Port Huron Township is asking residents to approve an increase in the fire millage in the August primary election. The increase will take the current mills levied from 1.5 to 3.0.
Port Huron Township Fire Chief Randy Vesper explained that the increase is needed to allow the hiring of three more full-time members. The increased funding would ease the strain on Port Huron Township’s General Fund while the Fire Department would be able to establish a more consistent workforce and maintain its level of service.
There is currently a shortage of volunteer and paid-on-call personnel, and calls for service continue to increase. Being a volunteer firefighter or a paid-on-call firefighter requires a cumbersome amount of training in everything from Hazardous Materials to Emergency Medical Response.
It has become difficult for potential volunteer firefighters to obtain the required training and the requirements continue to increase with state and local mandates.
If the millage does not pass, the three new hires won’t happen, but the millage increase would be back on the ballot in November.
Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland
