You might want to check and see if there are similar programs in your town
Armada Township Fire Chief Stephen Kohut reminded residents that the fire department has smoke and carbon monoxide detectors available free of charge for township residents.
He said that so far roughly 70 detectors have been installed.
Kohut shared the details of the program at the Jan. 8 Armada Township Board of Trustees meeting.
“This is a free program. If you call the fire department mainline at 586-784-9464, talk to one of the friendly firefighters, they will explain the program to you,” he said.
A firefighter will come to a resident’s house and check their smoke detectors.
If they are outdated or there are no smoke or carbon monoxide detectors in the house, one with a 10-year battery will be installed at no cost thanks to a grant from the Michigan State Fire Marshal’s office.
Kohut also reassured the residents that the staff are more than happy to pay a visit.
“Please don’t worry about imposing on the department. We’ve been out a couple of times to houses that we’ve inspected and said everything is absolutely perfect, you don’t need anything, and they were equally as happy,” he said.
The fire department also received a Fueling Futures grant from Enbridge Energy in the amount of $2,500.
It will be used to purchase weighted manikins for fire rescue training.
“This allows more realistic rescue training as the manikins are the size and weight of actual adults and require considerable team coordination to move,” Kohut said.
The order was placed this past week and is expected to be approved by the board at their February meeting.
The board also had their public hearing for Community Development Block Grant funding.
Armada Township had $1,850 in funds for 2025.
A total of $850 was given to Armada Police Athletic League to send children to their summer camp, $318 was given to Interfaith Volunteer Caregivers and $682 was given to Samaritan House.
“I wish we could get more (for Samaritan House),” said Armada Township Trustee Steve Nikkel, who said he paid a visit to the Washington Township charity and was impressed by the way they distribute food to the needy. “It hits hard when you see that. That organization is really something to see. Without them, these people go without.”
In other business, the board of trustees:
Heard an update from Armada Township Attorney Christine Anderson on a tax appeal from Blake’s. Blake’s wants to be exempt from paying school taxes due to agricultural use under the Right to Farm Act and under general property tax act. The appeal is expected to take several months. Approved the allocation of the SMART Municipal and Community credits for fiscal year 2025-26. Approved a resolution to purchase community transit services from Richmond/Lenox EMS with the SMART Municipal and Community Credits.