Good evening, Mayor Kepley and commissioners. Fire Chief Mark Lohman presented the Kentwood Fire Department’s July 2025 report, saying the department handled 25 fires, 314 EMS calls and 482 total incidents for the month and that calls for service are up about 7% year to date compared with last year. The most serious building fire reported was at the Holiday Inn, where a dumpster fire spread up the building’s combustible exterior before crews extinguished it. Chief Lohman told commissioners the first crew placed water on the fire immediately and knocked it down quickly. He described the Holiday Inn structure as noncombustible with combustible exterior finish and said the fire traveled up three stories to the roof before being extinguished. The chief also noted an increase in small fires related to July 4th fireworks, more cooking and vehicle fires and continued mutual‑aid activity with neighboring townships.
The report matters because the numbers reflect workload for fire personnel and community fire‑safety needs. Chief Lohman said the department has installed 86 smoke alarms and 18 carbon‑monoxide alarms year to date and still has “approximately 240” state‑supplied smoke alarms to distribute. He said the state program appears likely to continue and may move toward interconnected wireless alarms, which would make whole‑house alerts possible. The department has also increased construction plan reviews (24 for the month) and completed 243 business inspections, up about 30% year to date. Chief Lohman said the department remains short of concern regarding a statistical rise in categories such as “excessive heat” or “good intent/false reports,” explaining that classification can vary by reporter and that some calls categorized as excessive heat were overheating motors or HVAC units after electrical service issues.
Commissioner Morgan asked whether the spike in excessive‑heat calls was linked to fireworks; Lohman replied that excessive‑heat entries can reflect overheated motors or equipment and that two recent calls were tied to power issues that caused rooftop HVAC motors to smoke. Morgan also asked about mutual‑aid patterns; Lohman said the city’s changed response arrangements with Gaines Township and Wyoming affect mutual‑aid counts. After brief questions, the commission voted to receive and file the report. The motion carried on an affirmative voice vote.