Grosse Ile fire commission hears report on rising EMS demand, recruitment and Goodfellows charity

GROSSE ILE, Mich. — At a Grosse Ile Fire Commission meeting in 2025, the fire chief reported a rise in emergency medical calls, detailed recent recruitment gains including the department's first husband-and-wife team, described a new on-scene cardiac arrest protocol, and announced completion of repairs to the department's training tower paid with COVID-relief funds.

The chief (name not specified), Grosse Ile Fire Department, led the report and thanked donors supporting the department's Goodfellows charitable program. "The Goodfellows is primarily supervised by the chief and members," the chief said, describing the group as a firefighter-run charitable channel that accepts donations and distributes food, clothing and limited financial assistance to Grosse Ile residents. The chief said donations come year-round from families, local clubs and Grosse Ile Schools and are spent only on island residents.

Why it matters: Commissioners were told that growing EMS demand and staff recruitment affect the department's readiness and budget priorities, while the Goodfellows program provides local social support that the department helps organize.

On call volume, the chief reported 686 EMS calls and 110 fire calls in 2024 for a total of 796 incidents. He said EMS calls were up about 7% from 2023 and noted a larger increase compared with 2020. The chief tied the higher call volume to increasing operational demands on personnel.

Recruitment was a central topic. The chief said the department held a December hiring event and gained several recruits: "Right now, we have a total of 14 new members. We're at 30," he said. He noted the department has its first husband-and-wife team, identified only as Nicole and Matt (last names not specified in the meeting), and said the roster now includes seven female members, several recruits with EMT credentials, and others currently in EMT school in Livonia.

On cardiac arrest response, the chief described a protocol change that asks crews to remain on scene and provide high-quality cardiopulmonary resuscitation while contacting advanced life support (ALS) teams. "With the new protocol, we are to stay on station, you know, maintain an airway, provide... perfusion... and stay on scene 20:30 minutes," he said. He added that ALS partners are likewise required by their protocols to remain on scene for a period. The chief said, in the cases discussed, patients were delivered to the hospital with a pulse, but he did not provide longer-term patient outcomes.

Commissioners and staff discussed use and maintenance of mechanical CPR devices known as Lucas units. The chief reported the department's units had passed their one-year functional tests by a Stryker technician: "All our Lucas has passed their 1 year functionality test," he said.

The commission was also told that the department's hose/training tower roof had been replaced and related repairs completed by contractor Pullman. The chief said the work removed an old concrete roof, upgraded railing tie-ins and metal sheeting, added a new drain and resealed the structure. He said the expenditure was covered by a prior allocation of COVID-relief funds rather than the fire department's operating budget.

Other items: commissioners were told updates to the Grosse Ile Township Fire Department web page are underway and that one discussion item — a fume exhaust system — was removed from the agenda. There were no formal action items on the agenda beyond routine approvals of the amended agenda, minutes and monthly expense reconciliations.

The meeting concluded with a reminder that not all meeting materials can be posted publicly because of privacy and HIPAA constraints; commissioners said they will post what they can in the future.