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A
SSOCIATED
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EWSPAPERS OF
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ICHIGAN
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AGE
4
September 26, 2013
The photo of them, in uniform,
lined up receiving their new
badges during the Sept. 10 meeting
of the Canton Township Board of
Trustees, was unexpectedly mov-
ing.
The significance of these 15
men and one woman accepting
even more responsibility and
accepting promotions to new ranks
in the public safety department at
Canton Township may have been
intensified coming on the eve of
9/11.
Promotions such as these often
are only meaningful to the individ-
uals involved and their families,
who understand and are more
aware of the unique qualities it
takes to do these jobs. That, we
think, is unfortunate, because
these are very special people on
whom the rest of us have come to
rely and whom we almost all take
for granted.
These are the folkswho run into
the burning buildings, just like the
men and women in New York on
9/11. These are the people who put
themselves between us and harm
and who will risk their own lives to
save us from danger. They each
stand up in public, in front of their
families and their peers, and take
an oath to put us first and to do
their very best to protect us, disre-
garding, in many cases, their own
well being and safety.
When we saw these 16 people
accepting their promotions to high-
er ranks after having been in the
department for as long as 25 years,
we wondered how the public and
the rest of us could have forgotten
somuch in the past decade or so.
While therewere somememori-
als planned for the heroes of 9/11,
the horror and heroism of that day
seems to be fading way too quickly
particularlywith regard to themen
and women who are dedicated to
protecting the rest of us.
These people may never run
into a 30-story building and carry
critically injured victims through
falling beams and toxic fumes
down blocked emergency stair-
ways to safety. That probably won't
happen inCantonTownship.
But if there was such a tragedy,
or anything like it, these are the
people who would go in after the
injured. These are the people who,
like their counterparts in Wayne,
Westland, Northville, Inkster and
Plymouth, would go into that build-
ing, nomatterwhat the danger.
Congratulations to each of the
Canton firefighters and the police
officerwhowas recently promoted.
And a special thanks to every
single one of the men and women
who staff every fire department
and police station throughout the
area.
We haven't forgotten who you
are orwhat youdo.
Blissfully unaware, there I was,
walking through a local store smil-
ing at the cute pumpkins, the very
un-scary witches and the sweet lit-
tle ghosts for sale when I caught
myself staring right smack into the
face of Santa.
SANTA. And he wasn't alone.
There were elves, snowmen, rein-
deer, angels and freaking tinsel fill-
ing the shelves. The Christmas
stockings were pushing the
Halloween masks and rubber
noses (with warts) right off the
shelves.What's upwith that?
Before I've devoured even one
caramel apple, I'm supposed to be
thinking about candy canes? Look,
if anybody thinks I ambuying those
after they have been on the shelf
since AUGUST, they are sadly mis-
taken. But there theywere, boxes of
those peppermint treats on the
shelf right next to the sugary candy
corn, the chocolate-covered marsh-
mallow pumpkins and the orange
Peeps.
It isn't time for Christmas yet.
Really, folks, it isn't. It was Aug. 9
when I discovered this stuff lying in
wait forme at a nearby and favorite
store. Hey, I realize that many
retailers count on the Christmas
season to keep their businesses
profitable. I understand that they
need this season of conspicuous
holiday spending to balance their
books-but inAugust?Really?
Perhaps I'm more sensitive to
this little time warp tactic than
most, being one of those much-
maligned and very obnoxious
Christmas crazies. I love Christmas.
Love it. I love everything about the
holiday season. Nothing thrills me
more than a naked Christmas tree,
vulnerable to my overactive deco-
rating imagination, just waiting to
be adorned with everything from
wine bottles to beribboned Milk
Bones.
The observation from those who
have witnessed my Christmas
freak-outs is that anything or any-
one who doesn't keep moving
around me will find themselves
covered with ornaments or artifi-
cial snowand glitter. If they are still
long enough, I decorate them…hey,
it's the season, right?
But that season isn't now. Now I
want to tease my grandchildren
(who are much too old for it, but
indulge me anyhow) with fake
teeth and warts, spooky witch fin-
gers and funny pumpkin faces. I
want to dress up in elaborate cos-
tumes and pretend to be some
exciting creature far removed from
my real life. I want to answer the
door to little people dressed as
fairy princesses and pirates and
skeletons and super heroes and
dump lots of bad-for-them candy
into their bags just so I can watch
themsmile and their eyes light up.
I want to see pumpkins on walk-
ways and orange ribbons decorat-
ing front porches with hay bales
and bundles of corn stalks, with
those silly ghosts and other crafts
that little ones
make in school
papering the
windows. I love
this time of year and especially
Halloween when these very short
costumed folks come to the door. Is
there anything as much fun as
handing out treats dressed up as a
witch or devil or mummy or…well
OK, there was that one year when
the vampire costume may have
been a bit TOO authentic, but the
little ones got the candy anyhow
even if they did have to send par-
ents to the door while they stood on
the sidewalk crying, the little
wimps.
Still, it was fun for the older
kids, many of whom came back
again and again and again until I
discoveredmy costume décolletage
was just a teensie bit lower than
could be considered decent. Hey, I
was a vampire, howwas I to know?
I was far too concerned with my
fangs not slipping out of my mouth
when my attention should have
been focused a little lower on my
anatomy like that of the teenaged
trick or treaters atmy door.
The point is, I love Halloween
and so do a lot of other people,
most of them children. This rush to
the Yule season is depriving them
of the anticipation, the fun and the
memories of Halloween that help
make childhoodwhat it shouldbe.
Seriously, can we just put the
Christmas stuff in the closet, at
least for a little while until
Halloween is well under way?
Please? Because, honestly, I can't
afford to be buying a witch hat and
crystal-teardrop-encrusted, hand-
blown, Austrian globe ornaments at
the same time.
But damn, are they going to look
great onmy hallway tree this year.
There appears to be a small glimmer of hope for resi-
dents of PlymouthTownship.
There may be tiniest crack in the wall of secrecy and
obfuscation the current administration has so laboriously
built to keep the monster of truth from escaping into the
public.
After months of what appeared to be silence and even
acquiescence to the deceit and distortions of those in town-
ship hall, it appears that Plymouth Township Fire Chief
Mark Wendel hasn't been the complacent accomplice he
appeared. Last July, despite verbal orders from Supervisor
Richard Reaume not to create any document that could be
subject to the Freedom of Information Act, Wendel detailed
his serious concerns about the safety of residents in
Plymouth Township in a letter. Wendel's letter, obtained
under the Freedom of Information Act, was professional
and businesslike and detailed the lack of equipment, the
outdated masks, turnout gear, dilapidated trucks, broken
communications equipment and safety devices in the
department. He provided details of the need for updating
equipment and noted that there has not been a capital
expense in the fire department in more than four years. He
even reminded Reaume that the Plymouth Township Fire
Department does not have a ladder or aerial truck and can-
not respond to fires above the first floor of any home or
building.
His letter also explained exactly what the cuts in depart-
ment staffing have done to the department and the subse-
quent level of danger residents currently face. There are
many times, Wendel explained, when there are only three
firefighters on duty to cover 28,000 residents. He cites statis-
tics that demonstrate that the number of calls and emer-
gency runs have increased by 400 percent while the staff has
been cut to 12.
Reading his letter should frighten anyone who believes
that their tax money in Plymouth Township is paying for
full-time fire protection from a professionally-staffed
department. It isn't. Tax money in Plymouth Township is
being used for $6,000 raises for each of the assistants to the
treasurer and supervisor. It will be used to repay $1.9 mil-
lion in bond sales for a new park pavilion, improvements to
the township golf course and an amphitheater. It's being
used to pay lots of bills, many of them for necessary and
legitimate expenses for required services. But it isn't being
used to provide the fire safety services Plymouth Township
residents believe they have.
We applaudWendel's taking a stand, privately andprofes-
sionally, not grandstanding or attempting to point fingers or
lay blame. His letter noted, too, that the tension between the
fire fighters union and the township administration may
have played a significant role in the current situation and
he suggests that all the problems could be solved if level-
headedpeople put theirminds to addressing the problems.
We also applaud Trustee Bob Doroshewitz who, while
initially supporting this plan for the "right sizing" of the fire
department, now has suspicions that the plan has gone too
far and does not meet the needs of Plymouth Township res-
idents.
He continues to demand reports regarding the fire
department performance and status. Trustees Mike Kelly
and Chuck Curmi have also asked questions of Reaume and
Treasurer Ron Edwards, the masterminds of both the dem-
olition of the fire department and the $1.9 million new
recreation construction plan. Their requests have been
stonewalled, but to their credit, they seem determined to
find out just what is being kept from them, and from the res-
idents.
Perhaps this letter fromWendel will give them a clue as
towhat is really happening, at least in the fire department.
If Reaume and Edwards continue to stall these requests
for reports and analyses, however, the trustees are certainly
entitled to follow our lead and submit a Freedom of
InformationAct request.
For thatmatter, so can any other interested citizen.
Perhaps this letter from Wendel will
give them a clue as to what is really happening,
at least in the fire department.
”
At last, a glimmer of hope in Plymouth Township
They’re
still heroes
The point is,
I love Halloween and so do a lot of other people,
most of them children.
”
‘Tis the season to be scared silly: jolly can wait