In a special meeting by the township board on Wednesday afternoon, Saline Fire Department chief Jason Sperle led a discussion about the fire department’s transition to becoming a fire authority. “In all practical purposes, the department has been operating like an authority but has not able to take advantage of the benefits of being an authority,” Sperle said. “By becoming an authority, the department would become eligible for that we currently cannot access.”
“Our service area encompasses eighty-seven square miles, located within the City of Saline and the townships of Lodi, Saline, and half of York. There is one fire station to service all 87 square miles,” Sperle said. “Compared to Pittsfield Township, which has 28 square miles within its jurisdiction, they have three fire stations compared to our one.”
A fire authority keeps operational procedures essentially the same. The fire chief will still report to the fire board, which is comprised of two representatives from each district. One must be an elected official. In addition to the eight representatives from the four municipalities, there is one at large representative who is appointed by the fire board. The only requirement for that representative is that they must live within the fire board district…