Green Oak Township - 2009 Report

Fire Department
The Green Oak Charter Township Fire Department provides fire protection and emergency medical services to the citizens of Green Oak Charter Township. The Department is comprised of 31 paid on call firefighters, three career captains with a career chief and deputy chief. The Department also provides fire prevention, fire investigation, and public education services with a full time inspector. In 2009, the Department responded to 1,312 requests for assistance. To view the Break down of the statistics, click on the following link. 2009 Call Statistics
Financial Responsibility and Stability
The Millage
Since 2002, the Department has been funded entirely by a 1.5 mil operating millage, which is now set to expire. This millage replaced a number of funding mechanisms, including two lesser millages and general fund contributions. Since 2002, the Department has been entirely millage funded, operating strictly within the means provided by the millage and maintaining sufficient reserves to allow it to deal with the emergency demands that are inherent in its operations.

At a time when the demands on the Department are increasing with the growth and commercial building in the Township, the Department remains conscious of the difficult economy and multiple financial burdens on its citizens. Accordingly, the Department is asking for only a simple renewal of its current millage for an additional five years. As the Department is entirely millage funded, it needs this millage to survive, but, in difficult financial times, has resolved to ask for no more than what it needs.
Accomplishments
When the Department requested this millage in 2002, it pledged to use the funding to improve the level of service provided to its citizens. With the funds entrusted to it by its customers, the Department has upgraded the services it provides in a number of areas.

Emergency Medical Services
The Department upgraded its level of emergency medical services from that of medical first responders to the emergency medical technician (EMT)/basic life support (BLS) level. The Department is one of only two fire department in the county, and the only one in the entire Brighton/South Lyon/Whitmore Lake area, to provide this level of emergency medical services. Green Oak residents rely on two different ambulance providers (both the county service and a private provider), which respond from various locations to incidents in the Township. Offering EMT level services permits the Department to provide more advanced airway management and emergency medical care during those critical minutes before an ambulance arrives. Medical emergencies and vehicle crashes happen most every day, and the Department brings to each response and customer an upgraded level of emergency care.

Emergency Warning (Tornado) Sirens
As part of the 2002 millage request, the Department proposed creating an outdoor emergency warning siren system for the Township, which previously lacked any warning system. Every residence and business in Green Oak Township is within range of an outdoor warning siren. These sirens are tested at 1:00 p.m. on the first Saturday of each month, April-September. The Department maintains the sirens with a 24 hour monitoring system and has the ability to activate them immediately if a tornado or other emergency requiring sheltering threatens Green Oak Township.

Fire Prevention
Since the approval of the 2002 millage, the Department has added a full time fire inspector to its roster. The Inspector is responsible for fire prevention inspections, fire investigations, and public education activities. The Department inspects businesses within the Township for fire safety and fire prevention code compliance annually. This program has, since its inception in 2001, reduced the Township’s annual commercial fire loss by approximately 80%+ percent. The fire prevention staff also provides home safety and fire inspections upon request, and provides fire safety education to school and community groups.

Fire Suppression
Following the approval of the 2002 millage, the Department replaced its outdated breathing apparatus with equipment which meets current standards and allows firefighters to perform additional tasks in hazardous areas before running low on air. Additionally, the Department has placed in service a total of four thermal imaging devices, which allow firefighters to effectively see through smoke-filled conditions and quickly locate persons who may be trapped in burning buildings. These imaging devices dramatically improve the speed and efficiency of search and rescue operations in situations where literally every second counts.

Customer Service The most important person in the Green Oak Charter Township Fire Department is not the Chief, nor the best firefighter. It is you. Our citizens are our customers, and the Department and its members never forget that we are here to serve you. In an era where customer service often falls by the wayside, in both the private and public sectors, the Department’s members strive to be kind, respectful and helpful to every customer. The fact that we got called usually means our customers are already having a pretty bad day. We are there to help make it better, and that means taking care of not only the problem, but also the customers it is affecting.

ISO The Department was evaluated by the Insurance Service Organization (ISO), which is responsible for rating fire departments for purposes of insurance coverage, for an evaluation of its level of performance. The Department substantially improved its rating, with corresponding decreases in the property insurance rates encountered by its customers. All area's of the Township within 5 miles of a Fire Station have a ISO rating of #5.

The Future In the coming years, Green Oak Township will continue to grow and change. While views on some of these changes differ, there is no doubt that they are occurring, and the Township and its residents will be affected by them. The Fire Department is certain to face continued increases in requests for service, and will continue to improve its level of performance while operating within its means. With the 2002 millage and the renewal in 2007, the Township’s citizens chose to make the Fire Department completely millage dependent, and the Department responded by consistently improving its level and types of service while maintaining a conservative and frugal approach to fiscal matters. The millage renewal allowed the Department to continue to provide and improve its level of service, without raising the tax burden applied to its citizens. The Department appreciates the support its customers showed in the 2002 millage vote, and hopes that it has demonstrated its responsibility and dedication in its efforts since that vote.

For those who have questions, we would like the chance to answer them. For anyone who happens to be driving by a fire station when we are there please stop by if you like (whether or not it’s an election year). Thank you.