Fire and Rescue

Grand Haven Charter Township operates a combination department. This consists of 7 Full-Time firefighters and 22 Part-Time firefighters.

Grand Haven Charter Township annually produces an 800+ call volume. This consists of Medical, Fire, Accidents and other emergency situations. In 1990 the department had 156 emergency runs; in 2006 the department made 844 emergency runs. You can review our call stats here.

The department’s apparatus includes a newly purchased Medical Unit in 2006, Along with 2 Engines, 1 Tanker, Brush Truck and a Utility suburban.

Grand Haven Charter Township is one of only two departments that operates under a Basic Life Support (BLS) licensure in Ottawa County. The advantage to BLS allows GHT F/R to provide more emergent stabilization procedures before an Advanced Life Support unit arrives.

It is now recognized that efforts at fire control must include education to inform and prepare property owners as well as thoroughly trained fire fighters and inspectors. The goal of the fire fighting aspect of the department is (1) to use both education and inspections to reduce the frequency of fires and, (2) to have a well-trained and equipped force of professionals to safely and effectively suppress any fire that might occur.

The Fire/Rescue Department of the Township only exists and operates with the support of Township residents. Every five (5) years, the Township Board schedules an election to renew the 1.5 operating millage for the department. In May of 2005, the Township voters overwhelmingly approved the 1.5 millage request. (For a home with an appraised value of $200,000, the 1.5 fire/rescue millage costs the homeowner $150.00 per year.)

Although the millage rate has remained steady, the amount of work completed by the Department continues to dramatically increase. In 1993, because of the continued expansion of the Township's water system which allowed the Fire/Rescue Department to suppress fires more effectively, most of the residents in the Township were reclassified from an Insurance Service Organization (ISO) rating of "8" to an ISO rating of "6". These ratings are one of the major elements used to establish fire insurance rates for your home. Thus, for a person with a $100,000 home with an equal amount of personal belongings, their insurance rates have fallen from about $364 per year to $318 per year ... a savings of $46 per year

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All information © 2007 Grand Haven Charter Township