Police officers cross-trained as firefighters could be in the cards pending a proposed merger of the police and fire departments in Bay City, Michigan.
Mlive.com reports (http://bit.ly/RCUJKh) that the the Bay City Commission is considering a proposal to merge the 43-person fire department and 52-person police force.
Speaking in front of the commission at a meeting on Monday, Bay City Police Chief Michael J. Cecchini and Interim Fire Chief Karey Prieur laid out a proposal that would sustain the size of the police department while cutting 14 firefighters, effective July 1. Prieur said, by not implementing the hybrid department plan, the city may cut the 14 positions by 2017.
The hybrid department proposal, officials estimate, would gradually result in an estimated $1.8 million annual savings in five years.
The commission did not vote on the measure today and likely won’t this month, officials say.
Read more at http://bit.ly/RCUJKh.
