Fire Chief Riesterer on the Necessity of ATV & Upcoming Fundraisers
Editors Note: We received a letter from Fire Chief Mike Riesterer, explaining the necessity of the ATV the department is currently fundraising to purchase:
“Manchester Township Fire Department serves the beautiful, rural areas of Bridgewater, Sharon, Freedom and Manchester Townships as well as the Village of Manchester. On any given day there are many people enjoying life out in fields on tractors, deep into property on ORVs, on foot or bike trails, or in canoes and kayaks along the River Raisin. When things go wrong and someone needs help, the firefighters, first responders and EMTs need to be able to quickly reach the scene with the proper gear and manpower. Right now the Department does not have a vehicle capable of transporting personnel and equipment to remote locations. Everything has to be carried in on foot.
In April of this year the Manchester Township Fire Department responded to the accident scene of one of the town’s beloved youths, 20 year old Cameron LaDouceur. The remote location of this incident was a contributing factor in the delay of his treatment. Cameron did not survive his injuries. The family and friends of Cameron have developed a memorial fund in his honor. They are raising funds to help the Dutchmen Firefighter’s Association purchase a Kubota All-Terrain Rescue Vehicle for the Fire Department.
The cost to purchase and equip it with medical response gear will be approximately $25,000 plus the cost of a trailer to transport it. This specialized piece of equipment will be utilized not only for remote rescues, but also at special events where large crowds are present such as the fireworks at Carr Park, the Chicken Broil, and football games to name a few. The fundraising campaign was kicked off on W4 Country’s “Firehouse Fridays broadcast” at the Manchester Fire Station with the on air personalities Bubba and Lori. As of now, approximately $10,000 has been raised.
Some upcoming fundraising efforts include a donation Spaghetti Dinner held on Friday, July 25 from 4-8 pm at Sharon United Methodist Church Hall at the corner of M52 and Pleasant Lake Roads, and the following day, Saturday, July 26, a Memorial Softball Game fundraiser – The Manchester Fire Dept vs. The Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Dept. at the Manchester Athletic Fields. On Saturday, September 27th there will be a Fundraiser Golf Outing at Reddeman Farms -(details can be found on the Cameron Ladouceur Memorial Outing Facebook page).
Interested donors can attend any of these events or simply make a donation directly to the -Memorial Fund for Cameron- at any KeyBank branch or at R.D. Kleinschmidt 19860 Sharon Valley Rd in Manchester, 48158 or to The Dutchmen Firefighter’s Association (a 501 (c) 3 organization) 275 South Macomb Street, Manchester, MI 48158 (Specify Cameron Fund on the memo line).”
For more information or questions contact: Mike Riesterer manchesterchief1@sbcglobal.net , Fire Chief at Manchester Township Fire Department (734) 438-9439 – Seeking fund donations. Tara Bunn, Memorial Fund Administrator (734) 717-3269 – Seeking fund donations. Nichole Jackson, Spaghetti Dinner Organizer (734) 660-4588 or nichole@rdkleinschmidtinc.com –seeking food donations, dinner workers and attendees. Kaitie Greene, Golf Outing Organizer (734) 904-8114 – seeking 4 person teams and hole sponsors.
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