17 Gaines Township, MI, Firefighters Quit After Fire Chief Selection

After the Gaines Township Board appointed a new fire chief, 17 firefighters and command staff walked out.

The person firefighters said was unifying the department, Interim Chief Scott Mangrum, didn't get the position he's held since last August.

Instead, on a 3-2 vote, former Battalion Chief Dan Stevens got the nod to lead the department, WNEM reported.

Last summer, the entire command staff submitted a letter endorsing Mangrum. To make sure the board understood their position, it was presented four times.

“What qualifications or factors led the Board majority to conclude that a candidate who had not served with the department for more than three years was the better choice? Why was the candidate who had been successfully serving as Interim Chief not selected despite having the support of the department’s leadership?” firefighters wrote on the department's Facebook page. 

When Stevens retired in 2022, he wrote in an e-mail, obtained by abc12, to township officials:  "I will not work for an employer who treats me the way this township has after more than thirty-one years of qualified and dedicated service."

Despite being overlooked, Mangrum is working with the town manager to get the firefighters back.