Palmer really does have a dandy fire department

This past week while searching for information on the Palmer Fire Department, I came across a photo from a 1936 Fourth of July Parade in Palmer.

The photo, taken by Almer Peterson, is of about 15 firemen with an arrow pointing to himself and a caption that reads, “We have a dandy fire department.” Indeed we do. The statement was true then and it is true now. As the first fire department in the Valley, Palmer fire has a long history and is a proud tradition in the city of Palmer.

With input from the fire service area board, the city of Palmer coordinates service to about 75 square miles in the Mat-Su Borough. It is a testimony to the 57 on-call volunteers and chief McNutt that the Greater Palmer Fire Service Area has the lowest fire service mill rate in the Mat-Su Borough.

Without exception, this is the department that presents the most efficient budget each year. The most expensive portion of their budget is always equipment, and rightly so. The right working equipment can mean the difference between making a rescue, saving a life, saving property and keeping firefighters safe. These men and women must put in many hours of training each year in addition to their day jobs, and when called upon must immediately perform at a demanding standard. While this is not easy to do, the department continues to function at an exceptional level.

Two major fires made the news from the Palmer area in 2012. In the beginning of August, the Matanuska Maid Co-op warehouse burned in the early morning hours. The cause was most likely arson, but the specifics are still undetermined. Three ladder trucks pumping 5,000 gallons of water per minute kept the fire from spreading to the oil tanks, book store and surrounding buildings.

The Cedar Hills fire was started by a spark from a vehicle accident on Fishhook Road. The roaring wind caused a spark in the grass to create a large flash fire in seconds. Firefighters from six areas assisted our department, including Anchorage, Birchwood and the state Division of Forestry. The only stations that didn’t respond to Cedar Hills were ones that were fighting fires of their own.

The level of cooperation in response to these fires is commendable. Thank you to all emergency responders who not only think outside the box, but also work outside your areas, take orders from other commanders and put working together to save others above all differences.

From the city of Palmer, a special note of appreciation to all responding departments that helped save lives and keep homes from being lost in 2012.

Each year, Greater Palmer Area firefighters have a banquet to share stories and recognize distinguished members. Being able to attend this event as mayor is a privilege and an awesome perk of the job. This year volunteers will be recognized for 10, 20, 30 and even 40 years with the department. In keeping with tradition, most of the past chiefs will attend.

Palmer has had only four fire chiefs since the 1960s — Noel Woods, Pat O’Conner, Dan Contini and current chief, John McNutt. What a great group of people and community leaders throughout the years. What was said in 1936 is still true today, “We have a dandy fire department.”

Congratulations to the Palmer Fire Department for another year of excellence.

DeLena Johnson has been mayor of Palmer since October 2010.