GRANT TOWNSHIP, Mich. — A bill in Lansing could extend workers' compensation to part-time and paid on-call firefighters who are injured while responding to emergencies, but volunteers would remain without coverage under the current proposal.
Gilbert Flores, a volunteer firefighter with Grant Township Fire and Rescue, was injured fighting a recent brush fire. When getting medical care, paramedics found signs of a life-threatening condition.
"They told me that I had abnormal EKG, and then when I got to the hospital, they told me that I had 85 to 95% blockage in three of my arteries," Flores said.
He underwent triple bypass surgery, leaving him with mounting medical bills and unable to work while recovering.
"Am I going to see my family tomorrow?" Flores recalled thinking before his surgery.
As a volunteer firefighter, Flores isn't eligible for workers' compensation, highlighting a gap in protection for those who serve their communities.
David Glotzbach, retired fire chief and current paid on-call firefighter at Grant Township Fire and Rescue, is advocating for legislation that would cover anyone who serves in a fire department.
The issue gained attention when another firefighter from Grant Township died from a cardiac emergency while on duty in 2020. When Mike Buitendorp's family filed a claim after his death, they found out how far insurance coverage does not go.
"That was denied. And they specifically denied it because, in the current legislation, it states that paid on call part time, essentially law enforcement and fire were exempted from workman's comp benefits if it was cardiac related," Glotzbach said.
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Separate bills introduced in 2023 in the state House and Senate would have included part-time, paid on-call, and volunteer firefighters in workers' compensation coverage. While the Senate bill stalled in committee, the House passed a version in December 2024 during the lame duck session that excluded volunteers from coverage.
"That risk is the neutral balance," Glotzbach said.
Grant Township Fire Chief Daniel Yost says cardiac-related injuries are the highest percentage of injuries in fire service, and without proper insurance, his firefighters will bear the financial burden of protecting their communities.
"Their costs are going to go up," Yost said.
For Yost, it makes no sense why the state would exclude some firefighters based solely on how much they're paid.
"If Gilbert was a full time firefighter, he would be covered," Glotzbach said.
Yost became emotional discussing the disparity: "I can't sit here and just watch this happen to people."
"It's just not right. We have full time firefighters doing the same job that are covered. And I guess that's the biggest, biggest hurt in my heart, is full time people are covered, doing the same exact work side by side," he added.
Flores is currently relying on a community GoFundMe while hoping to return to firefighting.
"I'm never gonna stop fighting fires, as long as I'm able to, as long as I'm physically able to, I'm gonna be out there fighting fires, helping people out one way or another," Flores said.
The House bill passed in 2024 has been reintroduced in 2025, again without coverage for volunteers. Glotzbach and Yost say extending coverage to paid part-time and on-call firefighters is progress, but they remain committed to securing equal protection for all their personnel.
Watch our story on the fight for volunteer firefighters' workers' compensation below
This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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