The Macomb Township Fire Department has hired 13 full-time firefighters over the past 12 months, pushing its roster to 47 — the highest staffing level in the department's 73-year history. The hiring surge follows a house fire on Balmoral Drive that injured two firefighters after the department initially responded with just a two-person crew.
According to WXYZ 7 News Detroit, the department had just 33 full-time firefighters about a year earlier. Fire Chief Bob Phillips said the growth didn't happen by accident. “We've spent the last year recruiting,” Phillips said, and he characterized the staffing increase as an all-around win. Average daily on-duty staffing has climbed to 14 firefighters, with three additional personnel now covering each shift.
The push for more boots on the ground traces back to the Balmoral Drive fire, which displaced a family though no one inside the home was hurt. The two injured firefighters were treated for minor injuries and released shortly afterward, the station's report noted. The blaze, which struck a home north of 21 Mile Road, became a rallying point for firefighters who said the department was stretched too thin.
A Two-Person Crew Responds to a Burning House
The department initially responded to the Balmoral Drive fire with a two-person crew, a staffing level far below what national safety standards call for. The National Fire Protection Association recommends no fewer than four firefighters per rig, per a report from CBS News Detroit. That earlier CBS News account described Macomb Township as home to more than 100,000 residents at the time, with career staffing of just 30 firefighters and only eight working during the day — figures that reflect staffing levels before the department's latest hiring wave, as described in that same report.
In the aftermath, Macomb Township firefighters called for additional full-time staffing at a township board meeting in 2025. Union president James Muszynski told township leaders that staffing was a matter of public safety. Muszynski has also said firefighters in the township respond to more than 20 calls per day, underscoring the pressure on crews even before accounting for major fires.
Union Calls the New Hires a Step in the Right Direction
Macomb Township Professional Firefighters Local 5023 is encouraged by the additional staffing, and Muszynski said the union is pleased that the township is increasing full-time firefighter numbers. “Firefighter safety and resident safety are the most important considerations,” Muszynski said, framing the hires as directly tied to the concerns raised after the Balmoral Drive fire.
Among the new additions is Olivia Raichle, who joined the department as the third female firefighter in Macomb Township's history. Voters renewed the fire department's dedicated operating millage in 2024, providing the funding base that has supported the recent hiring push, according to C & G News.
A Statewide Shortage Shapes the Local Response
Macomb Township's staffing climb comes amid a broader firefighter shortage across Michigan. The state has approximately 50 firefighters per 100,000 residents, among the lowest staffing levels per capita in the Midwest, according to a report from WWMT. That shortage has pushed departments statewide to lean more heavily on mutual aid, assembling 15 to 20 firefighters at structure fires by pulling crews from neighboring communities.
Bangor Fire Chief Derek Babcock told WWMT it's now common to rely on three to five surrounding departments for assistance on a single call. Babcock said his department has turned to local high schools and a tech center to recruit new firefighters, and that full-time openings now draw about 20 to 30 qualified applicants, compared with as many as 150 in years past.
A Bill in Lansing Could Reshape Staffing Talks
State lawmakers have taken notice of the staffing crunch. Senate Bill 319 would make staffing levels a mandatory subject of collective bargaining, requiring fire departments to discuss minimum staffing with their unions, according to a bill analysis from the Michigan Legislature. The analysis notes the measure would not require cities to hire additional firefighters outright, leaving staffing decisions themselves in local hands even as it opens the door to formal negotiations on the issue.
For Macomb Township, a growing community with increasing demands on emergency services, the staffing increase arrives as residents like Carl Williams have watched the strain play out firsthand. Williams saw smoke moving toward his property during the Balmoral Drive fire and observed additional fire crews arriving as the response grew. With 47 firefighters now on the roster and 14 on duty each day, department leaders say the community should be better positioned the next time flames break out.
