August 13, 1996

Family helped blaze trail for White River fire chief

       White River Township fire chief Mike Dutton remembers when going on a fire call was almost like a family reunion. “At one point you’d have to rent a bus to go to a fire,” Dutton chuckles. That’s because Dutton, who is the first full-time fire chief for White River Township, is a third-generation firefighter. He grew up going on runs with his father and grandfather. At one time, his father, brother, grandfather and brother-in-law were all responding to the same calls in his home state of Maryland.  And although most of his fire- fighting days are over, Dutton is ready for his new challenge in White River Township.  “I want to organize the department and gain proficiency and efficiency,” Dutton said.  “I’m in the assessment stage now.”  But he might still get to go on a couple of runs on an as-needed basis. “I miss the fire once in a while,” Dutton said.  “But there are as many challenges in administration as there can be in operations.” Dutton said he wants to give citizens the best service possible, and no sweeping departmental changes are expected.  The 47-year-old chief was hired Aug. 1 after a four-month national search to find the first chief for the rapidly growing township.  The Fire Department serves about 25,000 to 30,000 citizens with 60 active firefighters, not including volunteers. Dutton accepted the job after serving as chief for two years in Lake Worth, Fla., which had 71 firefighters responding to over 7,000 runs per year. He started on the Florida department in 1990 as a training officer working his way up to chief.  He has also been fire chief in Greenbelt, Md., for 17 years and a firefighter for the Washington, D.C., Fire Department.  (Reprinted with permission from the Daily Journal)

 

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