EAST LANSING, Mich — Meridian Township's fire department is facing staffing challenges that could affect how quickly firefighters and paramedics respond to emergencies, according to the local firefighters' union.
- Meridian Township's fire department is facing staffing challenges that could impact emergency response times.
- The firefighters' union says they need 45 firefighters but currently have only 38.
- Township leaders say they continue to evaluate personnel demands by monitoring service demand changes.
WATCH: Meridian Township firefighters' union raising concerns about staffing
Chuck Malesko, president of the Meridian Township Professional Firefighters Association and a decade-long member of the Meridian Township Fire Department, said the staffing shortage creates safety concerns for both firefighters and residents.
"It's an inherently dangerous job," Malesko said. "When you're trying to do it with not as many people, it's much more dangerous."
As the township has grown and call volume has increased, Malesko said staffing hasn't kept pace with demand, impacting the department's ability to respond when neighbors need help.
"A basic way to define it would be about 1 firefighter per 1,000 residents," Malesko said.
Using that formula, Malesko said the township needs about 45 firefighters, but the union currently has only 38 members. This shortage means there may not be enough staff to respond to every call immediately.
"Our resources are depleted fairly quickly and fairly often," he said.
Meridian Township Supervisor Scott Hendrickson addressed the staffing concerns in a statement, saying staffing decisions balance providing valued services with financial constraints. He says the township added two full-time firefighter positions in 2024 to enhance staffing and works closely with neighboring jurisdictions on mutual aid to provide adequate coverage.
"The Township will continue to evaluate its personnel demands by monitoring service demand changes," Hendrickson said in the statement.
Hendrickson also noted that factors like healthcare costs and state revenue sharing costs have impacted the township's budget.
Malesko acknowledged those financial challenges but said he and the union hope to open conversations with the township about expanding staff soon so they can adequately respond to emergency calls.
"There has to be some sort of solution to be able to meet the standards that we want to meet," he said. "The citizens, they deserve a reliable, prompt, and appropriate response."
This story was reported on-air 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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