Posts Tagged Comstock Township Fire Chief Ed Switalski

Pleasantview Fire District news (more)

May 2

Posted by Admin in Fire Service News | Comments off

For Emily Switalski, graduating from Western Michigan University was bittersweet. Her father Comstock Township Fire Chief Ed Switalski was killed in the line of duty in June.

While her dad couldn’t be there in person to watch her graduate Saturday, Switalski said she knows he was there in spirit, he found a different way to be there.

“There’s a song, ‘Hotel California’ by the Eagles, that we played at his funeral,” she said. “We always say whenever it comes on, ‘He’s with us,’” Emily Switalski said. “And my mom picked me up to take me to my ceremony, and on the radio was the song. And so, just to get in the car to go to the biggest day of my life and hear that, I knew he was truly with me.”

Firefighters who worked with Chief Switalski also showed up to her graduation ceremony to surprise her.

Tags: Comstock Township Fire Chief Ed Switalski

Pleasantview Fire District news (more)

Dec 15

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Excerpts from wwmt.com:

Brandon Clevenger pleaded guilty this morning to reckless driving causing death in the highway crash that killed Comstock Fire Chief Ed Switalski six months ago.

Replying in one-word answers, Clevenger, 24, of Battle Creek, admitted in Kalamazoo County Circuit Court that he was responsible for the crash. He faces penalties of up to 25 years in prison when he is sentenced Jan. 29. He has no prior felony convictions.

Switalski was cleaning up the scene of a previous crash on eastbound Interstate 94, when Clevenger, driving past, lost control of his own vehicle and hit Switalski. The fire chief died at the scene.

Investigators said a car data recorder indicated Clevenger was traveling at speeds as high as 90 mph at the time and crashed into a barrier at 87 mph. Additionally, an analysis of Clevenger’s phone showed he was using it before the collision.

Three months after the crash, a warrant was issued against Clevenger. He turned himself in, and after arraignment was released on a personal recognizance bond.

Tags: Brandon Clevenger, chicagoareafire.com, Comstock Township Fire Chief Ed Switalski, Fire Chief Edward Switalski, fire chief hit by car at accident scene, former Pleasantview fire chief killed in Michigan, Pleasantview Fire District

Pleasantview Fire District news (more)

Aug 23

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Excerpts from wwmt.com:

An arrest warrant has been authorized against Brandon Clevenger, the driver named in connection to the crash that killed Comstock Fire Chief Ed Switalski two months ago.

In court Tuesday, a deputy revealed what happened moments before the crash, which led to a charge of reckless driving causing death.

It was the evening of June 14, when Comstock Fire Chief Ed Switalski was called to a crash here on eastbound I-94. As he was clearing the scene, deputies say a passing driver lost control and hit Switalski, killing him.

Sheriff Richard Fuller reflected Tuesday on the crash his office was tasked to investigate.

Nearly 3 months after that tragic crash, a warrant has been issued against the suspected driver, who has now been identified as 23-year-old Brandon Clevenger.

“We recognize the importance of how detailed we have to be, and that is why it takes longer,” Fuller said. “We want to make sure everything is taken care of so when the case goes to trial nothing is forgotten.”

Investigators say a car data recorder shows Clevenger was traveling at speeds as high as 90 mph, and crashed into a barrier at 87 mph.

A deputy revealed Tuesday that an analysis of Clevenger’s phone shows he was using it before the collision.

Court records show a warrant was authorized for reckless driving causing death, which carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison if convicted.

Sheriff Fuller says Clevenger is cooperating with the investigation, and is expected to turn himself in.

thanks Drew

Pleasantview Fire District news (more)

Jul 9

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Comstock Fire Chief Ed Switalski was killed in the line of duty on I-94 in June. Our community came together to pay tribute and say goodbye. A memorial fund has been established in Chief Switalski’s name. Comstock Township has a link for contributions on their homepage, Comstock M-I dot G-O-V. You can watch the full memorial service on PMN Channel 187 through mid-July.
The full memorial service is scheduled to air on PMN Channel 187 during July 2017 on Sundays at 9:30 a.m., Mondays at 4:00 p.m., Thursdays at 9:00 p.m., and Saturdays at 10:00 a.m.

thanks Drew

Tags: Comstock Township Department of Fire & Rescue, Comstock Township Fire Chief Ed Switalski, Fire Chief Edward Switalski

Pleasantview Fire District news (more)

Jun 28

Posted by Admin in Fire Department News, LODD | Comments off

Tags: Comstock Township Fire Chief Ed Switalski, Fire Chief Edward Switalski, Pleasantview Fire Protection District

Pleasantview Fire District news (more)

Jun 27

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more photos from Tim Olk of the funeral for former Pleasantview FD Chief Ed Switalski

Funeral service for Comstock Township MI Fire Chief Ed Switalski

Tim Olk photo

full coverage of the funeral by Tim Olk can be seen HERE

Tags: Comstock Township Fire Chief Ed Switalski, Fire Chief Edward Switalski, fire chief hit by car at accident scene, fire department funeral, former Pleasantview fire chief killed in Michigan, Pleasantview Fire District, Tim Olk

Pleasantview Fire District news (more)

Jun 22

Posted by Admin in Fire Department Funeral, LODD | 3 Comments

Tim Olk photo

Excerpts from woodtv.com:

Hundreds of police officers and firefighters from across the Midwest joined community members in Kalamazoo Wednesday to honor Comstock Township Fire Chief Ed Switalski, who was hit by a vehicle and killed last week during a call.

The chief was laid to rest with full honors, including the presentation of a duty medal, a bell ceremony, taps, a flag folding, a 21-gun salute, and his final call.

Everyone who spoke of Switalski, whether family or friend, shared a common theme: a giving heart.

“He constantly cared about others. He was there every step of the way when my Auntie Holly had breast cancer. He was there and donated his kidney when his nephew Christopher needed one,” his niece said.

Switalski leaves behind a wife and two daughters, one of whom spoke during the funeral.

“I am also honored to be the last family member to have seen and spoken to him,” Emily Switalski said. “Before he went on every call, My mom, my sister and I would always say, ‘I love you. Be safe.’ And those words were the last words I was ever able to say to him.”

Before the final call for Switalski sounded, hundreds of firefighters from Michigan, Indiana and Illinois — where Switalski worked for some 30 years before becoming chief in Comstock Township in 2013 — took part in his funeral procession.

A restored 1937 fire truck carried his body 24 miles from the funeral home through downtown Kalamazoo and Comstock Township before arriving at Wings Event Center. Firefighters in nearly 200 fire engines followed. Members of the public lined the streets to say thank you.

The procession continued out of Kalamazoo and past Comstock’s three fire stations. Outside the station on River Street, the chief’s bunker gear and helmet were laid out on the apron as Battle Creek firefighters, filling in so Comstock crews could attend the funeral, stood by. None of the BCFD firefighters had ever met Switalksi, but they were working on their day off to honor him.

“Myself and the other fire fighters from Battle Creek consider this a great honor to be able to cover this station for these fire fighters and for their chief,” BCFD Lt. Lamar Mingle said.

Gov. Rick Snyder ordered all U.S. and Michigan flags lowered to half-staff Wednesday in honor of Switalski.