By Jim Newell
Review Editor
ORION TWP. — The Orion Township Board of Trustees approved hiring two new full-time firefighters during its meeting on Monday, helping increase the daily staffing levels at each of the township’s fire stations.
Fire Chief Rob Duke requested the board hire firefighters Kyle Maliszewski and Ronald Best as full-time firefighters with full benefits. Both positions are International Association of Fire Fighters union positions.
The fire department has an established firefighter interview process in place and the candidates completed and passed the interview and vetting process by both the fire department committee and township supervisor, Supervisor Chris Barnett said in a memo to the board when recommending the hirings.
The starting date for Maliszewski and Best is Feb. 16, 2023, pending background checks, physicals and drug screenings, according to township documents.
Before coming to Orion Township, Maliszewski was a paid on-call firefighter in Oscoda and Best was a part time firefighter with the Washington Township Fire Department.
“We’re very excited to have them and be fully staffed right now,” said Assistant Fire Chief John Pender, adding that he would administer the oath of office to Maliszewski and Best before their first day on the job.
The fire department will now have 30 firefighters on “suppression” and staffing the fire stations, Pender said. Each station will have 10 personnel – a captain, a lieutenant and eight firefighters rotating shifts per day.
Township Trustee Brian Birney is the board’s public safety liaison and thanked the board and staff members who were a part of the hiring process.
“It’s been a big deal and a long time coming to be fully staffed,” Birney said. “For us to be fully staffed is a big deal and thanks to everyone who had a hand in that and congratulations to the two new firefighters and the whole fire department.”
Treasurer Kim Urbanowski agreed with Birney about the hirings.
“I really truly appreciate all of our public safety people, our deputies as well. It’s nice to live in a community where you feel safe,” Urbanowski said.
In 2022, the fire department responded to more than 3,700 calls for aid and provided more than 1,900 transports to residents, according to the fire department’s regular report to the board.
From Dec. 28, 2022 to Jan. 11, 2023, firefighters responded to 126 Emergency Medical Service (EMS) calls, 14 public service assistance calls and three structure fires. Total calls for the two-week time period were 134.
From Jan. 12-Feb. 1, 2023, firefighters responded to 181 total calls, bringing the year-to-date total to 321 calls in just over a month. Calls are predominantly for EMS services. Other calls include structure fires, outdoor fires (such as rubbish), public service assistance, false alarms, smoke/odor/gas problems, electrical/wiring problems and flammable gas or liquids.
The Orion Township Fire Department is an all-hazards fire department that provides fire protection and Advanced Life Support (ALS) emergency medical services to the residents, businesses, and visitors of both Orion Township and The Village of Lake Orion.
The fire department transitioned to an ALS department from Basic Life Support on June 12, 2021.
In August 2020, 62 percent of Orion voters approved a six year, three mill Fire and Emergency Medical Services Operating Millage.
The fire department operates four fire stations: on Anderson Street in Lake Orion and on Baldwin, Giddings and Gregory roads in Orion Township.
The fire department’s transition from Basic Life Support (BLS) to Advanced Life Support took years of planning, including purchasing additional apparatus, specialized equipment and medications and hiring and training full-time paramedics.
Advanced Life Support is a set of life-saving protocols and skills used to provide urgent treatment to cardiac emergencies, such as cardiac arrest, stroke and other conditions.
Paramedics qualified to provide ALS are trained and authorized to administer medication, perform injections and conduct airway procedures prior to arrival at a hospital.