Dan LaLone
Contributing Writer

(Courtesy photo – Hamlin Township Firefighter Chet Anderson found joy in his 50 years of service through professionalism and in teaching young people about the work and history of firefighting.)

 

After nearly five decades of service to his community, Chester “Chet” Anderson — a founding member of the Hamlin Township Fire Department and a familiar figure in the Eaton County fire service – is retiring.

Anderson began his career in the fire service in 1977 with the Eaton Rapids Fire Department. In 1988, he joined the newly formed Hamlin Township Fire Department, helping build the organization during its earliest years.

Now, after 37 years with Hamlin Township and 49 years in the fire service overall, Anderson is stepping away from responding to emergency calls. 

Anderson is the longest continuously serving founding member of the department.

Fellow firefighters say Anderson’s experience, dedication and steady presence helped shape the department into what it is today.

“Chet has a vast knowledge of every piece of equipment and every truck in the station,” a fellow firefighter said. 

Throughout his decades of service, Anderson played an important role both on emergency scenes and behind the scenes. 

He helped maintain the department’s apparatus and equipment, ensuring engines, rescue tools and other critical gear were ready when dispatched.

He was also known for mentoring new firefighters joining the department. One former member even described Anderson as being “like a mother hen” with new recruits, making sure they learned how to properly operate the trucks while sharing the history behind the department and its apparatus.

Anderson also worked to preserve that history. Over the years he compiled a photo album documenting fire trucks built by the department, including pictures showing the progress of the apparatus as they were constructed.

Sharing the fire service with the community – especially children – was another passion for Anderson. 

Firefighters say he enjoyed showing the trucks to kids and watching their excitement as they climbed inside or learned how the equipment worked. 

He even kept a poster displaying different types of fire trucks to show children that fire apparatus come in many sizes and colors.

Outside the fire service, Anderson also built a long career with General Motors, working in production in Lansing before eventually retiring from the company. 

Even after long shifts at the plant, fellow firefighters say Anderson could often be found at the station helping maintain equipment or preparing trucks for the next call.

Anderson’s service to the community was supported throughout the years by his wife, Mary Anderson, whom he married in December 1966. Something the firefighters say makes service like this possible as they plan to honor her support as well.

“It’s hard to describe in just a small amount of words the impact Chester Anderson’s 49 years of service has left on this community, our departments and the firefighters he has worked with,” one firefighter said.

The Hamlin Township Firefighters Association is working on plans for a retirement celebration in Anderson’s honor. 

Any public celebration details will be announced on the association’s Facebook page.

For the firefighters who served alongside him, Anderson leaves behind something lasting: a legacy of dedication, mentorship and nearly half a century of answering the call.