It is with great pride that I assume the responsibilities of Chief of the Kent Island Volunteer Fire Department. I am proud to be a member of this Department and know that the members and officers are a group of dedicated, hard working volunteers that give of themselves to protect our citizens and visitors.
Our Department protects approximately 60 square miles and 15,000 residents on
Kent
Island
. We have a wide range of homes, commercial buildings, waterways, highways, bridges, the County’s airport, trails, schools and other occupancies in our first due area. These structures and areas require us to operate a vast array of fire suppression and rescue equipment. This equipment ranges from basic hand tools to thermal imaging cameras.
The Department currently has approximately 75 members to staff 14 pieces of equipment. We have been fortunate to have been awarded two Assistance to Firefighters Grants totaling more then $300,000.00. These funds have been used to increase the safety of our firefighters. From new SCBAs to integrated firefighter accountability and monitoring systems. Our firefighters are some of the best equipped in the area.
The year ahead will bring a new challenge to the Department and to the members that few will ever experience, that of a new fire station. The new fire station is scheduled to be completed in November of 2007. This state-of-the-art facility would not be possible without the generous support of our community. The new station will give us back some of the features we lost in the current station due to having to house additional apparatus as the Community grew. The new station will also provide some features that we have never had before, a bunkroom, meeting rooms, an exercise room, adequate space between vehicles and a bay equipped for vehicle maintenance.
In 2007 we will be celebrating our 60th year of service to the Community. As our Community grows and changes we too must grow and change to keep up with its demands. As we move into our 60th year of service some thing’s never change, the members of the Kent Island Volunteer Fire Department are your neighbors giving of themselves to protect you, your family and your property.
As the Chief of your fire department my goals are to ensure the safety of our personnel and to provide the best level of fire protection to you – our friends and neighbors.
Chief Paul Schlotterbeck
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