Dafter Township Fire Department

06/09/2026

Awesome night training. Thanks to Clear Lake Campground we were able to train on water supply and pump operations! Crews worked on drafting water from the lake and various pumping scenarios. Want to get involved and give back to your community? Reach out to learn more. All communities need help.

06/04/2026

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Dafter Township Fire Department Responds to GFL Transfer Station on M-28 for another fire. On 06/04/2026 at 9:42 a.m., the Dafter Township Fire Department was dispatched to the GFL Environmental Transfer Station on M-28 for a reported fire inside the facility.

GFL employees quickly removed a 40 foot long enclosed trailer that was on fire from the building and dumped the burning contents into the parking lot, helping prevent the fire from spreading into the structure.

Dafter firefighters arrived on scene at 9:51 a.m. with six firefighters and immediately began fire suppression operations. Due to the volume of burning material and water needed for extinguishment, mutual aid was requested from Soo Township Fire Department, who responded with six additional firefighters and additional tanker resources. The City of Sault Ste. Marie Fire Department also provided a command officer to assist with incident operations.

Working together, crews quickly brought the fire under control, extinguished all remaining hot spots, and confirmed there was no extension into the building. No injuries were reported. All units cleared the scene at 11:12 a.m.

During overhaul operations, firefighters located a discarded lithium-ion battery-powered drill set within the debris. The fire is suspected to have been caused by a lithium-ion battery.

This is the second fire at the GFL Transfer Station in recent months suspected to have been caused by an improperly discarded lithium-ion battery. Lithium-ion batteries are commonly found in power tools, cell phones, laptops, and other rechargeable devices. When placed in household trash, these batteries can become damaged during collection and processing, creating a significant fire hazard.

The Dafter Township Fire Department reminds residents to never dispose of lithium-ion batteries in household garbage. Instead, batteries should be taken to an approved recycling or collection facility for safe disposal.

The Dafter Township Fire Department thanks all involved agencies for their quick actions and support.

06/03/2026

⚠️ CRITICAL FIRE DANGER THIS WEEK ⚠️

Fire danger levels are currently EXTREME across the majority of the Upper Peninsula and VERY HIGH across the northern Lower Peninsula. Today and tomorrow are absolutely not the days to burn.

The Michigan DNR has officially closed burn permits until we receive sufficient rain. To everyone living in or visiting these areas, please pause and take these critical precautions:

☑️ Hold off on yard work: Leave yard waste piled for a later day.

☑️ Watch the sparks: Be incredibly careful with power equipment, off-road vehicles, and trailer chains. A single spark or hot engine parked on dry grass can ignite a massive wildfire.

☑️ Be mindful of storm debris: In the northern Lower Peninsula, downed wood from last year's March 2025 ice storm is completely dry and poses an extra risk for hotter, faster-burning fires.

☑️ Never leave a campfire unattended: If you are cooking or camping, contain your fire in a pit or ring. When you are done, douse it with water, stir the ashes, and douse it again. It must be completely out.

☑️ Know who to call: If a backyard fire does get away from you, call 911 immediately. Please do not try to put it out yourself before calling authorities.

With temperatures in the 80s, low humidity, and heavy wind gusts expected, embers can fly far and wide, spreading fire instantly.

A massive thank you to our fire crews with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, and every first responder staying on high alert. We hope everyone joins in to do their part and make sure wildfires stay at a minimum. Please stay safe, stay vigilant, and let's protect Michigan together.

Burn permit and wildfire prevention information can be found in the comments.

05/31/2026

Mutual Aid: On May 30, 2026, at 6:10 PM, Dafter Fire was dispatched to assist Kinross Township Fire Department on a reported house fire.

Dafter Engine-1 and Brush-1 responded with 8 firefighters and arrived on scene at 6:26 PM to find a multi-family structure with heavy fire conditions. Dafter crews worked alongside firefighters from Kinross Township, Rudyard, and Pickford to bring the incident under control.

Dafter units were released from the scene at 8:01 PM and returned to service.

No further information will be released by Dafter Fire.

05/29/2026

Today Dafter Fire with the help of Fire Catt conducted our annual hose and ground ladder testing. 🚒 Every hose and ladder was inspected and tested to ensure it’s safe, reliable, and ready for emergencies. This testing helps us meet MI-OSHA and NFPA standards while also helping maintain our community’s Insurance Services Office (ISO) rating.

It may not be the flashy side of the fire service, but it’s one of the most important parts of staying response-ready for our community.

We would like to thank Lake Superior State University and Lake Superior State University Fire/EMS Program & ERT for letting us use a parking lot for this.

05/28/2026

Bring the entire family out for this community event. Boaters safety is very important, especially for those with children.

05/21/2026

Dafter Fire is recruiting firefighters. Like many small-town departments, we are always working to build and strengthen our team so we can continue providing good service to our community for years to come.

No experience is needed. We provide the training, gear, and support. We’re simply looking for dependable people who are willing to learn, work as a team, and help their neighbors when needed.

Being a firefighter is a rewarding way to give back to the community, learn valuable skills, and be part of a close group of people with a shared purpose.

If you’ve ever thought about joining the fire service, we’d be happy to talk with you. Send our page a message to learn more.

05/19/2026

Great night training together! We want to say Happy EMS week to all EMS providers. Tonight Dafter Fire hosted a vehicle extrication training with Bay Mills EMS, Northern EMS , and MyMichigan EMS. Thank you to Merle's Towing for donating 3 cars for us to cut up! Trainings like this keep everyone skills sharp and serve as a good space to practice scene size up and communications amongst agencies.

05/11/2026

Mutual Aid response to Bruce Township last night. Dafter Engine-1 and Tanker responded.

The call came in around 11:30 p.m.

05/09/2026

Combination of dry surface conditions, low afternoon relative humidity, and gusty west to northwest winds will result in fairly widespread elevated fire danger conditions again this afternoon. Temperatures will drop rapidly tonight, with more frost/freeze conditions by Sunday morning.