Photos for Jan. 6, 2021
Jason Shaw of Oscoda took this photograph of a sunset at Tawas Point State Park near the Lighthouse on Saturday, Dec. 12.
Aaron Hazen and Raymond Brunning III have received their official Tawas City Fire Department (TCFD) badges, upon earning their State of Michigan Fire Academy certificates. A badge ceremony was conducted during a recent TCFD training session at the fire hall, to acknowledge their accomplishment. Pictured here during the presentation, from left, are TCFD Assistant Chief Jeff Seyfried, firefighters Hazen and Brunning III and TCFD Chief Steve Masich. The chief states that he is very proud of these two men, as their classes started in September 2019 and ran through March 2020. When classes were nearly complete, COVID-19 struck and caused the shutdown of these courses, until resuming in June 2020. Masich notes that, during this downtime, Hazen and Brunning III were able to stay focused for the final exams. He adds that the TCFD is fully staffed with 26 firefighters, including two cadets.
With the help of a Michigan AAA Traffic Safety Grant, the Burleigh-Reno-Whittemore Fire Department has acquired extrication stabilizing equipment. Chief Rick Farrand explains that this equipment will help with stabilization of vehicles during extrication, as well as with other rescue operations. “Our department appreciates Michigan AAA for their continued support of first responders in trying to make the highways safer for everyone,” he expressed. “We will be adding this equipment to our growing inventory to help the community we protect. This addition will benefit not only the community we serve but neighboring communities as well,” he stated, also sharing his gratitude to the community for their continued support. Pictured here with the new equipment is Burleigh-Reno-Whittemore Fire Department Lieutenant, Larry Grezeszak. As recently reported, after reviewing 185 applications, AAA awarded a total of $74,000 in Traffic Safety Grants to 10 first responder agencies across Michigan to fund an array of crash rescue equipment.
