The Clinton Township Department of Fire-Rescue-EMS was established on May 2, 1945. The department, at the time of its inception, consisted of one station, one fire chief and about 25 volunteers. To date, the department has grown to a staff of 99 and has expanded to five stations. There are 83 full-time firefighters, 4 Chief Officers, 4 staffing the Fire Marshal’s Division, 2 additional personnel in training and five non-firefighting employees. What started out as a 28 square mile sparsely populated northern suburb of Detroit has grown to a community of almost 100,000 residents. Clinton Township is the 10th most populated community in Michigan.
Our headquarters station houses the administrative offices, as well as the shift commander, a ladder truck, a heavy rescue and one engine company. The south end is protected by Station 2, now with one engine. Recently rebuilt Station 1, serving the eastern portion of the Township, houses a ladder truck, one engine and a heavy rescue company. Our western areas are served by Station 3, housing one engine, a rescue boat and a water rescue vehicle. Station 5, covering the northeast portion of the Township, an area previously remote to the other stations, houses one engine, a Special Operations tractor/trailer combination, three fully equipped specialized rescue trailers and a fire investigation unit.
The past several years has seen a large increase in run volume. New construction, along with expanded medical services to include Advanced Life Support engines, has mainly been the cause. In 2005, the department responded to 7573 runs for assistance, an increase of 7.6% over 2004.
Our administrative staff consists of the Fire Chief, Deputy Chief and Operations Chief. The Fire Chief is responsible for the overall operations of the fire department. The Deputy Chief supervises the administrative office personnel and the Fire Marshal’s Division, while the Operations Chief supervises the fire suppression personnel, the training division and the Special Operations Team. The administration operates from Station 4, or Headquarters.
The Fire Prevention Bureau, also known as the Fire Marshal’s Division is located at Headquarters. The division is comprised of the Fire Marshal and three Inspectors. Their duties include scheduling and recordkeeping in regards to fire inspections, providing fire prevention presentations to school children and other groups, and also conduct fire investigations. Two secretaries, a systems manager and an office manager round out the administration.
Administrative offices are also located at Station 5, adjacent to the Donald Crews Training Center. One Chief of Training oversees, develops and schedules training for the department. He is assisted by a Training Officer and an EMS (Emergency Medical Services) Officer. The training division is also in charge of tracking training records for the department’s personnel, to assist in establishing policies and is active on fire scenes as the Safety Officer. The EMS Officer is responsible for the operation of the EMS program, tracking licensures and the organization and distribution of medical supplies. One office clerk is assigned to Training.
The department receives the majority of requests for assistance through an Enhanced 911 System. At the fire department’s Communication Center, calls are dispatched through a computer aided dispatch system, sending maps and data sheets to the station or stations requested. Current upgrades include mobile data computers (MDCs) installed in all fire apparatus, giving the officer precise mapping to the location of the call and pertinent data regarding that location.
For further information about our department, please contact us at the above e-mail address or telephone number. Stay tuned for future articles regarding current events, fire prevention, and what’s been happening within our department.