By: Dean Vaglia | Macomb Chronicle | Published September 2, 2025
MACOMB TOWNSHIP — In the wake of a personnel crisis at the Macomb Township Fire Department, the Board of Trustees has authorized a slate of employment-related measures to shore-up the roster of front-line first responders.
Trustees approved motions authorizing the hiring of six full-time firefighters and a full-time trainer. They also approved a working agreement with the Macomb Township Professional Firefighters Local 5023 to set the terms of the position.
The authorization of the positions comes after conversations between township officials, fire officials and an examination of budget projections.
“The fact of the matter is the voters of this township have allocated, effectively, 1.9 mills to run the Fire Department. We want to keep (operations) at a rate where we’re not eating into that down to nothing and in the future have to lay off folks,” Macomb Township Treasurer Leon Drolet said. “Based on the information we’ve received from the finance department and the conversations we’ve had, I believe that the township can safely, under the current millage approved by voters, afford to hire a total of seven additional fire officials.”
A house fire on Aug. 9 led to calls for more full-time firefighters to be employed by the department after two firefighters were injured on the call. The department has needed to rely on automatic mutual aid calls for fires within the township as only a limited number of full-time firefighters are available at any given time. The day shift on Aug. 14 had eight full-time firefighters on duty across the township, according to Local 5023 Secretary Andy Saucedo.
Trustees also approved a signing, retention and referral bonus program for part-time firefighters.
“We have one Fire Department in Macomb Township that consists of full-time firefighters and consists of part-time firefighters, but they are all firefighters,” Township Supervisor Frank Viviano said. “I appreciate all of the work that everyone here does, and I appreciate the work that our part-time team does, too.”
Township Clerk Kristi Pozzi said that the actions taken by the board were “stage one” in the steps being taken to alleviate the staffing level concerns at the Fire Department and that the township would continue working the fire and finance departments.
Sidewalk maintenance changes
Trustees also approved changes to the township’s sidewalk maintenance program.
The changes to the program — namely expanded communications by sending informational letters to all residents in a given year’s targeted township quadrant and including more information on the letters, adding financial hardship options and giving residents 18 months to make repair payments — are the result of feedback from homeowners.
A number of homeowners complained about paying for sidewalk repairs and the initial terms of the program at a June 25 public hearing. The program is a response to the June 28, 2023, Michigan Supreme Court decision in the Kandil-Elsayed v F & E Oil, Inc. and Pinsky v Kroger case that led to the end of the “open and obvious” defense that used to shield the township from liability for sidewalk-related injuries.
Viviano said that the township would make a large effort to inform residents of the policy.
“We realize that not enough people were informed of what this is and why we did it, so we’re taking extra measures to get it out to the community as much as possible,” Viviano said.
Special events ordinance
Trustees also approved an ordinance to streamline and define solicitors, vendors, food trucks, special events and fireworks.
The ordinance outlines when and where certain vendors can operate, how special events can be applied for and when fireworks may be used, among other rules.