Fire department offers on-the-job training with GI Bill

CLINTON TOWNSHIP — If you’re a veteran, it’s now a bit easier to become a firefighter in Clinton Township.

The Clinton Township Fire Department is now approved by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs as an on-the-job training site. Potential firefighters are now able to use their GI Bill benefits to fund the instruction. The township is the first community in Macomb County to receive this training, according to Fire Chief John Gallagher.

“We’ve identified that the on-the-job training would be suitable to our onboarding one-year probationary period for the firefighters,” Gallagher said.

The Michigan Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, working hand in hand with the federal government, evaluated the Fire Department for training.

“We had Veterans Affairs come out and vet our facility, our training program and everything they wanted to check their boxes against,” Gallagher said.

Gallagher said Lieutenant Creg Gizicki, who is a veteran, brought the program to the department’s attention. Gizicki, a U.S. Army veteran, used the GI Bill for on-the-job training for a previous employer and thought it would be something the Clinton Township Fire Department could utilize.

“It’s huge for veterans to have an opportunity to use their benefits and then it’s going to be good for recruitment to get those highly-qualified employees,” Gizicki said.

“It’s just an added benefit to work for the Clinton Township Fire Department,” Gallagher said. “It’s an additional benefit for those who have committed themselves to serve their county.”

At the Clinton Township Board of Trustees meeting on Aug. 12, Trustee Tammy Patton congratulated the department for receiving the certification. Patton is a U.S. Army veteran.

“I think that was huge on their part for going after that,” Patton said.