Fire departments respond to more than house fires in the Keweenaw Peninsula. Firefighters have used the Jaws of Life to rescue traffic crash victims and responded to fires caused by lighting strikes.
Despite the many types of emergencies fire departments respond to, operation millages offer limitations on how departments use funds. Gay Fire Department Auxiliary President Sherry Middlemis-Brown said Giving Tuesdayโs access to unrestricted funds have supported matching grants and equipment purchases for firefighters.
“Our fire department is very good about going after state and federal grants and often times they require a match and so that’s where the auxiliary steps up and provides you know $2,500, $5,000, whatever the match needs to be,” Middlemis-Brown explained.
