calls for Ferndale, Pleasant Ridge, and Royal Oak Township. The Ferndale firefighters respond to many different types of emergencies: fires and more! This requires frequent, often daily, hands-on training. Because there is such variety in the emergencies dealt with, the firefighters rotate the training drills. For example, one day might see firefighting drills in the training tower and another might involve cutting up a car. Robinson mentioned the team is extremely selfmotivated and shares a dedicated vision of being the best at what they do.

WE TALKED ABOUT FIRE PREVENTION IN HOMES. Robinson stated, “The biggest single factor is the correct installation of smoke detectors throughout the home. A safety survey is still available: A firefighter visits your home for about 45 minutes, and checks for hidden hazards, smoke detector placement, escape routes, and other aspects of fire prevention. Cooking is another area where fires often originate. An individualized plan for your home is created so that you can feel confident you are protecting yourself against any potential fire hazards.”

Regarding outdoor fires, an open burn permit is available for a minimal fee from the City. As an annual permit, this allows the Department to check that a fire will be in a safe locale, with precautions in place. Fireworks are equally hazardous and the Ferndale web site should be checked before hosting a firework display. Additionally, downed wires can be very treacherous. Please be sure to call 911 if you see a downed wire. And be extremely cautious within the area as surrounding conductive objects (such as a metal fence) can be hazardous too. As Robinson suggested, "We need these conversations with our residents because we don’t always know what we don’t know!" (See below website link for more information and annual burn permit application details).

As the responsibility of firefighting is serious and often stressful, there can be some pranks and lighthearted fun around the Fire Station to break the tension, such as dumping water on fellow firefighters’ heads from up above, or just jumping out from behind a corner! Silly, harmless jokes can go a long way in lightening the mood on any given day. Robinson often brings in her pitbull, Diamond, for a station visit. She is both beautiful (white with black spots) and friendly to all. Plus she brings a therapeutic effect to the staff each time she visits.

REGARDING SPECIAL EVENTS, the is organized annually through the American Lung Association. The fundraiser began following the September 11th, 2001 World Trade Center attack. This year the Ferndale firefighters raised over $2000. And one of their crew, Mona Markabani, achieved the top time from a total of 31 participating women!

A program is coming this Summer, so keep your eyes open for a red pop-up tent where one will find CPR mannequins on which to practice skills, plus free gifts.

The Ferndale Fire Department is recruiting firefighting candidates. It’s a great profession with full benefits, where you can be proud of what you do, so be sure to apply if you believe you have what it takes! Check the web site link below for more details. •

Fire Station #1: 1635 Livernois | Fire Station #2: 1070 E. Nine Mile Rd. Emergency: 911 | Non-emergency: 248-546-2510 www.ferndalemi.gov/departments/fire-department Burn permit application: www.ferndalemi.gov/resources/open-burning-in-ferndale