CHIEF DOAN

By Natalie Morales
News-Sun Staff Writer

Every day of his life Mike Doan "demanded the best of himself," his wife Jill Doan said.

In his almost 30-year career with the Springfield Fire & Rescue Division, Assistant Chief Mike Doan worked his way through the ranks and left behind lessons in dedication, hard work and perseverance."Mike thought it was up to you not only to do your job well, but to find out how to do it better," said Jill, his wife of 25 years.

After a years-long bout with a rare form of cancer, Doan, 55, died Jan. 23.

A North High School graduate, Doan started out as a bank employee after high school, but after a 10-year run, moved on to follow his passion of becoming a firefighter in 1978.

"He said it was a lot more fun to ride on the trucks than it was to foreclose on commercial loans," Jill said.

During his career, Doan also took on the responsibility of being fire marshal for a time and became Clark County's hazardous materials coordinator.

Capt. Todd Bowser worked directly under Doan for about four years and said the assistant chief helped him mature in his career.

Bowser said Doan cared deeply for the city and had a vested interest in inspections and code enforcement and strived to do everything to the best of his abilities.

"I always thought he — out of all the supervisors I've had throughout my life — was very fair, and I'd like to take that from him and carry it on," Bowser said.

BOX 27 ASSOCIATES

By Kelly Baker
News-Sun Staff Writer

Springfield Assistant Fire Chief Michael Doan cannot recall a single time he's been thankful for Box 27. He recalls hundreds.

"They are pretty much vital to all that we do," Doan said of Springfield's all-volunteer fire department. "If they were to disappear, it would leave us with a definite functional handicap."

Named after street-corner fire boxes popular in the 1900s, Box 27 has provided support to area fire personnel since 1935. Equipped with a fire truck and a support vehicle, the 18 volunteers are on the scene of every fire, water rescue and, if needed by police, crime scenes.

This week Box 27 expects the delivery of its newly-purchased support truck that will replace a 35-year-old step van that, according to Box 27 Chief Ben McKinnon, "is just tired."

"We took it out of service a year ago," McKinnon said.

Box 27 used savings from previous fundraisers to pay $35,000 of the $75,000 needed to purchase and equip the new truck. It borrowed the balance and are now on a fundraising campaign.

The Box 27 trucks can refill air tanks, which is a life-saver to firefighters and rescue divers and its volunteers provide hydration for firefighters.

Volunteers provide dry socks and gloves in the winter and wet towels in the summer. Their vehicles' search lights help with additional lighting.

By refilling air tanks, fire personnel can immediately respond to a second fire without having to go back to the station, said Springfield Assistant Fire Chief Nick Heimlich.

The new support van will be air-conditioned, have additional search lights, generators and the capability of refilling air tanks.

Other than fuel and vehicle maintenance, which is taken care of by the city of Springfield, taxpayers pay nothing for the service, Box 27 member John Finnegan said.

Each volunteer pays $80 in annual dues "for the privilege to abuse ourselves" by responding all hours of the day and night and in all kinds of weather conditions, he said, and stay on the scene for hours to provide light for fire investigators.

Heimlich relies on the team to illuminate a burned structure during his investigations. He also relies on their moral support.

"The first thing I see are the smiling faces with 'how are you doing?'" Heimlich said. "They provide that human side — a friendly face."