Dear Editor:
I am writing in response to the October 10th letter, “Collaboration, Not Fragmentation Elevates Chelsea Emergency Services”, authored by Chelsea Hospital President Ben Miles.
Let me begin by agreeing with Mr. Miles on one point: this is an amazing community. I would know. I grew up here, went to school here, and now live in Sylvan Township with my wonderful family. My kids go to school here. And for the past 24 years, I’ve had the honor of serving Sylvan, Lima, Lyndon, and the City of Chelsea as a firefighter with the Chelsea Area Fire Authority (CAFA).
Mr. Miles, while currently serving as President of Chelsea Hospital for the past three years, lives in Saline. That’s relevant because the proposed 0.75 mill increase is one he will not pay. In the spirit of transparency, it’s also important to note that he sits on the boards of both Huron Valley Ambulance (HVA) and the Chelsea Retirement Community (CRC). In fact, the first time I met Mr. Miles was at the August CAFA board meeting, when he appeared alongside HVA COO Paul Hood to argue against placing this millage on the November ballot in an effort to prevent the very residents served by CAFA from deciding how they want emergency medical coverage for their families.
I recently shared some of this on the Chelsea Firefighters Local 1889 Facebook page, but it’s worth repeating. While this millage isn’t about HVA specifically, since it continues to be raised, let’s address it openly.
Mr. Miles’s claim that HVA “exceeds national standards” is misleading at best. Those numbers are based on averages that often exclude extreme outliers like calls with 20-30 minute delays or times when no ALS unit is available at all. And because HVA and its parent company, Emergent Health Partners, also control the dispatch center, the data can be selectively framed to tell a more favorable story. These delays are not rare; they happen nearly every day. Just recently, it took HVA over 20 minutes to respond emergently (lights and sirens) to a possible stroke in our area.
Let’s also be clear: HVA is not on the verge of collapse. In fact, their financials show otherwise [source: https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/382200909]. Suggesting that CAFA moving to ALS transport would “splinter” or “dismantle” Chelsea’s EMS system is disingenuous. In reality, adding more ALS ambulances to the region strengthens the system. When CAFA became the first BLS-transporting fire department in Washtenaw County two years ago, HVA didn’t stop serving Chelsea. There’s no reason to think they would now. If CAFA begins ALS transport, HVA can, and should continue to support the community when needed.
As Mr. Miles himself said, this isn’t about competition it’s about collaboration. And for those who don’t know, when CAFA responds to EMS calls, residents aren’t billed out of pocket. We bill your insurance, and we write off the rest.
Mr. Miles also left out a key point: since CAFA began BLS transporting, we’ve routinely stepped up to help the Chelsea ER by transporting patients out of their facility when HVA was unavailable freeing up hospital beds for incoming patients. That’s the kind of partnership we believe in.
CAFA operates on a millage. This is where we get our funding from. We are not part of a general fund where many normal police and fire agencies get their funding from. We are a separate entity from the local government. In 2025 alone from January 1 through October 9th, CAFA has had 228 instances where we have had overlapping calls. Many times, it is 2 calls occurring at once but there have been 22 times where there were 3 or more calls occurring in an overlapping situation. We can’t service these calls with the staff we currently have.
Ultimately, this millage increase is about improving the quality and reliability of emergency services provided by CAFA to the communities of Sylvan, Lima, Lyndon, and Chelsea. It’s about solving a failing EMS system, improving service to residents, and ensuring safety for both the public and our firefighters.
The proposed 0.75 mill increase would allow CAFA to hire six additional firefighters not just to support ALS transport, but to properly staff an agency responsible for covering approximately 116 square miles. Currently, we operate with just 4 firefighters per day. That number can drop to 3 when someone is on PTO, and in some cases, we’ve been down to only 2 due to absences. For context, Washtenaw County spans 720 square miles. Among all the departments in the county, CAFA protects the largest area with the fewest full-time personnel.
This level of staffing is not sustainable for the safety of our firefighters or the communities we serve.
By law, OSHA requires four personnel “two in, two out” to enter a burning structure safely. Most days, we don’t even have enough staff to meet that basic standard.
This isn’t just about ambulances. It’s about ensuring our emergency services Fire and EMS are equipped, staffed, and ready to respond when your family needs help.
Let the people decide.
Sincerely,
Derek Klink
Chelsea Firefighter Local 1889 President
Sylvan Township Resident
