The Colvill Area Volunteer Fire Department will celebrate 30 years of service on Saturday, Sept. 12, with an open house and fundraiser from noon to 3 p.m. at the fire hall on Highway 61. The event features food, fun, and essential information for community members of all ages.
Tour the fire hall, see the current fleet of emergency vehicles, and check out the infrared camera used to target hot spots in structure fires. Also meet the aerial drone. Colvill is the first department in Cook County to put a rescue drone in service. The Fire Department is located at 3153 East Highway 61, about 10 miles east of Grand Marais.
Expect a special ceremony honoring the department’s founding members, current members, and all who have served over the years.
T-shirts with a unique Colvill FD design will also be on sale throughout the day for people to proudly wear to support the fire department’s ongoing commitment to community safety.
Fire Chief Frank Newman made clear that this event will celebrate 30 years of neighbors helping neighbors in this beautiful part of Cook County.
Local favorites will fuel the festivities, with Grand Marais’s North Shore Fishery serving signature dishes alongside food and beverages provided by Johnson’s Foods. All food, drink, and custom T-shirt sales will directly fund equipment upgrades for the department.
The current crew of first responders and firefighters will be on hand for the celebration, so take a minute to greet them. They are the people who will respond if you have a medical or fire emergency, and they are your neighbors.
The Colvill Area Fire District is roughly defined from Five Mile Rock on the west along Highway 61 to the Brule River on the east. From Lake Superior to Trout Lake, the district is approximately 72 square miles. Roughly midway between Grand Marais and Hovland, the Colvill department provides structural and wildland firefighting services, medical first response, vehicular accident rescue, and search and rescue operations within its district.
Organized in 1996 under the leadership of retired physician Dr. David Bushman and World War II veteran Tom Crowe, the department grew out of a practical community need to improve local emergency response and lower property insurance rates. Crowe famously lobbied to name the startup ‘Colonel Colvill’s Volunteer Fire Brigade’ in honor of Civil War hero Colonel William J. Colvill, whose former homestead sits nearby.
The community was named in 1906, shortly after the death of the Civil War commander who led the First Minnesota Volunteer Infantry Regiment. Later in life, after serving as Minnesota’s Attorney General and as the registrar for the U.S. Land Office in Duluth, Colvill moved to Cook County and built a homestead along Lake Superior near Grand Marais. Colvill was officially established and named in his honor in 1906, shortly after his death.
Bushman and Crowe encouraged fellow community members to seek grants to equip and train firefighters and build a fire hall on Highway 61. By 1998, the fire hall was complete, built using donated labor from the community. Firefighters were certified, and state agencies officially recognized the department.
A volunteer board of directors manages the department and meets formally each month. With the work of its volunteers and the prudent acquisition of used vehicles, the department budget is relatively low compared to other departments in the region. Its levy request of the County Board has seen only modest increases over its 30 years of service.
Volunteer fire departments are always looking for community members willing to donate time and talent to do everything from serving on the board to directing traffic or getting certification as a firefighter. If you are interested in volunteering with the Colvill Volunteer Fire Department, stop by the celebration on Saturday the 12th or email cvfd96@gmail.com, or call (218) 387-2931.
