Rural Fire partners prepare for split

Feb. 04--TRAVERSE CITY -- A dwindling Grand Traverse County fire department soon will be extinguished.

Grand Traverse Rural Fire Department will disband by March 31. The closure will leave administrators from Fife Lake, Whitewater, Paradise, Union and Springfield townships to fend for themselves.

Leaders admitted there's work left to do, but they confidently pledged firefighting will not stop and emergency response will continue during the transition.

"Paradise (Township) Emergency Services will be ready for business April 1," said Paradise Township Supervisor Rob Lajko.

More than one department will rise from Rural Fire's ashes. Some, like Fife Lake and Springfield Townships will partner. Other former members, like Green Lake Township, already have departments up and running.

Lajko said his township will team up with Blair Township. This will bring a department with two officers trained in fire and EMS response present at the station around the clock, he said. In total, Lajko hopes to see seven cross-trained officers and many volunteer firefighters.

Transitioning away from Rural Fire hasn't been completely smooth.

Paradise Township officials were dealt unforeseen expenses when they chose to stop contracting with Kingsley Area Ambulance.

Lajko expected the service to give the township ambulances and equipment since fees paid into Kingsley Area Ambulance helped pay for that equipment. But the ambulance organization's bylaws only allow sales or donations to nonprofit organizations, preventing the township from obtaining the vehicles, Lajko said.

He estimated a $100,000 investment will buy two ambulances and the necessary equipment.

"Unfortunately, residents will bear the brunt," he said. "It's pretty frustrating."

A roughly 1-mill levy that provided about $125,000 for ambulance coverage now will fund the department for the next year. Taxpayers cover a roughly 1.1-mill levy for fire protection.

Concern is a bit higher in Whitewater Township. The 1-mill assessment -- equating to about $200,000 a year -- to support firefighting will not be enough, said Township Supervisor Ron Popp.

"We believe we are going to have to use some of the funds we set aside for rainy days to get us through the first year," he said.

A resolution to officially create the department awaits approvals. Meanwhile, officials penned a fire chief job description and compiled a list of Rural Fire equipment they hope to keep, like a fire engine and tanker, Popp said.

A recent $400,000 to $450,000 addition to the township's fire department building added about 1,600 square feet and a sprinkler system covering sleeping quarters. It also brought the building up to code, said Popp, who originally opposed the project.

Officials in Fife Lake, Union and Springfield townships are in the middle of their own construction project -- building a partnership to ensure firefighters respond to blazes.

Fife Lake Township Supervisor Linda Forwerck said Springfield and Union township officials will contract with her township for fire response. A chief is in place and work continues to guarantee an operating department by April 1.

Property owners will pay a 1.2-mill fire levy and a 1.3-mill ambulance tax to bring additional funding to the department. Officials budgeted about $42,000 for equipment, Forwerck said. She hopes they receive some left over Rural Fire equipment and funds.

The remaining Rural Fire members with existing stations will look at a proposal that would allow them to retain the equipment currently housed at their respective fire barns, Forwerck said.

Outside of the equipment they currently possess and hope to keep -- including a fire engine, water tanker and other pieces -- officials hope to buy "smaller" things, mostly firefighter "gear," Forwerck said.

"This has been a difficult process," she said. "We're seeing the light at the end of the tunnel."

Several partners already jumped ship -- like Mayfield, Blair, Grant, Long Lake and Green Lake townships -- and are a few steps ahead.

Green Lake Township has had a chief in place since March 2017 and boasts 24 people cross-trained as firefighters and emergency medical technicians, said township emergency services director and fire Chief David Cutway.

"We're healthy right now and we're continually looking to improve," he said.

Supervisor Marvin Radtke considered the new firefighting services the same, if not "a tad bit better" than what Rural Fire provided, but some needs remain unmet. Equipment purchased from Rural Fire is outdated and a new engine is needed.

"If we can make the job easier and more efficient, that's what we're looking for," he said. "But we also have to realize there's only so much money there for that."

Voters renewed a 1.93-mill levy for township emergency services last year, but a 1-mill tax for nine years -- which would have provided more than $332,000 annually -- to fund advanced life support services failed. A proposal for a new fire station also failed.

Officials formed mutual aid alliances with neighboring Blair, Long Lake and Inland Townships to bolster firefighting coverage. They also will cover Grant Township, Radtke said.

Working together is something leaders would agree is crucial to guaranteeing continued response. Township officials confidently promised just that, but it will not come without a considerable effort.

"We're a little behind the eight ball, to be honest," Popp said. "We have a lot of work left to do yet."

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