COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) – Coldwater Fire Chief Rich Sherman told the Coldwater City Council on Monday that 2015 was a challenging year for the fire department.
In his annual report, Sherman said the harsh winter of 2014-2015 was a contributing factor to a 39% increase in building fires from the previous year and the number of emergency incidents also went up slightly from 2014.
There were three civilian injuries and four firefighters were hurt but no fire fatalities last year.
The largest fire the department had to handle was at the Coldwater Inn.
Sherman says the loss from that fire has not been reported to the Coldwater Fire Department by the insurance carrier or the owner.
The report showed that actual fire loss increased significantly in the City and Coldwater Township but declined significantly in Girard Township.
Sherman added that despite the fire loss increase, the fire district had per capital fire loss rates that were much less than the national average.
