Sister Lakes Volunteer Fire Department

​92282 CR 690, Dowagiac, MI 49047
Phone: 269-424-3145  Fax: 269-424-5560

The Greater Sister Lakes Area and its community fire department has a long and rich history spanning back to the 1940's.  Officially incorportated in 1945, the Volunteer Sister Lakes Fire Department and Ambulance was founded by local area farmers after a history of fires and tractor accidents with such scarce resources to save there neighbors. 


One tractor accident in particular resulted in the preventable death of a farmer whose tractor rolled over him.  The "founding farmers" were able to remove the tractor with a tow chain but at that time the only local ambulance services were through funeral homes, the closest located in Dowagiac and Watervliet, MI.  That day both were conducting funeral homes and because there was no ambulance to transport the man... he died as a result his injuries and a delay in transporting him to definitive care.  After that the farmers had enough.  The surrounding municipalities of Sister Lakes (Keeler, Bainbridge, and Silver Creek) had not yet formed fire departments and Sister Lakes was the first, incorporating as a 501(c)3 non-profit corporation.  The Volunteer Sister Lakes Fire Department received allocated funds from the surrounding townships to conduct emergency operations for the areas taxpayers.

​​History

History

Sister Lakes Volunteer Fire Department