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Fire chief says aging apparatus, staffing and pay need action to keep Munising safe
Summary
Munising's fire chief told the commission that frontline fire trucks are well past recommended service life and urged a plan for replacements, financing options and pay adjustments; commissioners asked staff for facts and to revisit the issue in budget hearings.
Munising’s fire chief told the city commission that the department’s frontline engine is 27 years old and that multiple vehicles exceed the National Fire Protection Association’s recommended service life, saying the city needs a strategy for replacement and funding.
"The recommended lifespan on that truck is 15 years," the fire chief said, adding, "Our current age of truck 1, as of today, is 27 years old." He warned the department may need one to three new vehicles to meet NFPA guidance that recommends retiring trucks by 25 years in normal practice.
The chief outlined cost and lead-time differences for manufacturers, saying an upper-end modern apparatus can cost roughly $1.2 million with a lead time on the order of 48 months, while a simpler mechanical model might be about $750,000 with a shorter lead time. He noted trade-offs between complexity and maintainability and described ongoing equipment and pay shortfalls, including turnout gear replacement timelines and stipends for on-call staff.
"I get a stipend of $875 a month," the chief said, and compared that with neighboring departments where chiefs and officers receive higher stipends and annual step increases. He said department fundraising helps buy equipment — "we make that on a good year between $800 to $1,000" — but that those amounts are nominal compared with the cost of apparatus.
Commissioners pressed for options and clarification. One commissioner said the commission is in budget meetings and recommended staff return with comparative facts and figures; the commission agreed to revisit the fire department budget in the upcoming budget hearings. Councilors and staff discussed grant avenues (the chief cited Assistance to Firefighters and other competitive grants, which he said are lengthy to apply for) and financing options such as lease or millage measures.
The commission did not take a funding vote at the meeting. Instead, members asked the city manager and staff for detailed cost estimates, financing options, grant opportunities, and a timeline to compare replacement, lease and millage scenarios before any appropriation. The discussion will continue in scheduled budget sessions.
