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1. Do I need smoke detectors in my home?

Yes! Smoke detectors save lives. It is critical that you have working smoke detectors in your home. Smoke detectors should be installed on each level of the house and one inside of each sleeping area. It is essential to test them monthly and change their batteries every six months. We recommend replacing your batteries when you change your clocks. 

Grand Blanc Township Fire Department (GBTFD) often has smoke detectors available to us. If you are unable to purchase them yourself, please call us at 810-694-7211, and we will do our best to help you get working smoke detectors in your home.

2. What is carbon monoxide and do I need carbon monoxide (CO) detectors?

Carbon Monoxide (CO) is an odorless and colorless gas that can kill you. CO is found in fumes produced any time you burn fuel in cars or trucks, small engines, stoves, lanterns, grills, fireplaces, gas ranges, water heaters, or furnaces. CO can build up indoors and poison people and animals who breathe it. The most common symptoms of CO poisoning are headache, dizziness, weakness, upset stomach, vomiting, chest pain, and confusion. CO symptoms are often described as “flu-like.” People who are sleeping can die from CO poisoning before they have symptoms.

Every home should have CO detectors installed. We recommend one on each level of the house and one outside of the sleeping areas.

3. My smoke alarm is going off, but I don’t see anything should I bother calling 911?

Yes - but only after exiting the home! Smoke alarms are sensitive to products of combustion in sizes and amounts often not seen by the human eye. That is why they work so well. Never hesitate to call. We are here to help you.

4. My CO detector is going off, but I don’t see or smell anything. Should I bother calling 911?

Yes - but only after exiting the home! CO is an odorless, tasteless, invisible gas. CO detectors are very sensitive and designed to alert occupants before CO reaches dangerous levels. If your detectors go off, call 911 and evacuate the home. Be sure to notify them if anyone in the house is experiencing flu-like symptoms. The Fire Department has specialized equipment to detect and measure amounts of CO in your home. Please do not open doors and windows before the Fire Department arrives, because this makes it difficult to determine the cause of any CO that may be present. Never hesitate to call us.

5. How often should I replace my smoke detectors or carbon monoxide detectors?

Smoke detectors typically are suitable for ten years. Carbon monoxide detectors are generally good for seven years. When you change your batteries in these units, check the date and replace them before they go bad.

6. Is there always someone at the firehouse?

Yes. However, please contact us by calling 911 if you have an emergency.

Thanks to the millage that was initially passed in 2010 and again in 2018, our Fire Station 1 is staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The “duty crew,” as we call it, handles about 85% of our calls with only a single fire engine responding. In larger incidents where more staff is needed or if the on-duty crew is not available, additional staff will respond to the incident. Our goal is to arrive at every call within 7 minutes, usually less.

7. What about campfires and outdoor burning?

Township residents can visit our guidelines for outdoor burning page for current rules and guidelines. City residents are never allowed to have open burns and campfires must be in a contained fire pit with a screen cover on top.

8. I need to have a car seat inspected or installed. Can you help me?

No. Our Police Department has 3 officers certified to install child safety seats. Please call them at 810-424-2611 to schedule an appointment.

9. Do you do station tours?

Yes. We meet with close to 3,000 kids in our community every year to discuss fire safety and tour our station. If you would like to schedule a tour, please feel free to call the station at 810-694-7211 during regular business hours to schedule a visit. We are glad to have you visit and love seeing smiling faces in the community.