Ypsilanti firefighter Ken Hobbs addressed the council in relation to the city’s current goal for the fire and police departments. He said the Ypsilanti Fire Department will continue to maintain outstanding public service by continuing to meet the demands of the community.

However, Hobbs said his concern is the available manpower: He said when he started in the department there were 33 firefighters and that number is now 15.

Hobbs said the city is currently exploring options for fire and police services—one being cross-training between departments, which the fire department is not in favor of.

He urged the council to consider other options, such as adequate staffing to help eliminate current overtime or merging with the Ann Arbor Fire Department.

Ypsilanti mayor Paul Schreiber said he appreciated Hobbs’ comments.

The proposed public safety model is a hybrid model that would have police officers cross-trained to work as firefighters
Schreiber said it’s a tough issue for the council, and there has been a lot of discussion about it. He hopes people can approach it with open minds and understand the city is trying to deliver service to the community with the funding it has at its disposal.

From the Eastern Echo