As of November 1st, people living in Leoni Township will no longer have a fire department to rely on in case of emergency. The township is shutting down the operation as it stands today due to budget constraints. Firefighters like Captain Chris Huttenlocker are preparing to say goodbye as they lose their jobs. He says, "It's a sad day."

The Leoni Township Board voted five to one Tuesday to lay off the rest of the remaining four full-time firefighters. Township Supervisor Todd Brittain says they're handing the job over to their police/public safety officers part-time. He says, "With the consolidation, there may not be a person in that fire station 24-hours a day, 7-days a week, but we'll have someone patrolling within a certain area."

Brittain says the public safety officers will have their fire gear in the trunk of their police car. He says they will not have water in the cars, but they will have a fire extinguisher. He says if the officers are on patrol anyway, they may be able to respond to some emergencies faster. As for the engine and rescue trucks, their response times could increase. Brittain says, "It would delay the pumper truck unless there was someone there manning the station."

Fire Capt. Chris Huttenlocker also says he's concerned what will happen if the officers are busy on police calls during a fire emergency. He says it may be tough to decide if they should leave a traffic stop to respond to a fire or medical emergency if they are dealing with something serious. In addition, Huttenlocker says the township will lose a lot of experienced firefighters. He says he's been on the job in the township since about 1985. He says some of the individuals who are training to fight fires as public safety officers have less than 2 to 3 years of experience. He says, on certificate they can do it, but "can they do the job I'm doing? No."

Some residents don't seem to mind the change. Terris Ahrens says, "I guess one dude spraying water at a fire is going to work just as well as any other dudes."

However, others like Michelle Guenther of Michigan Center are concerned. She says, "It'd be nice to know that we're going to be safe. If I have a fire, I don't have to wait 20 minutes for someone to come and put it out." She says that she wishes they could raise money somehow to keep the fire department open. The township manager says residents already voted down two millages that would have funded it. The most recent vote was in August of 2009.

The firefighters say they're sad they have to close the door on what has been a long career of keeping the township safe. Huttenlocker says, "It's not only myself and my family that's going to feel the repercussions of this, but the community itself. They're going to feel the same thing. Response times I believe will get slower and ultimately that means possibly more harm being caused by this."