Audrey Whitaker – mlive.com
COMSTOCK TOWNSHIP, MI — Three Comstock Township fire trucks have been damaged in crashes since December 2024, including one that was totaled.
A 24-foot box truck crashed into emergency vehicles, including two fire trucks that were assisting a different crash on I-94.
MORE: Truck driver may face charges for I-94 crash that injured firefighters
The totaled fire engine cost $750,000 when the department bought it, said Comstock Township Fire Chief Matt Beauchamp. Now, the same vehicle costs $1.15 million.
The township board voted to spend up to $1.4 million on a new truck during its Monday, Feb. 24 meeting — just in case the truck ends up being more expensive than anticipated.
There’s no time to come before the board and ask for additional funds if a good fit is available but over budget, he said.
“I don’t want to miss it by $50,000 and have to wait,” Beauchamp said.
It costs $12,000 a month to lease a fire truck, Beauchamp said, so that’s not an option. Older, used models available for less don’t meet the township’s needs.
“A fire engine is a 20- to 25-year investment,” Beauchamp said. “We don’t want to veer too far from specs that have (been) solid in the past.”
The most cost-effective option is to buy a stock vehicle from Pierce Manufacturing, Beauchamp said. Available vehicles are listed online once a month and are often snapped up by the end of the day, he said.
If the department buys an engine this way, it’ll be delivered in about six months. A custom order would take 36 to 52 months to deliver and cost much more.
An insurance check will cover $965,250, per township documents. The remainder of the money will come from the township’s budget — with hopes of getting state funding to help.
The fire department got the Comstock Township board’s approval on Monday, Feb. 24, to apply for $450,000 in state funding to cover the difference.
In light of the recent crashes, the fire department wants to outfit its trucks with light-up sign boards for traffic control.
The department will also add four full-time personnel to the force and increase on-duty staffing.
Comstock Township will also be applying for 2026 state budget appropriations to cover the cost of a new fire station and regional training facility.
A growing, increasingly diverse department needs updated living quarters for around-the-clock staff, Beauchamp said. The project would replace Station 9-3, 1960 River St.
The project had a $9.5 million budget 2022, Beauchamp said. Now, it’s expected to cost about $12.5 million.
Finalized plans and costs are not yet available, Beauchamp said. The department will begin the planning process next year.
Station 9-3 is the largest of the township’s three stations, per the department website. It houses three fire engines, offices and a large classroom used for training.
This station serves Comstock Township and assists on 911 calls in parts of Kalamazoo Township, Pavilion Township, Portage and Kalamazoo.
The department wants to move the station further east to better serve developments in northeast and southeast parts of the township.
“This fire station is close to the center of the township,” Beauchamp said. “It’s a pretty thriving area … This is a prime place for something other than a fire station.”
Another fire engine damaged in the December crash will cost $283,000 to repair, Beauchamp said. The department is still working with insurance on the third truck, damaged in a January crash. It’ll cost at least $200,000 to repair, but may be totaled due to its age, he said.
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