Haring Township firefighters will continue responding to high-priority calls while officials develop an EMS fee ordinance

HARING TOWNSHIP, Mich. — Haring Township has temporarily stopped fire department responses to lower-priority medical calls while officials develop an EMS ordinance and fee structure.

Township officials say the proposed ordinance and fee structure are necessary to sustain the service long-term, UpNorthLive reported.

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Residents may no longer see Haring Township firefighters on lower-priority calls, but officials said Mobile Medical Response will continue providing medical care.

“At the current time, we want to make sure that we have policies in place to protect our responders and to provide the best coverage to our residents,” Fire Chief Jason Baughan told UpNorthLive. “We are responding to priority ones if MMR requests us.”

The change follows the discovery that the township lacked an ordinance establishing EMS fees. Officials said the proposed funding system would help recover payroll costs and sustain EMS coverage.

Township leaders will discuss the proposed ordinance at a special meeting July 27. Officials said full EMS response is expected to resume if the measure is approved.

Officials said the changes are temporary while the ordinance moves through the approval process, which includes a required public hearing before adoption.

Would your department support reducing responses to lower-priority EMS calls if it helped preserve staffing and funding for higher-acuity emergencies?

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