By Staff
Dressing in heavy fireproof suits and helmets wasn't the easiest attire to don on a warm July evening.
Area firefighters, after listening to an hour lecture and presentation, actually experienced the problems which might come their way in dealing with a propane fire.
Edwardsburg Fire Department hosted the training in their new facility Tuesday evening.
Firefighters came from Pokagon, Indian Lake, Penn Township and Niles Township, along with eight from Osolo Township in Indiana.
With controlled burns, the firefighters were all able to experience putting out a variety of propane fires, from a gas grill to a 500 gallon tank and even one at a bulk pump filling station.
Sponsored by Midwest Energy in Cassopolis, members of the Michigan Propane Gas Association offer the state certified course.
At an age when most would be sitting enjoying his easy chair, one of the trainers was right in the action, explaining with his bullhorn how best to deal with each scenario. Ernie Wolters has more than 45 years of firefighting service.
Apparently it was his idea more than 20 years ago to offer this training.
Thanks to their efforts, the next time an accident involving propane occurs, these men and women will have a little more confidence. They hopefully will remember the training which Wolters and the others gave them.
I want to personally thank all those who took time out on a hot summer night to suit up and learn how to someday save a life, or possibly my home.
I hope you have been enjoying the wonderful fruit and vegetables being offered at stores and farm markets in the area.
I found some cute "donut peaches" at Dussel's on M-60 in Cassopolis. They are really sweet and I bet would get even the pickiest eater to try fresh fruit.
The corn has been fantastic and so are the melons. If you haven't tasted our area's summer treasures, don't miss out.
Last week I met a few young people who were interested in doing a community project during their summer.
Students from the Winding Waters Summer Day Camp in Elkhart, Ind. had visited the Cass County Animal Shelter and played with the kittens and cats and took the dogs on walks.
They were so wanting to do more that they decorated signs and posters and took up a collection for the shelter of cleaning products, food, treats, newspapers and litter.
It was good to see our young people excited to follow through on a project and help the shelter. Their teacher too went out of her way to drive the students to the shelter to deliver the products they collected. We don't hear enough about the good things our young people do.
While I am offering praise, I will soon be writing about two men who made Cassopolis their home and took a struggling company to national recognition.
The owners of Parkshore Marina have kept a large building on the village's main throughway from sitting empty.
They also made the marina facility on Diamond Lake a place for families to gather and enjoy their day at the lake. They have become productive members of the community along with helping increase jobs and offer a future to many.