SAME MOM, NOW CALLING FOR A CROSSWALK. RIGHT WHERE THE GIRL WAS STRUCK. OKAY SEAN,
PRESERVING PIECES OF HISTORY
TONIGHT LOCAL 4 IS GETTING AN
EXCLUSIVE LOOK AT THE MOMENT.
FIREFIGHTERS RUSHED INTO THE
BURNING OAKLAND HILLS COUNTRY
CLUB TO SAVE MEMORABILIA. ALL
GOLF FANS WHO WATCHED THE
OAKLAND HILLS COUNTRY CLUB
CLUBHOUSE GO UP IN FLAMES IN
FEBRUARY THOUGHT ABOUT THOSE
PRICELESS HISTORIC ITEMS THAT
WERE INSIDE LATER. WE FOUND OUT
SOME ARTIFACTS WERE SAVED. NOW
WE’RE LEARNING HOW IT HAPPENED,
AND FOR THE FIRST TIME SEEING
FOOTAGE FROM INSIDE THE
CLUBHOUSE, JAMIE EDMONDS SPOKE
WITH LOCAL FIREFIGHTERS WHO
SAVED SOME GOLF HISTORY.
APPROXIMATELY 17 FIRE
DEPARTMENTS WERE CALLED IN TO
ASSIST BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP ON
THE MORNING OF FEBRUARY. 17TH
SOUTHFIELD FIRE WAS ONE OF THEM
. ON THAT DAY, LIEUTENANT MCKEE
AND HIS TEAM SUITED UP AND
HEADED OUT. KNOWING THERE WAS A
TON OF HISTORY IN THAT BUILDING.
THE CENTURY OLD WOODEN STRUCTURE
WAS IN FLAMES WHEN LIEUTENANT
MCKEE FIREFIGHTER MICHAEL PETRIE
, FIREFIGHTER MEDIC NEED HER AND
FIREFIGHTER PATRICK KERR
ARRIVED. THERE WAS DISCUSSION
AND ROOT OF WHAT MIGHT BE INSIDE
. ONE OF OUR YOUNG GUYS IS A
REALLY BIG GOLFER, AND HE WAS
TELLING US ABOUT IT. LIEUTENANT
MCKEE SAYS HE WENT TO THE
BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP CHIEF IN
CHARGE WITH AN IDEA. I TOLD
CHIEF OF ROYAL GOT A CREW OF
FOUR I KNOW THEY PROBABLY HAVE
SOME MEMORABILIA OR VALUABLES.
YOU WANT US TO GO GET THEM IN
CASE THINGS GO SOUTH. HE SAID.
GREAT IDEA. THIS FOUR MAN CREW
COORDINATED WITH OAKLAND HILL
STAFF TO TRY AND SAVE WHAT THEY
COULD. HE TOLD US WHAT HE NEEDED
OUT OF THERE. THERE’S TWO SPOTS,
ONE IN THE BASEMENT AND ONE IN
THE FIRST FOUR THERE AND WE WENT
INSIDE. THIS IS NEVER BEFORE
SEEN HELMET VIDEO OF THE MOMENT
THE CREW WENT INSIDE THE
CLUBHOUSE FRONT DOOR. INTO THE
LOBBY, BROKE THE TROPHY CASE AND
STARTED PULLING OUT PRICELESS
HISTORIC ITEMS. TROPHIES GRAB
THE BIG STATUE BUST OF SOME. I
DON’T KNOW WHO IT WAS, BUT IT
LOOKS REALLY IMPORTANT. AND THEN
WE WERE DONE WITH THAT. WE JUST
STARTED GRABBING. WE WENT DOWN
THE WINGS AND STARTED GRABBING
ALL THE PHOTOS. WE COULD OFF THE
WALL, AND THERE’S A FEW SMALLER
TROPHY CASES OUTSIDE. THE STAFF
LINED THE FRONT STEPS TO
RETRIEVE THE ITEMS FROM THE
FIREFIGHTERS AT THE FRONT DOOR.
EVERY TIME WE CAME OUT WITH A
HANDFUL OF PHOTOS OF THE
TROPHIES OR STUFF, THEY THEY
WERE THERE AND THEY TOOK THEM,
LIEUTENANT MCKEE SAYS AFTER THEY
MADE MULTIPLE TRIPS, THE CEILING
IN THE LOBBY FELL ONTO THE
CHANDELIER AND THE RAILING OF
THE STAIRS. IT WAS TIME TO
EVACUATE. BUT THEIR RECOVERY
MISSION WAS NOT OVER CAME OUT OF
THERE. THE GENTLEMAN SAID. HEY
CAN YOU CAN STILL GET INTO THE
BASEMENT? I’M LIKE, YEAH, LET’S
GO. WE CAN DO THAT. SO WE WENT
AROUND TO KIND OF BY THE PRO
SHOP SIDE. AND THERE’S OUTSIDE
BASEMENT, OUR STEPS TO THE
BASEMENT, AND THAT’S WHERE WE
WENT DOWN TO THE STORAGE ROOM.
AND THEN THE BASEMENT WAS JUST A
TON OF MEMORABILIA TROPHIES,
SOME OLD WOODEN GOLF CLUBS THAT
WERE DOWN THERE AFTER THE SOUTH
FIELD TEAM WENT TO WORK,
FIGHTING THE FIRE INSIDE THE
MEN’S LOCKER ROOM AND WE’RE
WARMING UP OUTSIDE ONE FINAL
REQUEST FROM HEAD GOLF PRO STEVE
BRADY. AND HE’S LIKE, MAN. I
KNOW EVERYONE’S LOST SO MUCH I
DON’T WANT I DON’T WANT TO. LIKE
ANYONE IN TROUBLE. ANYTHING HE’S
LIKE, BUT I GOT SOME STUFF IN MY
OFFICE. IT’S LIKE A LETTER FROM
ARNOLD PALMER. HE STARTED OFF
WITH A PICTURE OF HIS WIFE AND
THEN WENT TO A LETTER ADDRESSED
TO HIM FROM ARNOLD PALMER
ACCOMPLISHED AND THIS IS PHOTO
EVIDENCE COMPLETE WITH THE
LETTER FROM ARNIE CLUBS. WORST
DAY THERE WERE SMALL VICTORIES.
PIECES OF GOLF HISTORY PRESERVED
FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS.
JAMIE EDMONDS. LOCAL 4. WOW GOOD
STUFF, AND WE REACHED OUT TO THE
OAKLAND HILLS COUNTRY CLUB BY
THE WAY TO ASK SPECIFICS ABOUT
WHAT ITEMS WERE SAVED, CLUB
PRESIDENT RICK PALMER SAID IN A
STATEMENT. OAKLAND HILLS COUNTRY
CLUB SALUTES THE SOUTHFIELD FIRE
DEPARTMENT FOR ITS TIMELY WORK.
IN HELPING SAVE SOME OF THE
INVALUABLE ARTIFACTS. THE QUICK
THINKING OF LIEUTENANT MCKEE AND
OTHERS IS GENUINELY AND WARMLY
APPRECIATED BY OUR CLUB AND
STAFF. UNFORTUNATELY WE CAN’T
PROVIDE MORE INFORMATION ABOUT
WHAT WAS SAVED BECAUSE OF THE
ONGOING INSURANCE PROCESS. BUT
WELL, YOU GET CHILLS, SEEING
SOME OF THOSE THINGS THAT WERE
SAYING TO THOSE FIREFIGHTERS.
YES GOING INTO A BURNING