Brandon Twp.- When Fire Chief Bob McArthur retires next month after 33 years with the Brandon Fire Department, he’ll take many memories with him.
Some are funny? like the time he went out on a call in the early 80s after a woman who was locked out of her house got stuck in her chimney; and some are bizarre? such as when he went to put out fires on different occasions and was warned by homeowners there were boa constrictors at the residences.
He also has memories of responding to murders and domestic violence calls that he would like to forget.
‘Those things are always with you,? said McArthur, 62, who retires Jan. 16. ‘At the very beginning… I wondered, ‘Why in the world do I want to do this?? My wife (Karen) set me straight: ‘You wanted to do this because you wanted to help.??
McArthur was born and raised in the community and his father-in-law, Elwyn Saunders, was fire chief of the Ortonville Fire Department in 1942, the year it was established. In February 1975, McArthur signed on as a fire department volunteer.
He found he really enjoyed it and in October 1975, he took a full-time position with the department. At that time, he recalls, firefighters responded to about 250 calls per year.
‘It really got in my blood,? recalls McArthur, who began taking several advanced classes and learning firefighter techniques. Soon, he would be receiving medical training, too.
In the 70s, Sherman Ambulance Company provided emergency medical transport for township residents, but was struggling with personnel. In 1977, the Brandon Fire Department began offering basic first aid, then progressed upward. McArthur attended college to become an emergency medical technician. Fire department personnel provided medical service on scene, but contracted with a private ambulance service until 2004, when they acquired their own ambulances and started transporting patients to hospitals themselves.
‘Us providing medical and ambulance service is one of the biggest changes I’ve seen,? McArthur said. ‘What that does for our community is huge. From the time of the emergency, they are with a Brandon firefighter through treatment, transport, and until they are face-to-face with an ER doctor. I can’t tell you how important that is to someone who is sick or injured… We don’t have to wait 20 minutes. We respond in 3-4 minutes and do a transport.?
Besides the medical change, the department now also has three fire stations, full-time coverage, technical rescue capabilities, 12 full-time firefighters and a full-time secretary and up to 33 paid on-call firefighters.
McArthur moved up the ranks through the years, to sergeant in 1976, EMT in 1978, lieutenant in 1981, captain in 1985, and chief in 1997, after which he immediately appointed David Borst to assistant chief.
Now, Brandon firefighters respond to more than 1,000 calls annually.
McArthur and Borst have established a fire prevention program in the schools, and McArthur has carefully planned for the township, upgrading vehicles and providing the three fire stations with state-of-the-art equipment without raising taxes.
While the administration of the fire department has been a large and important part of his job, the most thrilling part is still being out there helping people.
‘Everything we do is helping somebody and supporting them, getting them through whatever difficult situation they’re in, whether they’ve had a fire and lost their home, or junior’s got a cut,? McArthur said. ‘It’s cool stuff we get to do and we come back and feel so good about the whole thing.?
One of those feel good moments came a few years ago after they responded to a CPR call at McDonald’s. Firefighters used advanced life support, including defibrillation. McArthur recalls the woman was ‘virtually dead? at the restaurant. They transported her to the hospital and three months later, she came to the firehall to thank the firefighters for saving her life.
McArthur still gets an adrenaline rush when a call comes in.
‘As soon as they say a house is on fire, or someone’s not breathing, you instantly appreciate it because you’ve done it enough times,? he said. ‘You prepare yourself for what you have to do and it pumps you up immediately.?
While McArthur has been highly concerned for his own and other firefighters? safety on calls, especially structure fires, he said it is that concern that makes them better at what they do and keeps them from getting hurt.
Now, McArthur is ready to turn over the reins of the fire department to David Kwapis, chosen to be the new fire chief.
An open house at which the public can say goodbye to McArthur and hello to Kwapis will be from 1-4 p.m., Jan. 10, at Fire Station #1, 53 South St., Ortonville.
‘I’m looking forward to folks coming out to meet the new fire chief, they’ve seen enough of me,? says McArthur, who plans to spend his retirement hunting, fishing, golfing and seeing more of his family, which includes his three childen and six grandchildren. ‘I’ve had a great time and an opportunity to help a lot of people. I’ve loved all of the excitement. I got a rush out of all of that and being able to control and deal with situations, just good stuff. I’m happy to leave it for someone else to have all the fun.?