ST. CLAIR SHORES, MICH. (WXYZ) — Two of St. Clair Shores three fire stations temporarily closed over the weekend due to staffing shortages, raising concerns among residents about emergency response and whether closures could happen again.
Signs posted on the doors of the north and south fire stations told residents the stations were closed and directed them to call 911 in an emergency. Both stations have since reopened.
Watch WXYZ reporter Peter Maxwell's story in the video below:
St. Clair Shores Fire Chief Gregory Flynn said staffing shortages caused the closures, with four firefighters currently out due to on-the-job injuries and others on vacation. When the end stations close, staff are consolidated at the central station rather than relying on neighboring fire departments for backup.
"We've had two occurrences where we haven't had the staff to keep the end stations opened and we brought all of that staff in here. What that does, I think, it's important to understand that flexibility so we're not tapping on our mutual aid partners on our neighboring fire departments to come in and back us up on a medical call or something like that. The battalion chiefs have more say," Flynn said.
Flynn said responding to calls for service remains the department's top priority.
"The calls for service and answering those calls remain a priority and like every day our shift commanders and battalion chiefs evaluate those calls for service and allocate the resources we have to respond in a timely fashion," Flynn said.
Residents near the north station expressed concern about the closures. Shannon Zembrzychi, who lives down the street from the north fire station, said seeing it unstaffed made her uneasy.
"I feel very safe with them here. I prefer them here. Just to see that they're not there makes me a little uneasy," Zembrzychi said. "I thought, 'what's going on now?' because this isn't the first time. I just hope they get it together and get some new guys in there and it works out," Zembrzychi said.
Ryan Jones, who lives around the corner from the north station, said the staffing issues need to be addressed.
"Something needs to be done with the staffing issues. You shouldn't have two of the three stations closed on a weekend," Jones said. "It's something that should be worked on."
Not all residents were alarmed. Pamala Grockau said she believed the department continued to respond to calls during the closures.
"They did a very good job because I could hear the sirens. So, obviously, somebody was doing their job," Grockau said.
In 2025, St. Clair Shores voters approved additional millage funding for fire and police services. Flynn said the department will be interviewing potential recruits over the coming weeks.
"We have the support, we have funding, we have the backing of the city every single day here," Flynn said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
