Graafschap Fire Department call numbers

Here is the Graafschap Fire Department run report for January 2026 as presented by the Graafschap Fire Department Chief Doug DenBleyker to the Laketown Township Board of Trustees on Friday, Feb. 20, 2026.

The chief also submitted the 2025 year in review.

January numbers

Total calls for January: 57

Calls in Fillmore Township

• 2 fire calls
• 10 medical/rescue calls

Calls in Laketown Township

• 6 fire calls
• 32 medical/rescue calls

Assists to other departments or agencies

• 5 fire calls – 1 to Saugatuck, 3 to Holland, 1 to Hamilton
• 2 medical/rescue calls – 1 to Hamilton, 1 to Holland

Assists from other departments

• 4 total

In January 2025, the department had a total of 57 calls.

In January 2024, the department had a total of 83 calls.

Other January numbers:

2023 – 54 total calls
2022 – 73 total calls
2021 – 61 total calls
2020 – 75 total calls
2019 – 55 total calls
2018 – 51 total calls
2017 – 53 total calls
2016 – 30 total calls

Year in review

Graafschap Fire Department ended 2025 with a total of 899 calls for service, representing a 2.6 percent increase over 2024.

Of those calls, 571 occurred in Laketown Township and 229 in Fillmore Township. Graafschap also assisted other fire departments 99 times, bringing the total to 899 calls.

Graafschap received assistance from neighboring departments on 54 occasions.

“These numbers highlight the continued demand for emergency services and the importance of regional cooperation,” DenBleyker wrote in the report.

Challenges for the year included staffing, “but we made progress in 2025 by hiring two paid-on-call personnel,” he said.

Graafschap’s current roster stands at 18 members, which is below where the department needs to be, DenBleyker said.

“We are grateful for the dedication of our team. Four of our newer members recently completed a six-month EMT course, and one of our newest members has begun the fire academy, where he will train two nights per week and most Saturdays for the next five months. This level of training requires significant commitment, and we are fortunate to have individuals willing to invest that time and effort,” he said.

Also in 2025, the department took delivery of a new pumper/tanker.

About the department

Graafschap Fire Department responds to fire, medical and other emergency situations in all of Laketown Township and part of Fillmore Township, and assists other agencies as needed.

The department also takes a proactive approach to prevention, offering free home safety inspections, free blood pressure checks on Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to noon at the firehouse, 4534 60th St., and blood drives as part of its Community Risk Reduction Program.

In 2025, the department’s blood drives collect 172 units of blood.

Community Risk Reduction Program efforts totaled 154 hours in 2025 and included school visits, smoke alarm installations, weekly blood pressure screenings, home safety audits, CPR classes, and business pre-plans.

For more information, visit the fire department here.