LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) – A new federal grant will allow the Charlotte Fire Department to hire more firefighters in order to better serve the growing community, according to U.S. Senators Gary Peters and Debbie Stabenow.
The city will receive $1.1 million dollars to hire three more firefighters. Department officials are welcoming the news, saying the news hires are needed. Right now, the department is made up of 6 full-time firefighters with 27 people making up the volunteer crew.
“The extra person on staff throughout the day will help out tremendously as our call volume like departments in the area continues to increase and would just help us with the ability to respond to multiple incidents at the same time,” said Dan Daly, captain of the Fire Department.
Department officials are still working on the details, and say the federal funds are a boost, especially for a department of this size.
“It’s instrumental in providing staffing and equipment for departments of our size that can’t afford the additional staffing,” Daly said.
Daly says his team hasn’t felt the pinch of retention like other crews, which comes as a positive at a time- when many departments around the country are looking to fill open positions. In fact, his team is using the opportunity to reach out to the next generation of first responders and make sure that the interest in this vital job remains strong.
“We have two high schoolers at the Charlotte High School that come here and hang out, get familiar with the trucks and we educate them on some things that are going on here,” Daly said. “So, the future is good for the fire service.”
