CANNON TOWNSHIP, Mich. — A millage proposal on this August’s ballot asks voters in Cannon Township to hire additional full time firefighter/EMTs.
“We haven’t increased the number of full time firefighters since 2001 and in that time, our call volumes have doubled,” said Lt. Lonnie Herrington. “We’re seeing fire growth rapidly increase. We’re also seeing a need for additional personnel to be able to provide life-safety measures.”
The proposal would tax $0.50 of every $1,000 of taxable value for 10 years (0.5 mills). If approved, it’s estimated to raise $400,000 in the first year.
According to Herrington, the money would be used to bring on four additional personnel and provide 24-hour service.
Currently, the department staffs three firefighter/EMTs and 27 are paid, on-call, or volunteer, which limits the hours worked at the station from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m.
If a call comes in overnight, personnel rush in from their homes and then go to the incident, which can cause delays in service.
“If we have full time personnel in the station, they can leave immediately from the station which saves about four minutes on each alarm,” said Herrington. “That really can make the difference between saving a life and saving somebody’s property.”
The department responded to about 375 alarms per year in 2001. This year, it’s projected to hit 750 alarms.
Herrington attributes the increase to the area’s growth over the past few decades. U.S. Census data shows 14,421 people live in Cannon Township, up from 12,075 people in 2000.
“That’s a lot for paid, on-call personnel to try and come from their home in the middle of the night,” said Herrington.
Paid, on-call firefighter/EMTs would still be utilized if the millage passes, but at least two full-time personnel would be at one of the department’s two stations at all times.
Herrington adds it’s increasingly difficult to find paid, on-call firefighter/EMTs because of the time and training the job requires and even then, they can chose not to respond to an incident.
“It’s not the applications,” said Herrington. “It’s people finding time to take away from their family, to take the training, take the certification classes, and be able to respond to alarms. Paid on-call firefighters don’t make a lot of money, so they’re doing it to better their community and it’s getting more and more difficult to find men and women who are willing to take that time.”
The department estimates the millage would cost $68 dollars per year for the average homeowner in Cannon Township.
Herrington hopes it’s a price people are willing to pay in order to help the department better serve the community.
“The real need is to provide quick, rapid response when it comes to life safety,” said Herrington. “We feel by the passing of this millage, we’ll be able to provide that response to the homeowners and residents and visitors to cannon township.”
