Brandon and Groveland Township fire departments were among seven locally that responded to the Jan. 20 fire that engulfed the Road Commission of Oakland County Davisburg garage.
Ten firefighters from Groveland Township Fire Department were called to the blaze at 5:31 p.m. and remained on the scene until about 10 p.m. Brandon Firefighters arrived at 6:37 p.m. and assisted until 9:30 p.m.
The Davisburg garage, which was destroyed in the fire, housed equipment that served the Groveland Township area. Brandon Township is served from the Orion Township garage.
‘Groveland residents should not notice any difference? in road maintenance, said Craig Bryson, public information officer for the Road Commission of Oakland County (RCOC), the agency that maintains all but private roads in Groveland Township.
Following the fire, offers of help poured in. With a loan of eight salt and plow trucks from the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT), two leased trucks from the Genesee County Road Commission, and two trucks from Wayne County, winter maintenance ‘should be up to status quo,? said Bryson.
Spare MDOT trucks began rolling in Wednesday and Thursday from as far away as Gaylord and Kalamazoo. It won’t affect MDOT road maintenance, says Rob Morosi, MDOT spokesperson.
‘The tri-county area has roughly 40 percent of the population of the state of Michigan,? said Morosi. ‘We were happy to assist.?
Several trucks were driven out of the burning building by firefighters and employees who realized how crucial the trucks are to motorists? safety, said an appreciative Bryson, hailing the work of firefighters, the building superintendent, and employees as ‘amazing? and ‘extraordinary?.
Despite saving some equipment, RCOC expects it will be a year or two until the building and equipment is replaced, and the budget is back on track. Meanwhile, the financial loss incurred from depreciated vehicle reimbursement and a $25,000 building deductible will likely be taken from the road maintentenance and resurfacing budget.
‘It’ll cost probably hundreds of thousands of dollars,? said Bryson, who knows of no federal aid available to help offset the loss.
On Jan. 22, the RCOC board approved obtaining bids on 12 new salt trucks. Custom-ordering the trucks is cheaper than attempting to retrofit used equipment, said Bryson, who estimates the trucks will take at least a year to build.
‘We’ll be extremely lucky if we see them by the beginning of next winter.?
RCOC is also negotiating leasing a building to use as temporary storage for the vehicles, Bryson said, although details of the contract have not yet been finalized.