March 10--Four Macomb County municipalities, aided by the county, are considering a $200,000 study to determine if the fire departments in the four communities should consolidate.
If so, Sterling Heights, Mt. Clemens and Clinton and Harrison townships could be one of the biggest fire department mergers or fire units in the state.
The unit would serve more than 250,000 residents and stretch across the middle of the county from Dequindre in Sterling Heights on the Macomb and Oakland county border to Harrison Township along Lake St. Clair.
The communities are among a number of fire departments in the state that are researching the idea of consolidation or have gone ahead with mergers, state Fire Marshal Richard Miller said. Like the four Macomb County communities, several of those departments are looking at or are using grant money to help them in the process.
The study would look at the placement of stations, apparatus, staffing and potential cost savings, possibly through sharing administrative staff and bulk purchasing.
Among the four communities there are at least a dozen fire stations and nearly 200 firefighters who handle fires and medical calls.
"It's the responsible thing to do. It'd be irresponsible to not at least look right now," said Harrison Township Battalion Fire Chief Andy Houde, who is the president of Harrison Township Firefighters Association Local 1737.
Sterling Heights Fire Chief Chris Martin said all of the communities and fire unions have agreed to kick in money for the study; the state is helping with a $50,000 grant.
County commissioners are to discuss the county's $15,000 match during a committee meeting Tuesday. The county would come up with the request for a proposal that would establish the specific criteria to study.
Harrison Township and Mt. Clemens discussed a merger years ago with a study showing those two communities could save $1 million annually five years after a consolidation occurred, Houde said.
Martin said the proposed feasibility study probably would be prepared this year and done next year. He said he wouldn't expect implementation, if any occurred, until several years later, probably around the same time a six-year, 2.5-mill increase for police, fire and street work approved by Sterling Heights voters in the fall would end.
"We have to rethink the way we do business," he said.
John Farah, president of Sterling Heights Fire Fighters Union Local 1557, said the goal is to provide the best service for residents.
"That could be sharing a fire chief to an entire merger or anything in between," he said. "The deal breaker for us is any reduction of service."
"Within the fire service, they realize that manpower is everything," Clinton Township Fire Chief Jack Shea said.
Other fire departments in metro Detroit and Michigan have merged, including Wayne and Westland, and Melvindale and Dearborn.
The state fire marshal had a list of eight consolidations or mergers and also listed Waterford and Pontiac as having a contract for service.
Other mergers on that list were: Dexter Fire Authority, Chelsea Fire Authority, Brighton Fire Authority, Howell Fire Authority, White Lake Fire Authority and Fabius Park Fire Authority, south of Kalamazoo.
Contact Christina Hall: [email protected]
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