What's Happening in Farmington Hills, MI…

In order to become more proficient in overturned vehicles, the city's firefighters recently teamed up with employees of a professional towing company for a training day.

When a large vehicle, such as a semi-truck or school bus overturns, the accident frightens victims' loved ones and can snarl traffic for hours. Although such accidents are rare, Farmington Hills experiences about one a month, most often on one of the city's expressways.

According to Dennis Firment, a lieutenant with the fire department, the towing company's responsibility in an accident are different from those of his department, but they complement each other. Training together makes it possible for each agency to learn the other's capabilities, and how they can work together to mitigate such situations. Training now will make it simpler to handle large-vehicle accidents in the future, while also building a good working relationship between the two, which also makes things easier in stressful situations.

Firment went on to explain that although there are few of these incidents, they have the potential to cause serious injury. Knowing the way each team works, and the best way to coordinate their efforts, will allow work at the accident scene to proceed more quickly and efficiently.

Fire department officials might like to work with a postcard printing company on a mailer for residents that explains how the training will keep the community safer.