The Ada Fire Department serves Ada Township, a 37 square mile area in Southwestern Kent County, Michigan, with a population of nearly 11,000 people. We respond to fire calls, medical calls and vehicle accidents, as well as providing fire safety education and fire prevention measures to those we serve.
The Department is
staffed by 3 full time personnel and 16 Paid On Call Firefighters. All the Firefighters have completed the State of Michigan Fire Fighters Training Council Fire Fighter II course and at least Hazardous Material Operations training. Medically, four are licensed as Basic EMTs, one as a Paramedic, and the remainder as Medical First Responders. Seven firefighters have completed some level of Fire Officer's Training. We also have several probationary on-call firefighters in various stages of training or completion of requirements, and we are currently
looking for additional firefighters to join our family.
We operate 11 pieces of
apparatus out of two
stations - three engines (one of which is a combination engine and rescue), two brush/utility trucks, two medical squads, a Chief's vehicle, and a tanker, as well as a rescue boat and an air delivery trailer. We regularly operate mutual aid with our neighboring departments, as well - you can find more about them on our
links page.
We're on the scanner at channels 154.0700 (disptach) and 154.0400 (our repeater). To listen to live scanner feeds, see below.
(For important information about services we provide and other safety issues, click
here.)
(The following excerpts are adapted from a history of the department put together by Nina Harrington, of the Ada Historical Society.)
In 1946, a group of civic-minded citizens decided the fire protection needs in the community exceeded the ability of the lone fire truck housed at the county garage on Fase Street and manned by employees of the Kent County Road Commission. The township was growing, and more equipment was sorely needed.
The first fire chief was Dick Sytsma, who owned the local hardware store and lived in the village. Their first fire truck was a 1935 Ford that could draw water from a creek or river, which the county truck could not do.
Through the years, there have been many improvements in equipment and techniques. The early department consisted of volunteers who were initially outfitted with a helmet, rubber raincoat, and rubber boots. These could become unbearably hot at a fire scene.
A few years later, the men were able to purchase new uniforms with funds they raised doing odd jobs about the community and by holding annual auctions. The Township later purchased a 1950's truck which the men reconstructed to meet their needs by doing their own welding, plumbing, etc. Eventually, new equipment was added such as the Jaws of Life, hydraulic spreaders, and, more recently, automatic external defibrillators and a thermal imaging camera.
Originally, there were two signal boxes installed in the village - one in front of the hardware store, and one at the corner of Ada Drive and Bronson. In an emergency, someone had to go to one of these locations and activate the alarm, which would set off the siren located by the Township Hall at the corner of Thornapple River Drive and Ada Drive. The siren summoned the volunteers, and someone had to standby at the signal box to direct firefighters to the fire. Now, placing a call to 911 will bring the help needed.
The first fire truck was housed at the Township Hall. In 1976, Station #2 was built on Knapp Street to serve the needs of residents living north of the Grand River, as that area was growing rapidly. In 1990, the new Station #1 was built on Bronson Street in the village to better serve the growing needs of the community.
Information provided by: Avrill Historical Museum of Ada, located at 7144 Headley Street across from the Post Office. The Museum is open 1-4 pm on Fridays and Saturdays.