Township agrees to hire more staff at fire stations

June 28, 2012  PLYMOUTH EAGLE.

Plymouth Township officials have allowed Fire Chief Mark Wendel to hire four on-call volunteers to work full time shifts at the two remaining open fire stations in the township.

Following a recent fire and roof rescue operation in Lake Pointe plagued by equipment failures and shortage of adequate manpower. Wendel ordered the 12 volunteers to work. In both situations, Plymouth Township called for Mutual Aid from Northville Township. The cost for that service, in each case, will be billed to Plymouth Township.

Starting last Monday, Wendel scheduled four men per shift to report to work between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. at each of the two open stations; one on Haggerty Road and the other on Beck Road. The Lake Pointe station remains closed.

Because the volunteers have no medical training or medical licenses they will not be allowed to work on EMS runs but can help clean up at the stations and ride along as observers, a fire department observer said. They are considered “in training.”

Under the new township work schedule volunteers will be paid $18 per hour for up to 60 hours per week while on duty at the station, and $23 per hour for off station runs. This exceeds the $21 per hour average cost for the remaining full-time Plymouth Township experienced firefighter paramedics who hold medical licenses and provide advanced life support.

The volunteers received their new fire gear on Saturday.