Longtime fire chief hangs up his hat

By CAROL SOUTH
Special to the Record-Eagle

September 28, 2009 07:10 am

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SUTTONS BAY -- It's a long way from a 1907 bucket brigade, which saved Suttons Bay from burning a century ago.

Or even the informal assortment of volunteers who 45 years ago dropped whatever they were doing, leaving business and families to answer calls.

Today's Suttons Bay-Bingham Township Fire Department bid farewell to its longtime chief, Bill Calhoun, who ushered in the department's modern era.

Retiring Aug. 31, he served in the part-time chief's position for 15 years. His roots with the department started in the mid-1960s when he began riding along as a high schooler. The fuzziness of the exact date in 1964-65 reflects the informality of volunteering back then.

"When I started, pretty much if you could jump on the back of a truck and ride it you were in the fire department," said Calhoun, who enjoyed a retirement party with family, colleagues and friends Sunday afternoon at the station, situated in the heart of the village of Suttons Bay.

Rich Bahle, president of the Fire Authority Board that oversees the two-township fire department, praised the dedication exemplified by Calhoun's longevity. The chief helped guide the department as it grew to include a new facility built in 2004, now staffed by nine full-time personnel and 15 part-paid volunteers. The department's fleet has grown correspondingly to include two ambulances, two pumpers, two tankers, a brush truck and an extraction van.

"It's truly amazing that we've had 45 years," Bahle said. "It's really a tremendous achievement."

For Calhoun, serving in a small-town department, whether as young volunteer or veteran chief, meant always being available. Christmas dinner, church, family gathering -- the radio was always on and Calhoun was ready to go if needed, often telling his wife, Marilyn and family, "Sorry, I'll be back."

"Mine was on all the time but I could turn it off and on to the call," said Calhoun, who plans to continue serving as a part-paid volunteer. "I could hear the whole county but I always knew our tones."

During Calhoun's tenure, the part-time nature of both the firefighter and chief position also meant having another gig to help pay the bills. His various ventures have included excavating, garbage and lawn maintenance businesses.

"I always worked around in the area, that was a way I could be on the fire department as much as I could," said Calhoun, whose grandfather served as fire chief in Leland.

Training and professionalism have become watchwords of the fire fighters, paramedics and EMTs since Calhoun began as a teenager. Even volunteers, who these days receive a stipend, log hundreds of hours of education -- a huge commitment before they can respond to calls.

"Another big change is population and territory: we went from probably 20 runs a year when I first started to 780 runs now," said Calhoun, noting that medical calls constitute a big percentage of those runs. "It is more now of a business because when you're talking a million dollar budget you're talking business. I remember when I started our whole budget might have been $5,000."

Jim Porter began as the Suttons Bay-Bingham Township's full-time chief May 3 while Calhoun remained as a consulting chief through the summer. Porter, like Calhoun a Suttons Bay native, also started out as a volunteer before making firefighting a career. When asked about the role volunteers play in his department, he praises their ongoing devotion and commitment to service.

"They're a big part of our operation and I couldn't stress that enough -- they're very important to us," he said, adding of residents in general: "The community is very supportive, to me that's what it's all about."

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