Other Apparatus
The Summerfield Township Volunteer Fire Department owns two apparatus which do not fit into the category of "Rescue Trucks", "Engines", or "Grass Trucks". These are a boat and a training smoke trailer.
Boat
The STVFD is one of the few deparments in Monroe County with a dive team. Several members are certified SCUBA divers. The need for this additional service is due to the fact that three campgrounds operate within Summerfield Township. Each of these campgrounds contain a large swimming pond. In addition, the township has dozens of private ponds, as well as a sometimes dangerous, fast flowing river, The River Raisin.
Water rescues/recoveries are not common, but the need to be prepared for them is very important. On average, one drowning per year occurs within the township. While dive team members must supply their own SCUBA equipment, the department owns and operates a 14 foot flat bottom boat to facilitate water rescues. The boat is equipped with a 6 HP motor, as well as all the necessary implements for performing water rescues & recoveries.
Training Smoke Trailer
Purchased and modified in 1998 with money donated by many area businesses, the department also owns a 48 foot box trailer which has been retrofitted for search and rescue training. The trailer is normally kept on the fire grounds, just outside the hall. Each winter, the trailer is moved into the hall and is used for training Summerfield Township fire fighters in search and rescue techniques. Additionally, the fire fighter school operated by the Monroe County Fire Fighters Association uses the trailer to train new fire fighters for the entire county.
The trailer is subdivided into two levels and is equipped with furniture, a smoke machine, and several noise and light distractions used to simulate the sometimes chaotic environment which fire fighters can encounter when attempting a real search and rescue. Additionally, the configuration within the trailer can be changed to simulate different environments. This training equipment has been an invaluable resource for not only members of the STVFD, but all fire fighters who go through the Monroe County training program.