Climax to provide fire and medical first
responder services in Wakeshma Township
responder services in Wakeshma Township
The makeup of the South Kalamazoo County Fire Authority will be changing April 1, 2026 after two local township boards approved withdrawal notices from the SKCFA.
The Wakeshma Township approved leaving the SKCFA and approved contract language with the Climax Township Board at a March 3 meeting pending approval of the one-year agreement by the Climax Township Board for fire and medical first responder services that was approved by the Climax Township Board March 11 at the township board’s regular meeting.
The Brady Township Board unanimously approved (7-0) to sign an agreement with Charter Township of Pavilion for fire and medical first responder services and at the same time create a withdrawal notice that was needed by the Fire Board Authority’s next scheduled meeting March 19.
Brady Township, Vicksburg Village, Prairie Ronde Township, Schoolcraft Township, Schoolcraft Village, and Wakeshma Township currently make up the South Kalamazoo County Fire Authority. The Fire Authority currently covers 144 square miles, however with two townships dropping out, the Fire Authority’s territory will be cut in half.
The Charter Township of Pavilion Board unanimously voted to approve a one-year agreement with Brady Township to provide fire and medical first responder services at its March 10 meeting.
Wakeshma and Brady Townships will leave the Fire Authority March 31, 2026 with the new agreements going into effect April 1, 2026.
The Climax Township board authorized township attorney Rob Thall of Bauckham, Thall, Seeber, Kaufman, & Koches PC to review the proposed contract Wakeshma Township Supervisor Jason Gatlin provided at the February 11 Climax Township board meeting. One notable change provided by the township attorney states Climax Township agrees to provide services to Wakeshma Township in a manner similar in substance and quality to the services rendered by Climax within Climax Township. It is recognized by the parties however that Climax is not required to locate any buildings or equipment within Wakeshma Township to provide these services.
The agreement also adds Climax shall ensure that fire and emergency response personnel are properly trained and equipped to respond to all incidents within the service area.
The one year agreement with Climax Township for fire and medical first responder service will be in exchange for $64,778 Wakeshma Township currently receives for a 1-mill fire millage in place.
Brady Township Supervisor Randy Smith said the fee for each Local Unit of Government (LUG) changes every year based on a formula that uses the previous year data. He said the formula is based on LUG population (30%), LUG taxable value (30%), and LUG usage (number of hours spent in each Local Unit of Government - 40%).
Smith adds Brady Township typically contributes under $200,000 per year, which he said is a little over 25 percent of the formula. Gatlin said Wakeshma Township currently pays the South Kalamazoo County Fire Authority a monthly fee of nearly $5000.
Smith said leaving the South Kalamazoo County Fire Authority has been discussed by his board for some time. He adds Brady Township has also been in discussions with Charter Township of Pavilion to secure an agreement for fire and medical first responder services. He said the Brady Township Board unanimously approved (7-0) to sign an agreement with Charter Township of Pavilion and at the same time create a withdrawal notice to the SKCFA by the March 19 deadline at the board’s March 5 meeting.
Smith said the agreement with Charter Township of Pavilion for fire and medical first responder services is a one year roll over agreement and will be for approximately $195,000 the first year for man power and equipment, which he said is about what the township is paying the Fire Authority.
Every year the Charter Township of Pavilion and Brady Township Boards will meet to review runs and cost to determine if a change in the yearly fee is needed. There is a one-year out clause.
Brady Township currently has a flat rate assessment of just over $100 for every parcel for fire and medical first responder services.
Smith said the landscape was much different approximately 25 years ago when the Fire Authority was created with four little rural townships and two small villages that could not afford their own fire department.
Smith said growth in Schoolcraft Township, with a huge multi-story development project planned on U.S. 131 south of the Village of Schoolcraft, and the Village of Vicksburg, with 400 new homes and The Mill project that includes a five-story building, changes the dynamics for equipment that will be needed on a fire department.
“The type of vehicles, like ladder trucks and equipment that is going to be needed for Schoolcraft Township and the Village of Vicksburg is now radically different then what Brady Township, or Wakeshma, or Prairie Ronde will need. Brady Township has always paid the second highest revenue sharing to the Fire Authority. Schoolcraft Township is number one and we’re number two.
Between the two of us, we pay over half. When you start throwing multi-million dollar vehicles that aren’t going to be needed or used in Brady (Township), but we have to come up with 25 percent of that, it just doesn’t make sense. We’re growing at different rates and we’re growing in different ways. We’re at a point now where it’s kind of run its course. We don’t look like we did 25 years ago. We don’t have the same needs and we need to look at our other options,” said Smith.
Gatlin said his township would likely face an increase in expense to help make up the lost revenue with Brady Township pulling out of the Fire Authority. However he emphasized Wakeshma Township’s location is the biggest concern. Without Brady Township available to respond, he said Wakeshma Township residents could be isolated. The closest municipality to Wakeshma Township in the South County Fire Authority would be the Vicksburg Fire Department.
Smith said Charter Township of Pavilion is similar to Brady in it is mainly residential and requires the same type of equipment needed in Brady Township. However what really made Charter Township of Pavilion appealing is the township has a full time manned fire department, which Smith said will likely mean better response times for the same price and a much cheaper price in the future considering the type of equipment South Kalamazoo County Fire Authority may need to purchase.
The agreements between Wakeshma Township and Climax Township and Brady Township and Charter Township of Pavilion for fire and medical first responder services will go into effect April 1, 2026. Charter Township of Pavilion Supervisor John Speeter said firefighters in Brady Township that are currently on the SKCFA, can join the Charter Township of Pavilion Fire Department, allowing them to respond to calls in both townships.
Climax Township Fire Chief Scott Smith said based on run numbers for 2024, the Climax Township Fire Department ran 259 calls and spent roughly $120,000 which comes out to $463 per call. He said South Kalamazoo County Fire Authority had 98 calls for service in Wakeshma Township in 2022 and 2023 and 79 calls in 2024.
According to a South County Monthly Incident Summary, 5.90% of the South County Fire Authority runs were in Wakeshma Township in 2024, 7.37% in 2023 and 7.06% in 2022.
Gatlin said the township board calculates Wakeshma Township’s cost per run with a contract with Climax Township would be approximately $706, which he said is based on the annual cost to Climax Township divided by the average number of calls for service the last three years.
Gatlin said after the first year of the agreement, the two sides will review the number of calls for service and expense to determine if the current 1-mill fire millage in Wakeshma Township that will be considered in 2027, needs to be increased slightly.
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