Macomb Township staffing shortage has union leader asking questions

Fire Department shortages cause concern in Macomb Township

A Metro Detroit firefighters union continues to sound the alarm to protect the township.

MACOMB TOWNSHIP, Mich. (FOX 2) - The concern over Macomb Township Fire Department staffing numbers continues to grow.

The backstory:

"The issue that we’re running into now is that our staffing levels are well below what national standards recommend for us to safely do our jobs," said James Muszynski, president of the Macomb Township Local 5023 International Firefighters Union.

Last week Muszynski spoke out after a massive fire ripped through a local home.

"The temperatures were 90° and above, but responding with a minimum of eight guys to a structure fire of that type is very dangerous," he said.

The township had to rely on mutual aid to fight the house fire, days later reports of a commercial alarm at a 7-Eleven gas station and convenience store at Gratiot and Hall roads.

A worker who wants to remain anonymous explains what happened.

"The bird hit the transformer knocking that out, and it blew out our back room our building starts filling with smoke," she said.

The union says even a report of a fire requires response.

"One of our biggest issues is, if we only have eight to 10 on-duty one fire call, even a commercial fire alarm, recommends between three trucks and six people," he said. "So that diminishes your other manpower down to two people.

"So that would leave just two people in the township trying to cover any other calls which could be going on at that time."

FOX 2 made attempts to speak to the fire chief about that run to 7-Eleven but the chief told us to speak to the Frank Viviano, the township supervisor.

Several attempts were made to reach the supervisor but the wait for a response continues.

Last week the supervisor released a statement which reads in part:

"The Macomb Township board has always made public safety a priority. A number of new full-time positions have been added to the fire department over the last few years and this week we will be swearing in 5 additional firefighters.  We intend to continue to aggressively recruit."

The union says its fight to get sufficient firefighters will continue.

"Last Wednesday our union went to our board members at a board meeting and presented all of our information as far as concerns," said Muszynski. "And we’ve also been in contact with our state union and the international union.

"They all know where we stand, and now we’re basically waiting on the township to come back, to see what sort of resolutions they have."