Pittsfield Firefighters at a training burn

The Pittsfield Township Fire Department is a combination department. We are composed of both full-time staff (23 personnel) and paid on call staff (10 personnel). The on duty full-time staff handles many of the emergencies within the Township.

When there is a need for additional personnel, the paid on call staff as well as our off duty full-time staff are notified with a voice alert pager. The pagers are sent a specific set of tones via a radio frequency and alerted which enables the dispatcher to inform the additional personnel where to respond for the incident.

The full-time staff is comprised of a Fire Chief, Fire Marshal and 21 supression personnel. The is divided into three shifts and are at the station for 24 hours a shift. They work 3 out of 5 days and then are off for four days. An example would be Shift 1 would work Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and then would be off until the next Wednesday. They would start the cycle or tour over, working Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.

The paid on call staff respond when the need for additional personnel arises. They are also responsible for working 2 - 12 hour shifts a month, which is called a Stand-by Shift. During this shift the firefighter works with the on duty staff, goes on emergency calls, and trains.

All of our personnel are required to become State certified Firefighter 1 and 2; State of Michigan certified Hazardous Materials Operations level; State of Michigan licensed Medical First Responder; and certified Washtenaw County Automatic Defibrillator Technicians. Some of our personnel spends additional time being trained to perform Technical Rescues (Vehicle Extrication, Rope Rescue, Ice and Water Rescue, Confined Space, Building Collapse, Hazardous Materials, and Trench Rescue).