Residents urge reinstatement of daytime fire coverage as council opens fire-department study

The Village of Grafton heard urgent pleas from residents May 5 to restore daytime staffing at the fire station as council opened a preliminary study of fire-department operations.

Joe Fillipiak, a Grafton resident, told council the station was staffed daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. until April 17 and said removing that coverage “does put life and property of our residents and businesses at a little greater risk.” He said staffed coverage often produced faster responses and urged council to reinstate the program while the study proceeds. “I urge you to reinstate the program. A month has already passed since the council decided to end the daytime coverage,” he said.

Jennifer Fillipiak, another resident, asked council what metrics, data and timeline it will use to guide decisions, saying the village removed daytime coverage before explaining the timeline to the public. Cassie Crick requested the ordinance language and asked who would implement scheduled staffing without an interim chief.

Council deferred the mayor-requested fire department study to the end of the agenda earlier in the meeting and later discussed recent changes to operations. In a statement to the body, council said that on April 7 it formalized fire-department operations to align with the village charter and proper approval processes; that action, the statement said, “restores the department's historical structure while maintaining consistent on-call staffing and reliable emergency response.” The statement said council is not opposed to part-time staffing and will consider recommendations from the next fire chief.

An executive session to discuss personnel matters followed; council returned to open session and approved the personnel summary sheet. Council also excused member Kitts for the remainder of the meeting.

The meeting record shows no council vote to reinstate daytime, full-time or part-time staffing during this session. Council members indicated the department's future structure will be shaped by the charter, forthcoming recommendations and any ordinances or charter amendments the council chooses to pursue. The council did not provide a specific timeline for a staffing decision during the meeting.

Next steps: council signaled it will consider proposals and the incoming chief's recommendations; residents seeking a formal reinstatement or an ordinance amendment may bring the matter back to council for a future vote.