MACOMB COUNTY, Mich. – A local union representing Macomb Township firefighters is speaking out about a lack of full-time staff within the department after a house fire over the weekend.
The fire fully engulfed a home on Balmoral Drive Saturday afternoon, displacing the homeowners.
Andy Saucedo, the secretary of Macomb Township Professional Firefighters Local 5023, says only eight full-time firefighters were on duty at the time of the fire and just two firefighters were on the first engine that arrived.
“When we showed up, we had reports of someone trapped. The first arriving engine only had two guys on the engine, which isn’t sufficient for search and rescue,” Saucedo said.
Everyone in the home managed to get out safely. Two firefighters were injured while battling the fire and have since been released from the hospital.
Crews from five surrounding departments were called in to help with the response.
Saucedo says the township is only currently hiring part-time firefighters and a lack of full-time staff has been a constant problem. He said the department does not meet national standards set by the National Fire Protection Association, which require 15-17 full-time firefighters on duty.
“Right now we’re at 10, but with PTO usage, sick time, bereavement, whatever it may be, we’re only really at like 8 or 9, which is still way under,” Saucedo said.
He said even with automatic aid from surrounding communities, response times are being slowed down due to the lack of staff.
“With our auto aid, they usually get toned out with us, however they’re responding from even farther than our stations,” Saucedo said. “Especially if you have to go to second alarm, then you have to go to even further townships, and it just adds on to the response times.”
In a social media post about Saturday’s fire, the union urged residents to reach out to the township board about the staffing shortage.
“That should be one engine company. Instead, that was half of the department on duty,” the post reads.
“We want to help the community,” Saucedo said. “We have almost 100,000 residents now that we’re trying to protect and serve and we just need some help.”
Macomb Township Supervisor Frank Viviano provided the following statement to Local 4:
“First and foremost, we were relieved to learn that the homeowners got out safely and no one was seriously hurt. We are proud and grateful for the work of our fire department. Two firefighters were treated for minor injuries, but thankfully they were released soon thereafter. The Macomb Township board has always made public safety a priority. A number of new fulltime positions have been added to the fire department over the last few years and this week we will be swearing in 5 additional parttime firefighters.
Our public safety needs are constantly being evaluated. This weekend’s tragic fire will be discussed in detail once the investigation is completed and all of the information is available.”