Regardless of a township's population or size in square miles, fire protection is probably the most visible service that townships provide. Today there are nearly 1,100 fire departments throughout Michigan's cities, villages, townships and counties, most of them centrally located within a township.

The legal authority to provide fire protection comes from the Police and Fire Protection Act, Public Act 33 of 1951 (MCL 41.801, et seq.), which authorizes townships to own and operate a fire department; purchase or contract for fire protection; jointly operate a fire department; and purchase and maintain fire protection equipment.

While many townships hire full-time firefighters and other fire department employees, most townships also rely on volunteers or "paid on-call" fire fighters.

Township Fire Departments: Handling the Heat (.pdf)
Michigan Township News, October 2004
10 Keys to Fire Department Success (.pdf)
Michigan Township News, August 1998
Are You Prepared? Emergency Management for Townships (.pdf)
Michigan Township News, September 2003
Developing Effective Standard Operating Procedures for Fire and EMS Departments (FA-197 December 1999) (.pdf)
What Township Officials Need to Know About State and Federal Fireworks Regulations (.pdf)

For more information about on-call fire departments, purchase the MTA publication titled: On-Call Fire Departments: The Township Board's Responsibilities.

Assistance to Firefighter Grant Program
Interested applicants can access the FY 2008 AFG application through the AFG website, the U.S. Fire Administration's (USFA) website, and the Grants.gov website. The website contains important information on the AFG, including funding priorities and program guidance, a web-based tutorial on the application process, a listing of frequently asked questions, and other materials.