FAQ - Fire Department
Fire Department Web Site
How does Troy protect a city this size with a "volunteer" fire department?
- High level of commitment from the citizens, elected officials, city administration, and members of the fire department.
- Emphasis on preventing fires through education, engineering and enforcement.
- Constant monitoring of activity to prevent over-utilization of volunteers.
- Participative management that includes career staff and volunteer involvement in all aspects of the fire department.
- A strong sense of tradition within the community.
What motivates citizens to volunteer?
- Interest in firefighting (the mystique of firefighting)
- Desire to contribute to the community.
- Desire to associate with people that share similar beliefs and values.
- Desire to belong to an organization that is well respected in the community.
Do firefighters receive any compensation?
- Firefighters receive no individual compensation while serving with the department.
- Each of the six fire stations receives an annual stipend (currently $58,850) to fund station operations and activities.
- Firefighters are eligible for an "incentive plan" when they complete specified years of service.
- 10 years of service and age 55
- 25 years of service and age 50
- 30 years of service at any age
- This plan provides benefits similar to a pension based on an annual amount times years of service. For example a member who "retires" at age 50 with 25 years of service is entitled to an annual payment of $602 x 25 (years) = $15,050 per year for life. There are a number of options available which adjust this amount including lump sum, survivor benefits, etc. The cost for this program in the current budget year is $900,000.
Does the Fire Department provide EMS?
Volunteer firefighters do not respond to medical emergencies unless there is a need for specific services such as extrication, technical rescue, hazardous materials, etc. Alliance Mobile Health provides paramedic first responder and ambulance service. These "first responder" units are dedicated to Troy and respond in conjunction with paramedic ambulances as part of a performance driven contract which requires that either an ambulance or a first responder unit be "on scene" of medical emergencies in 5 minutes or less for 90% of all incidents. This system responded to over 4000 incidents last year and the annual cost is approximately $500,000. The paramedic first responder units work closely with the fire and police departments as a "third" service.
What is the total cost of fire and EMS service in Troy?
The total cost for providing fire and EMS service for Troy based on the 2004-2005 budget is:
| Fire Operating budget | $4,400,000 |
| Fire Capital budget | $500,000 |
| EMS (police budget) | $500,000 |
| Total | $5,400,000 |
How does the department recruit volunteers?
The department actively recruits volunteer personnel through events such as:
- Fire station open houses during fire prevention week every October
- The department sponsors an Explorer post for young adults interested in the fire service. To date, ten explorers have become firefighters with the department.
- City employees are encouraged to volunteer if their job responsibilities permit.
- Word of mouth from existing members to neighbors, family, co-workers etc.
Is the fire department effective and does it meet the expectations of the community?
- There have been two fire fatalities in the past 15 years.
- The average annual fire loss is approximately $2 million.
- The city has an Insurance Services Office public protection grade of class 3. (top 3.4% of all fire departments in U. S.)
- A market research study completed in 2000 received the following response to questions regarding the fire department and EMS:
| Service | Residents | Businesses |
|---|
| Fire Department |
| "Very satisfied with service" | 83%* | 81% |
| "Very or Somewhat satisfied with service" | 100%** | 95% |
| Community EMS |
| "Very satisfied with service" | 79% | N/A |
| "Very or Somewhat satisfied with service" | 97% | N/A |
*Fire, Police and Library tied for highest rating
** Fire received the highest rating of all city services
How Large of an area does the Troy Fire Department cover?
The Troy Fire Department protects all of Troy's 34.3 square miles. The City of Troy has many different land uses within its boundaries including light industrial, high-rise office, commercial and various densities of residential. The 2004 Census reports Troy's population as 85,556. Troy has the second largest SEV (State Equalized Value) next to Detroit in the State of Michigan.
How Big is the Troy Fire Department?
The Troy Fire Department consists of an authorized force of 180 volunteer firefighters and 11 career staff members. In addition, there are six fire stations strategically located throughout the City. The Department owns, operates, and maintains a fleet of 26 fire vehicles and 14 staff vehicles. Apparatus used by the Department is as follows: nine class 'A' pumpers, three aerial platforms, three ladder trucks, two mobile air compressors, one grass fire truck, one reserve pumper, one training pumper, one Mobile Command Vehicle, one Fire Safety House and one antique pumper.
How is the Troy Fire Department Organized?
The entire fire department is led by Chief William Nelson. Reporting to the Chief, are the Division Assistant Chiefs who lead the Fire Prevention and Operations Division, and the Assistant Chiefs for each fire station.
Within the Fire Prevention and Operations Divisions, there are 10 career staff members who hold the rank of staff lieutenant and hold positions in Fire Training, Fire Prevention and Administration.
Within each fire station, there is one Station Assistant Chief, one Captain, four Lieutenants and one Training Officer. All of these positions are held by volunteers and are elected positions from within the station membership.
Does Troy really have an All Volunteer Fire Department?
Yes - all of the firefighter positions within the City are filled by volunteer personnel. The 11 paid staff members also respond to fire calls during the day. During non-work hours, 11 staff members live within the City and 5 hold volunteer firefighter positions.
What Exactly is Meant by 'Volunteer'?
The fire service in the United States has a history of volunteer fire departments dating back to the days of the early colonies. These volunteer fire 'teams' provided emergency fire services through donated time, talent and dedication. As time evolved, the need for full-time firefighters became developed. This occurred mainly in medium to large cities where the industry and tax base both required and could pay for a full-time fire department. However, in many other areas, volunteer fire departments continued to provide quality, cost-effective service to the community.
There are many variations of 'volunteer' departments. The Troy Fire Department is a totally volunteer department, meaning that firefighters receive no wage for time spent responding to calls, performing equipment maintenance and training. However, members who complete 10 years of service become vested and are elible for a financial incentive, similar to a pension, when they retire.
Are there always Firefighters Staffed at all of the Fire Stations?
No - Firefighters do not live in or staff the six fire stations within the City. However, due to meeting nights, training details and various
social events within the stations, it is not uncommon for firefighters to be at their station during many hours of the day. All stations encourage members to frequent the station by making it a pleasant place to spend time. This increases the likelihood that the station will be staffed in the event of an alarm. As a result, approximately 30% of all incoming calls occur with firefighters already in the station.
In the event of a fire emergency, members of the alerted station(s) first respond to their station to get the fire apparatus on the road. The first arriving members take apparatus (fire vehicles) and call on the way. Once all the apparatus are en route, the remaining firefighters go directly to the fire scene.
How are the Firefighters Alerted to Fire Alarms?
In Troy, we utilize the enhanced 911 (E911) service. It provides automatic routing of all 911 calls to the police, fire and ambulance dispatch center at City Hall. When someone calls 911, it automatically displays the address of the caller and enters the location into a computer-aided dispatch (CAD) system. E911 identifies which stations and apparatus should be dispatched to the emergency. Then, using voice and alphanumeric paging systems, the appropriate fire station(s) are alerted to the call. Once the pagers are activated, the fire dispatcher informs the responding station(s) of the location and type of incident. At this point, all firefighters respond to the fire station to get the apparatus. The first arriving firefighter then takes out the first due apparatus and calls on the way. This call can be heard by all firefighters through their voice pagers. Once it is heard that all apparatus are on the way, the remaining firefighters go directly to the scene.
What Types of Emergencies does the Fire Department Respond to?
In addition to fire emergencies, Troy Fire Department responds to other emergency incidents such as extrications resulting from vehicle and machinery accidents, high-angle rescues, hazardous material incidents, drownings and other water-related emergencies. The Troy Fire Department DOES NOT respond to medical-related emergencies. For these services, the City contracts medical first responder (MFR) and ambulance service - Alliance Mobile Health.
What are the Requirements for Joining the Troy Fire Department?
The requirements for submitting an application for membership within the Troy Fire Department are as follows:
- Must live or work in the City of Troy
- Completed Department Application for Employment
- High school diploma (or equivalent)
- Valid Michigan drivers license
- Ability to respond to fires from either your home or place of employment within the City of Troy
- Ability to attend a minimum of 60 hours of station training per year
- Ability to respond to at least 50% of the emergency calls during determined hours of availability
- Completion of Fire Fighter I & II (Class provided by Troy Fire Department) within the probationary period
- Willingness to submit to a background and driving record check
Once these requirements have been met, the applicant still must pass a Department administered physical exam and agility test. Upon successful completion of both, as well as a satisfactory background check, the applicant will be accepted as a probationary firefighter and assigned to one of the six fire stations according to their location.
What are the Training Requirements for a Firefighter?
As a probationary member of the Department, training requirements include successful completion of both Fire Fighter I & II. In addition, each probationary member is required to train on and become certified for each piece of apparatus within the station they are assigned to.
Once all the requirements of the probationary period are completed, the station the member is assigned to then votes to bring the candidate on as a regular member. As a regular member of the station, the training requirements state the each member must attend a minimum of 60 hours (15 per quarter) of training per year. All training is administered so as to provide annual recertification of SCBA (Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus), Driving Proficiency, Hazardous Material Operations, bloodborne pathogens and Incident Command. All training is conducted in accordance with MIOSHA and the National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) requirements.
How many Calls does the Fire Department Respond to a Year?
Please refer to the Run Statistics section of this Web Site.
What is the Time Commitment Involved with Joining the Fire Department?
There are several time commitments members make when joining the Troy Fire Department. Below are descriptions of some of the regular re-occurring events requiring participation.
Regular station training occurs every week from 7 pm to 10 pm (with the exception of those weeks where the monthly business meetings are scheduled). The north end stations (Stations 2, 5 & 6) meet Monday evenings and the south end stations (Stations 1, 3 & 4) meet Tuesday evenings.
Station business meetings are once a month in place of regular station training. Within these meetings, stations discuss various business related issues, such as financial, operational, and other topics of interest to the general membership. Members may vote on issues such as expenditures or approval of policies and procedures. All members are encouraged to attend.
Fire Officer training occurs the third Wednesday of every month from 7 pm to 10 pm. Only station officers and staff are required to attend these meetings.
The Special Response Unit (SRU) trains the second and fourth Wednesday of every month from 7 pm to 10 pm.
The Water Rescue Unit trains monthly during the winter.
Training drills are typically a combination of classroom and hands-on activities. They refresh old skills or introduce new techniques. All members are required to attend training drills.
Current Department policy requires members to respond to at least 50% of all calls occurring during scheduled hours of availability. Typically, a member is not available for calls twenty-four hours a day. The actual commitment becomes 50% of calls for an approximate 12 hour availability period. Most members achieve a response rate far above the required minimum.
How much does it cost to run the Troy Fire Department?
The 2010 budget for the Fire Department is $4.7 million. That includes $4.2 million for Operations and $500,000 for capital expenditures.
How can I get more Information about the Troy Fire Department?
For more information or to receive an application, contact the Department at:
Troy Fire Department
500 West Big Beaver
Troy, MI 48084
Phone: 248.524.3419
Fax: 248.689.7520
Email: smithsj@troymi.gov
Please include a brief description of the information being requested and a phone number or address where you may be contacted.
