City of Alpena gives its approval to a fire protection agreement

It is hoped that a situation like the February 12 fire that destroyed the four-decade home of The Advance and Big D?s Pizza, where firefighting equipment from outside of the area was needed, never occurs again in Rogers City. The city is awaiting news about a possible Homeland Security grant to purchase an aerial truck, but until that day arrives — if it does at all — one-half of a mutual aid agreement is in place with the City of Alpena The Alpena City Council entered into the fire protection agreement with Rogers City at their meeting in Alpena.

ROGERS CITY MANAGER John Bruning, who is finishing his final days at city hall before taking the executive director post at District Health Department No. 4, sent a draft agreement to the City of Alpena but had not heard back from officials in Alpena, or received the signed agreement. He said it is ?good news. It takes the uncertainty and guess work out of the process.? The agreement stems from the February fire that destroyed two businesses, damaged a third, and threatened another in the downtown block at Third Street and Erie. At the time of the fire, Rogers City asked Alpena to send their ladder truck to help fight the fire. But, by the time Alpena officials received authorization to send the truck, Rogers City already had help from several other departments.

CITY COUNCIL members approved the new mutual aid agreement, but not without some concerns. Council noted that Alpena has only one ladder truck, and if that truck is sent to a fire outside the area, and a fire breaks out in Alpena, the consequences cou

ld be devastating. Under the terms of the new agreement, it will be up to either Public Safety Director Thad Taylor or Deputy Fire Chief Ken Hubbard on whether or not the ladder truck is sent outside the immediate area. Taylor explained some of the reasons why the truck would not be sent. “If we have our own fire. If we have two or three ambulances out. If we’re providing mutual aid somewhere else. All those things need to be taken into consideration and that’s what we weigh for any request for mutual aid,” said Taylor. Alpena has a mutual fire aid agreement with 13 area fire departments.

BRUNING SAID the circumstances of February 12 may never occur again, but an agreement makes the process more clear if a similar situation were to occur. The City of Rogers City is still awaiting word on the grant submitted to Homeland Security. Bruning said they could be notified sometime in the next few weeks or at the end of the month. ?Not getting ?kicked out? of the program at this point is good news. It means we are still in the hunt.? City attorney Mike Vogler will review the agreement before it goes to members of the Rogers City Council for their consideration.