Fire Chief Says $125,000 More in Overtime Needed to Maintain Current Service

With fewer firefighters on staff, Clinton Township Fire Chief John Shea says his department will need to allocate $125,000 more of its budget to overtime in the months ahead.

While $700,000 has already been allocated for fire department overtime in the township's 2012-13 budget, "a series of unexpected issues" has made the additional $125,000 necessary, Shea said.

These issues were primarily personnel-related.

The department lost three positions in December to retirements, and expects another three by February.

These retirements in addition to the continuous absence of two employees since the end of September and a delay in approval of a waiver to amend the work outlined in the 2010 SAFER Grant have already forced Shea to close one fire company, according to a letter submitted to the board Jan. 3.

The Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant is awarded by the federal Emergency Management Agency to help communities maintain current manpower levels in their fire departments.

An extra $125,000 in overtime will help the department keep five companies open each day for the next three months, Shea said. He noted under the inter-local agreement for Special Operations, Macomb County is expected to reimburse the township $36,000 for overtime funds used for training purposes.

With the department's 2012-13 revenues projected to exceed expenditures by $176,520, the increase for overtime, if approved, should be covered without the department having to dip into its rainy day fund.

A line-by-line breakdown of the fire department budget is available within the township's Fiscal Year 2012-2013 Approved Budget, available online.

The board of trustees will consider Shea's reallocation request during the Jan. 7 township meeting. The board meets at 6:30 p.m. at the Civic Center, 40700 Romeo Plank Road.