By: Nick Powers | Fraser-Clinton Chronicle | Published January 6, 2025
CLINTON TOWNSHIP — Training for Clinton Township’s Fire Department could get a lot easier to pay for if a federal grant is secured.
Clinton Township’s Board of Trustees unanimously agreed to apply for the 2024 Assistance to Firefighters Grant through the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The grant would provide 90% of the funding for a new training facility and 70 Hexoskin wearable vests to monitor personnel vital signs during training. The total cost of the project is $600,000.
If secured, the township would pay for 10% ($60,000) of the total cost of the project. The deadline for applying for the grant was Dec. 20.
Trustee Julie Matuzak called the Hexoskins “really critical.”
“Firefighters have a terrible longevity rate,” Matuzak said. “They are affected dramatically by cancer, given all the stuff they breathe in. It is physically very demanding work. We are always trying to make sure that our firefighters are in the best physical and medical shape they can be in.”
Fire Chief John Gallagher, following the meeting, said the vests would be used to gauge a firefighters vital signs during training when a scenario is being replicated.
“The information would be kept with the firefighter, so they can see the progress,” Gallagher said. “We built it into our workout program, and things of that nature, to try to get the best opportunity for firefighter wellness and fitness.”
The new facility would be located near the township’s Public Works Department building. The township owns the property where the building would be constructed, according to the township’s Deputy Supervisor Dan O’Leary.
Trustee Bruce Wade said the department currently does training at Macomb Community College. Gallagher, following the meeting, said the department currently utilizes a “burn box” at the MCC’s east campus. The boxes are shipping containers used for firefighting simulations. They can be added onto in the future to create different scenarios.
“Having our own training facility gives us access anytime we want it as opposed to going to the college facility,” Matuzak said.
Other types of training available would simulate situations involving ladders, forcing doors and detecting heat in the building.
“Say it’s a search and rescue type of environment, there’s zero visibility but we can see where the heat’s at,” Gallagher said. “We can put mannequins in there and kind of practice for any type of structure we might find ourselves in looking for victims.”
Gallagher said the facility could also be used by departments in neighboring communities, like Macomb and Harrison townships, for training.
“It gives us an opportunity to have face-to-face conversations over techniques and our plan of attack for different situations,” Gallagher said.
He said the new facility could also provide law enforcement with opportunities to train with the department.
Trustee Dan Kress questioned if there would be additional costs to get water and sewer systems for the new facility. Department of Public Works Supervisor Mary Bednar said water shouldn’t be an issue since there is a hydrant near the site. O’Leary said the sewer costs would be in addition to the $600,000. Bednar said those using the new facility could use the DPW’s bathrooms, if necessary.
Grant could assist playground improvements
The township also unanimously approved applying for a $5,000 grant for Prince Drewry Park. The township will not be required to provide matching funds. The deadline for the grant application was Dec. 20.
The park, according to a letter from O’Leary, is already an approved and funded project. The grant, called the Play is Essential for All grant, comes from the mParks Foundation and assists with amenities in the park. To get the grant, the township had to show adaptive or inclusive equipment included in the Prince Drewry Park project. The project has to be done by 2025 to get the grant.
“Not a whole lot of money in this grant, but every little bit adds up,” Township Supervisor Paul Gieleghem said.
Gieleghem said that the township’s past work with playground equipment company GameTime helped put it in line for grants like this.
“One thing plays off another and I think this is a big success,” he said.
Following questioning from Trustee Shannon King, Gieleghem said the Parks and Recreation Department found the grant.