MACOMB TOWNSHIP, Mich. — A little more than a year after a devastating house fire raised concerns about staffing at the Macomb Township Fire Department, township officials say the department has added more full-time firefighters and increased the number of personnel on duty each day.
The changes come as Macomb Township continues to grow, increasing demands on emergency services.
The staffing concerns intensified after a home on Balmoral Drive, just north of 21 Mile Road, was destroyed by fire last year. No one was hurt, but a family was displaced.
WATCH: Macomb Township Fire Department reaches historic staffing high after year of recruiting
Resident Carl Williams, who lives near the home, remembers seeing smoke moving toward his property.
“The smoke was just billowing towards our house,” Williams said.
Williams said he stood outside watching as additional fire crews arrived.
“Stood there quite a while just watching the house burn and more and more fire trucks kept coming,” he said.
The department initially responded to the fire with a two-person crew. Two firefighters were injured.
Days later, Macomb Township firefighters packed a township board meeting and called for additional full-time staffing.
James Muszynski, president of Macomb Township Professional Firefighters Local 5023, told township leaders at the time that staffing was a matter of public safety.
“Failing to act will not only be a staffing problem, but it will be a lapse in public safety,” Muszynski said in August 2025.
Fire Chief Bob Phillips said the township and department have spent the past year working to address the staffing concerns.
“We've spent the last year recruiting,” Phillips said.
The fire department is funded through a dedicated operating millage that voters renewed in 2024.
Over the past 12 months, the department has hired 13 full-time firefighters. The department now has 47 full-time firefighters, up from 33 about a year ago and the highest number in the township department's 73-year history.
Phillips said the additional staffing is also increasing the number of firefighters working each day.
“Roughly a year ago, in the summer we were running on average about eight on duty,” Phillips said. “Now with the three additional it will be 14 on duty every day.”
The department's three most recent hires include Olivia Raichle, who becomes the third female firefighter in Macomb Township's history.
“This is something I've always wanted to do,” Raichle said.
Raichle said she is happy to see more women joining the department but is primarily focused on beginning her new role.
“It's great to have more females on,” she said. “Honestly, haven't given it much thought, just great to be here.”
For Williams, seeing the department add firefighters provides reassurance after watching a home burn in his neighborhood last year.
“Like my house, if my house caught on fire, I'd like to have firefighters put out the fire, you know,” he said.
Muszynski said Friday that the firefighters union is encouraged by the additional staffing.
“We are pleased to see Macomb Township take steps toward increasing full-time firefighter staffing,” Muszynski said in a text message. “Recognizing the importance of firefighter safety — and, ultimately, the safety of our residents — is what matters most.”
Phillips characterized the staffing increase as “all around a win for everybody.”
AI disclosure: This article was adapted from a 7 News Detroit broadcast script with the assistance of artificial intelligence and reviewed and edited for accuracy and AP style.
