sschulwitz@thealpenanews.com
News File Photo
Alpena Township Fire Capt. John Clements gets ready to climb out of a fire truck after returning from the scene of a car crash in this December 2020 News archive photo.
ALPENA TOWNSHIP The Alpena Township Board of Trustees has taken its initial steps to restructure and rebuild the township fire department after finding itself severely short-staffed at the end of 2020.
The shortage, caused by a wave of retirements and employees leaving for other jobs, meant long hours for the two remaining full-time firefighters, already resulting in one missed response to a medical emergency, officials said. The township has contracted with the city to fill in for the next six months, but city crews weren’t yet on the job when the call was missed.