Constantine Fire Department struggles as firefighting equipment costs skyrocket

CONSTANTINE, Mich. --The Constantine Fire Department is having to make some tough decisions due to firefighting gear prices spiking. Part of this comes from changes in regulations for the gear.

Michael Haydon, the Constantine Fire Chief, says, “NFPA standards have changed due to the cancer and the carcinogens that are in the smoke that cover more of our skin, so that we're not exposed to those. There are cleanup costs back at the station when we come back. We have to wash the gear. You can't take it back to your house. That type of thing. So that's again more equipment. We have to buy washers and things to keep the gear clean.”

Constantine Fire is funded by municipal funds from Constantine Village, Constantine Township, and Florence Township. They also rely on mutual aid from other departments, and things like fundraising and donations to combat these price increases.

The department's crew is mostly paid on call, with the department supplying the gear for these first responders. 80 percent of their calls are medical, but the department tends to see nearly 400 calls a year for all response types. Chief Haydon says these markups are holding the crew back from being fully staffed.