Marshall firefighters receive safety training, expert guidance
With the upcoming addition of Ford’s BlueOval Battery Park Michigan to the Marshall community, city and township fire departments are already receiving expert training to continue providing our community with high-quality emergency services.
The city of Marshall Fire Department recently hired the firm Code Concepts Group, which is led by Brighton Fire Chief Mike O’Brian, to provide guidance on preparation and training specific to electric vehicles and batteries. O’Brian is an expert on these types of responses for the Michigan Association of Fire Chiefs.
“Ford BlueOval Battery Park isn’t expected to open for a few years and our team is taking time now to prepare and regularly meet with Ford safety officials,” said Martin Erskine, chief of the Marshall Fire Department. “The Ford group has been an incredible partner, accepting our input and coordinating with us on future fire precautions and safety protocol.”
BlueOval Battery Park Michigan, which will create 1,700 local jobs, will produce batteries for electric vehicles when it opens in 2026. Firefighters and emergency responders are working diligently to keep up with evolving education and advanced training on firefighting techniques specific to lithium batteries. Full-time members of the department’s staff are working toward becoming certified technicians in several areas important to providing emergency services at the future BlueOval facility, including:
- Confined space
- Rope rescue
- Swift water rescue
- Hazardous materials
- Machine rescue
- Fire inspection
The region boasts a strong mutual aid agreement, which allows robust assistance when needed across jurisdictional boundaries and provides quarterly training opportunities, Erskine said.
Because first-hand knowledge of facilities like the BlueOval is critical to training efforts, Erskine recently traveled to see test manufacturing of lithium batteries at Ford’s Ion Park, the global battery research and development center in Romulus. Department personnel recently visited the Ford construction site in Marshall as part of efforts to provide emergency response if needed during the construction phase of the project.
“We look forward to continuing our training with the Ford Emergency Response Team when it is operational at the site,” Erskine said. “And we are excited to continue providing top-notch emergency service and quick response to incidents across our community.”