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CURTIS OSTRANDER	DUAINE HARDING
ELEANOR TODD	ELMER "BUD" HAHN
GERVASE KILEY	MARIAN SUTTON
ORLO KIRKUM	SLAVA KOKOTOVICH
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After reciting the oath, Washington Township's newly pinned paid-on-call firefighters shake hands with their board members. From left, Anthony Dechambeau, John Skelly, Josh Thom and Derrek Sifford.

(Observer photo by Kimberly Scherer)

WT fire chief pins 4 new
paid-on-call firefighters

by KIMBERLY SCHERER
Observer Special Writer

      The Washington Township Fire Department was center stage during the township's Board of Trustee's meeting July 21.
       Four of the fire department's new paid-on-call firefighters were pinned before the board, fellow firefighters and their families.
       Anthony Dechambeau was pinned by his father, Phil; Derrek Sifford was pinned by his mother, Debbie; John Skelly was pinned by his father, John; and Josh Thom was pinned by his wife, Shawn.
       "Moms and dads, you did something right," Fire Chief Dave Poterek told the probationary firefighter's parents. "They went through background checks<psychological<we checked out their background, we talked to their neighbors, their friends, people on the street. They passed all these."
       The probationary firefighters had to pass a written test and oral interview, physical and agility tests and a background check before the evening's pinning.
       Poterek added that it's getting increasingly harder to find firefighter candidates with a clean history, no arrests or tickets.
       "You are joining a unique brotherhood," Poterek said.
       Some of those already part of that unique brotherhood were also recognized. Several of the township's first responders, along with Stony Creek lifeguards and an off duty paid-on-call EMT from the Rochester Hills Fire Department, worked together to save the life of a 20-year-old woman.
       Poterek said the woman had a "water emergency" at Stony Creek's Baypoint Beach June 29 that left her in cardiac arrest. The lifeguards and the off duty firefighter administered CPR. Washington's first responders arrived at the scene and by the time they pulled up to the hospital, Poerek said, the woman had a pulse and was breathing on her own.
       "The teamwork on this run was exceptional, from the beginning water rescue by the Stony Creek lifeguards to the ALS care and transport provided by our personnel," he said.
       The Stony Creek lifeguards< Lindsey Cindrich, Ryan Pinter, Jeff Conn and Drew Matz<were presented with certificates that commended their good work. Rochester Hills paid-on-call firefighter Alicia Klee was also recognized along with Washington Township firefighters Capt. Kris Toles, Sgt. Dennis Milobar, firefighter/medic Jim Rewitzer, firefighter/medic Marty Lathrop, firefighter/medic Brian Johnson, firefighter/medic Kevin DeJaegher and Assistant Chief John Clark.
       Along with honoring a job well done to the first responders was a check presented to the Great Lakes Burn Camp. Half of the money raised by the 53rd annual pancake breakfast went to the organization that hosts a camp at the end of August for children who are burn victims.
       Camp Director Mike Longenecker explained that it allows children to come and swim and have a good time without being judged.
       "We average 85 kids a summer," he said. "It's all through the donations like this that make it happen."
       Longenecker was presented with a $2,164 check for the camp.
       "You should be proud of your firefighters<giving to the community and to kids across the state," he said.