Groveland Twp.- As part of a cooperative agreement inked last year for Groveland Township Fire Department to assist with the management of the Village of Holly Fire Department, township residents? 9-1-1 calls will now be routed through the Holly Police Department.
For the past several years, the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office has routed the 9-1-1 calls, costing the township about $19,000, said Bob DePalma, township supervisor.
‘Oakland County dispatch has done a wonderful job with the 9-1-1, we had no disatification with those workers,? said DePalma. ‘However, we’re looking to save money for the community and this will cost taxpayers less.?
On Monday night, the board of trustees sent Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard a letter notifying his office of the change effective July 1.
DePalma added that about 2,500 emergency calls were made in 2008, which included about 1,400 to the Michigan State Police and 1,000 to the fire department.
Groveland Fire Chief Steve McGee said the cooperative agreement between Holly and Groveland townships, will save the township money, but will also be effective.
‘Our residents will see no change or difference in service,? said Steve McGee, township fire chief.
‘It will be a seamless switch’we need to be proactive with next year’s budget. With the state of the economy right now we can expect more cuts.?
The agreement between Holly and Groveland Township Fire Department will provide around-the-clock officer and personnel support to VHFD, while pooling resources and having five VHFD firefighter/EMT staff members working for the Groveland Township Fire Department as needed.
McGee’s management team now provides training and recruiting programs, assisting in managing fire station modifications, providing station training, expanding automatic aid responses with area departments, developing a cost-effective system for station coverage and response, presenting an annual budget for approval by the Holly Village Council, keeping the village manager and council informed and updated by attending regular meetings, and assistance in obtaining grant funding for the department.