By David Fleet
Editor
Groveland Twp.-  In early 1980, Sandy Garris lost her township home to a fire.
“All that was left was the foundation,” said Garris, 78. “The cause of the fire was undetermined, my home was a total loss and one of my dogs perished in the blaze.”
The incident prompted Garris to action.
“During the rebuild of my home Jerry Hodson, a township firefighter just happened to be doing the new plumbing and suggested I join the fire department,” she said. “I was really impressed with how the fire department worked with me during and after the fire. So on Dec. 15, 1980 I joined the department.”
Four decades later Sgt. Garris firefighter/EMT continues to serve the residents of the township by remaining active.
“Forty years ago we were volunteer firefighters,” she said. “I just wanted to help people, see what I could do for someone else rather than just sit around. My advice is simple, ‘go for it.”
A Pontiac native and 1960 Pontiac High School graduate, Garris moved to the township in 1974 where she raised her four children Alan, Wendy, Cory and Bret now all Brandon High School graduates. Up until 2002, Garris was employed by the State of Michigan Mental Health Department and worked at several psychiatric hospitals in the area over a career of 24 years.
“I joke I have served with four fire chiefs including Buckingham, McGee, McGee and Mason,” she laughed. “They were all great and I still love what I’m doing. I like the people I worked with, we are like a family here at Groveland.

Today, I work with firefighters that are the age of my kids, grandchildren and even great grandchildren.”
The job has really changed over the years, she said.
“After a while all the fire and medical runs blend together,” she said. “We had a lot more chimney fires back then—now there are lot more medical calls. We also had to drive a stick shift fire truck—that’s long gone too.”
Garris says she’ll keep on working as long as possible.
“It’s a great community and fire department,” she said.