What does paid-on-call firefighter mean? And 55 of these? And how many fires does Plymouth or Northville have annually anyway. We have arrived to the point where both communitities need to adopt other sate models and train police to be firefighters saving millions in debt.

Save millions while putting people's lives and homes at risk? Personally, I would rather pay more in taxes and less in insurance rates. My life is more important than money.

Paid on call simply means, the firefighters would respond to calls when they come in. BUT, with this possible new deal, Plymouth's station MAY be staffed during business hours, 5 days a week, having the paid on call personnel respond at night on weekdays, and during weekends. I do not agree with training police officers to be firefighters, (also called PSO's). That would put a heavy weight on the police department, and I believe police should stick with law enforcement, and firefighters should stick with fire and EMS.

But right now you have full time 24 hour, 365 day coverage in Plymouth. These fire fighters are all paramedics and can provide care within 3 to 5 minutes not 7 to 15 minutes. What is the insurance rate going to change to for Plymouth businesses? Keep drinking the City of Northville cool aid. They are one of the highest paid part time fire departments in the metro area. Just remember that it is a crap shoot on how many bodies are going to show up in a time of need. Where are the fire fighters going to come from? Right now they only have 32 people. Of those 32 how many show up? They only have to show up for a minimum of 25 percent of the total calls right now. I just hope they don't all choose to take the same call off because they are with they're families doing something else!

J.s.: What makes you believe that things will be better with the new proposed system. These part-time firefighters come from home, a storm hits the area and now what? You could "what if" this to death, but no matter what, right now 3 staffed stations and 3 calls at the same time all get a response under what any part-time system can deliver! Allen Park is not an example; this lay off is a scare tactic brought upon the city when they over spent money on property they should not had purchased. Local Governments responsibility to it citizens is Public Safety (EMS, Fire, Police), Sanitation or Health( Garbage & Sewer), & Clean Drinking Water.....Not land purchases when you can't afford it. No problem the City has 10 "bodies" show up; why doesn't Northville City want to release the levels of training, locations that responders are coming from, and true response times, not the make believe time that they use. The real time from the 9-1-1 call to the first arriving unit that is able to deliver aid, not the time it takes the truck to respond from the station to the scene, sometimes with only 1 responder. Those interested parties should purchase a scanner (http://www.amazon.com/RadioShack-PRO-2096-5500-Channel-Digital-Trunking/dp/tech-data/B000TLQMBG) and listen. Tell me, doesn't the Northville City Fire Chief live outside the city, who whould come when he call for help?

J.s.: What makes you believe that things will be better with the new proposed system. These part-time firefighters come from home, a storm hits the area and now what? You could "what if" this to death, but no matter what, right now 3 staffed stations and 3 calls at the same time all get a response under what any part-time system can deliver! Allen Park is not an example; this lay off is a scare tactic brought upon the city when they over spent money on property they should not had purchased. Local Governments responsibility to it citizens is Public Safety (EMS, Fire, Police), Sanitation or Health( Garbage & Sewer), & Clean Drinking Water.....Not land purchases when you can't afford it. No problem the City has 10 "bodies" show up; why doesn't Northville City want to release the levels of training, locations that responders are coming from, and true response times, not the make believe time that they use. The real time from the 9-1-1 call to the first arriving unit that is able to deliver aid, not the time it takes the truck to respond from the station to the scene, sometimes with only 1 responder. Those interested parties should purchase a scanner (http://www.amazon.com/RadioShack-PRO-2096-5500-Channel-Digital-Trunking/dp/tech-data/B000TLQMBG) and listen. Tell me, doesn't the Northville City Fire Chief live outside the city, who would come when he calls for help?

J.s., This is not about a hobby. This is about real life and death. Saving a structure or not (Little Italy). You say that they have to be EMT's, how many of your members have minimal EMS training of 35 hours called Emergency First Responders also known as "Code 7" when they are on the Basic Life Support rescue with out an EMT. Maybe you should start listening a little harder to your scanner. Bottom line is Northville City tax payers pay for 32 fire fighters in a system that works for a 2.2 square mile system that responds to 700 call a year, not in a system that has two stations that are seperated by two other communities. Right now they don't have enough members to cover both stations. I'm sure once all of these young fire fighters that go to work for the city of Northville realize that they will never get hired for a full time department after this, They to will realize then that this is wrong! Ask yourself this, after doing your part to work so hard at putting 10 full time fire fighters out of a job in Plymouth why would somebody want to hire you? Take a long look in the mirror!

Unfortunately the politicians have already made up their minds on what they think is the right option. A part time, paid on call fire department is not the answer in any community in Western Wayne County with call volumes only rising. Apparently no one can get through to politicians and city managers anymore. They must think that they are invincible. As a person that started in a paid on call system at a community that ran about the same amount of calls at the time of my inception as what the City of Plymouth and the City of Northville runs currently, roughly 1600 calls for service per year. I understand the willingness to want to make the system work however, at what point do the part time people start to understand that fire protection and EMS is not a hobby, it’s a career. Also knowing that at an on call part time department does not offer the same the same services as the current operation in the Plymouth Community that Mutual Aid can not be relied on and most like will not be given to the part time Basic Life Support department. Is this what is the best option for the citizens, or is this the fact of the politicians want to save money, or it could even be a case of the “non-profit” ambulance company convincing certain people in the city in not so correct ways.

Every “premier” community offers a great Police Department and Fire Department, Canton, Livonia, Northville Township, just to name a few. Plymouth can not fall into a system that has the potential to work it needs to go with one the currently works! If you want to make the situation better maybe the overall staffing should be increased. The options in protection of the citizen weather it be Police or Fire should go before the public opinion and be voted on. Just remember that the recommend ration of firefighters to residence should be 1 to 1000. With going on the latest SEMCOG numbers that means the Plymouth Community Fire Department should be staffed at 39 firefighters between 3 shifts giving the community a total daily shift amount of 13 firefighter/paramedics. This staffing is what is considered optimal. Yes it does cost money, this is a given. However can you really put a dollar amount on overall public safety! I can not speak for everyone else in the world I can just state that I know what is best for citizens in the Western Wayne County Community, especially right now FOR the citizens that are covered by the Plymouth Community Fire Department.

Js, with all earned respect: Your thinking is backwards! Response locations are my point; Northville Township has members on staff 24/7, at the ready, to respond from the Township Fire Station (within the Township), as does Plymouth currently. Northville City on the other hand has only 1 full time member, the other part-time firefighters come from destinations unknown (coming from home, the Mall, OUTSIDE THE COMMUNITY) . EMT’s, Paramedics, it makes no difference, they respond from the City with a Basic Unit equipped to give expert 1st aid, these paramedics work for the City at a Basic Level. I would hope that the response time for a 2.2 square mile area would be excellent, but it is not, its average for a volunteer department. You admit these times are from when a firefighter arrives at the station and responds, this is the response time, but if I’m Ill or Injured, the time starts from when I call, not when the guy gets to the truck. American Heart Association predicts brain death at 6 minutes and the odds of escaping from a fire significantly decreases after 3.5 minutes (http://www.sacmetrofire.ca.gov/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=166&Itemid=197). You can stand by your 15 minute response times; I, for one, want an experienced trained firefighter/paramedic crew at my door sooner than this, the citizens are being deceived by politicians and you SIR.

All of this talk about Northville City merging with Plymouth City - what the heck - why doesn't the Northville City merge with Northville Township. We have a system that many of you have already commented on - no one in the station, paid on call firefighters who do not live in the city of Northville, an EMT service and when a medical transport has to take place, an outside company is called - from where ? I have no clue, but it is not in the city of Northville. Sitting on 6 Mile Northville Township has a fabulous fire department - fully staffed 24/7, certified Paramedics (much more medical training than an EMT) and the ability to transport when they go to each call. The sad part is most of the Northville City residents are unaware of how the "paid on call" department works. We could save a lot of money - only need one Fire Chief and the fire department in the township gets paid for each hospital transport (money the City can not get because they DO NOT transport. The very most important aspect is RESPONSE time. There is no way the City can compare to the Northville Township. The city and the township already share many services - why not the most important one?? We pay higher taxes in the City than the township, yet we have inferior service - why? If this is a political problem between the city and the township that is disgusting. The goal going forward will be to let all City residents of Northville know exactly what kind of fire/medical coverage the City provides.