GREENFIELD — Community members are invited to have breakfast with the Greenfield Fire Territory chief to discuss local fire and emergency services.
Chief James Roberts and his staff will host a breakfast and question and answer session at 9 a.m. Oct. 20 at Trinity Park United Methodist Church, 207 W. Park Ave., Greenfield.
The event is free and open to the public, and residents are welcome to inquire about any topic related to the fire territory, organizers said.
The breakfast was planned amid an ongoing debate over fire department staffing levels.
Hancock County Professional Firefighters, the union organization representing local career firefighters, says Greenfield needs to hire at least 16 new firefighters to keep up with the industry standards outlined by the National Fire Protection Agency, or NFPA.
A minimum of 14 firefighters are needed to respond to a fire in a single-family home, according to the NFPA. At least 28 are needed to adequately respond to a fire in larger structures, like strip malls and shopping centers.
In Greenfield, it’s common to have just 10 firefighters at a time protecting all of the 52-square-mile Greenfield Fire Territory.
The Greenfield City Council has agreed to spend $50,000 to hire a consultant to conduct a needs assessment for the fire department.
The consultant will examine the territory’s staffing, number and locations of stations, efficiency of the department’s resources and all other areas of local fire prevention.