LANSING, Mich. — "Today is our day to stand united. It's our day to have our voices heard."
The rallying call from Michigan Professional Firefighters Union President Matthew Sahr rang out as supporters crowded around the steps of the Michigan State Capitol on Tuesday.
It was hundreds of voices, it seemed, that were hoping to be heard, as firefighters and allies alike gathered to push for what they believe is an immediate issue.
"Firefighter staffing isn't just about our firefighters; it's also about our resident safety," Sahr told 13 ON YOUR SIDE. "We're out there to protect life and property, and we can't do that without the proper staffing."
These rallygoers pushed for the House to immediately take up House Bill 4688 sitting on the floor that would make minimum staffing levels a topic that must be discussed if it comes up at the bargaining table for certain public employees like many firefighters who can bargain their contracts.
"Right now, we can sit down and say, 'We want to talk about staffing,' and they can just say, 'No, we're not talking about staffing,'" said Jared Elyea, a member of the union chapter in Grand Rapids. "This would make it so that they can't do that."
While, in Elyea's view, Grand Rapids has remained "pretty well" staffed, codifying conversations around staffing levels into law, he said, would bode well for the future.
On top of that, given what he described as regularly getting calls for mutual aid from nearby departments, Elyea believes others on the frontlines would benefit from being assured the conversation.
"There's definitely departments around us that are understaffed and that could really benefit from this and have their full staffing levels so that the community that they're responding to is protected in a bad situation," Elyea said.
Back in May, Sahr told 13 ON YOUR SIDE there were about 50 firefighters for every 100 thousand people in the state.
In many neighboring states, he said at the time, that rate was at least doubled.
"This is an easy one," said State Sen. Veronica Klinefelt (D-Eastpointe), who introduced her own bill in the Senate in hopes of speeding up the process. "Your right to be secure and be safe and know somebody's there that has your back is basic and essential, and you have a right to fight for it at the bargaining table."
But when lawmakers heard testimony last year, some were not on board with the idea in the original bill, saying, in part, that it would do away with cities' abilities to reduce staffing during economic downturns.
"If firefighter safety is the issue, there is a better way," Wyoming City Attorney Mark Smith said at a hearing on the bill in September 2023. "Offer incentives or impose requirements for state safe staffing and various circumstances. Tie them to widely recognized standards by accrediting agencies. Also, make them incident-specific."
In response to concerns, the new proposed language was narrowed to only include certain public employees in collective bargaining units.
The change was passed out of committee in November 2023, and since has seen no action.
In a statement last month, the board of the Michigan Association of Fire Chiefs said they did not feel legislation like this was "required to ensure meaningful discussions."
The full statement reads as follows:
"The Michigan Association of Fire Chiefs (MAFC) shares the Michigan Professional Fire Fighters Union’s (MPFFU) commitment to firefighter and community safety. Recruitment, retention, and firefighter safety are pressing issues both organizations have actively addressed and will continue collaborating on.
Our shared efforts have resulted in significant advancements for the fire service, including the recent Bunker Gear Grant, providing an additional set of bunker gear to career firefighters statewide. This program demonstrates the positive outcomes of working together to prioritize firefighter health and safety.
The MAFC encourages its members to foster an open and productive dialogue on staffing levels and operational needs. While we believe additional legislation like HB 4688 is not required to ensure meaningful discussions, we recognize the importance of maintaining strong partnerships to address the challenges facing Michigan’s fire service.
While we may not see eye-to-eye on each issue, we look forward to continuing our collaboration with the MPFFU and other stakeholders to address the challenges of recruitment, retention, and firefighter safety through solutions that balance the need for statewide legislation concerning local control of emergency services. By working together, we can advocate for measures that address these critical issues while ensuring that fire departments remain responsive to the unique needs of their communities and maintain safe and effective operations."
But in many supporters' view, the proposed change is simple.
"It doesn't mandate staffing levels outright," said State Rep. Mai Xiong (D-Warren). "It simply ensures that staffing is part of the conversation. It provides the tools necessary for localities to work collaboratively with their first responders, to meet the needs of our communities."
While the bill had been on the House calendar Tuesday, and as the rallygoers had urged House leadership to take up the legislation, the chamber adjourned that day without a final vote on the bill.