Supporters of Otsego firefighter Hunter Krueger packed city hall to support him and urged the city to keep him on the fire department.
Krueger was the first to speak about his case at the Monday, June 19, city commission meeting.
“I wanted to serve my community with the Otsego Fire Department before I barely could walk,” he said.
Krueger said he was the fifth generation of his family to serve on the department and had been a firefighter for four years. He said he currently lives on East Hammond Street in the city, but is planning to move to a home on 104th Avenue west of town.
That, he said, put him outside of a four minute radius of responding to calls at the fire station in downtown Otsego and he said he’d been told he’d have to resign from the department or be terminated.
Krueger said he’s been out at the house working on things when several calls have come in and he’s responded to the station quicker than some firefighters who live in the city.
“Can we at least look at a trial period so I can show that I can make the call quota?” he said.
Of the surrounding fire departments Krueger said he contacted, seven of eight only had the requirement that firefighters live with the township or city in question. The other, Plainwell, had a 15-minute response time radius.
Fellow firefighter Ty Wolthuis said he’d been working with Krueger since 2014.
“I’ve worked with Mr. Krueger and he’s an exceptional young man who performs his duties with passion,” Wolthuis said.
He explained that on a recent mutual aid call Krueger had filled air bottles for all three departments and also left the fire scene to respond to a car accident on M-89.
Paul Aldrich of Pine Grove Township said he’d previously worked in Otsego for Krueger’s grandfather and had trained his father.
“These people are the heart of this community,” Aldrich said.
Along with several others who spoke, Aldrich pointed out that Otsego didn’t have too many firefighters where it could afford to lose one like Krueger.
“When I was on, it had a roster of 30 people,” Aldrich said. “We handled 300 calls a year and thought we did a lot. They’ve handled 300 calls so far this year.”
Joel Krueger, Hunter’s dad and retired Otsego firefighter said, “It takes a lot of dedication to serve as a firefighter.
“It means missing Christmas morning because there was a house fire. It means leaving you kids’ birthday party because there’s a car accident.
“Hunter is one who’ll serve for many years.”
Otsego firefighter Bud Smith said, “I’m not up here to blow smoke, I don’t do that. That kid has put more heart into the department than anyone.
“I’d go on any fire, anywhere with him as my partner.”
Christopher Harris, another current firefighter, said Krueger would do anything he was asked to with a smile.
“I met Hunter when he was eight years old and from then I knew he was going to be on the department,” Harris said. “I trust him with my life, all other firefighters’ lives and my family’s lives.”
After public comment was over, city manager Thad Beard—who oversees fire chief Brandon Weber for the city commission—said he’d coached Krueger growing up and knew he was outstanding person.
The department, Beard said, previously had a number of miles limit.
“The department agreed to a response time in minutes because it was more fair and better for public safety,” he said.
The chief and the officers of the fire department had made the decision, Beard said.
“Hunter met with me and I put it back on the officers,” Beard said. “It was a decision of the officers and I think that it has to go back to the officers.
“I think the concern on the number of personnel and the number of calls are a very real concern.”
Beard said the concerns raised would be looked at.
“I’m not going to tell you what the results will be, but I’ll tell you that it will be looked into,” he said. “They’ll look at how other departments do these things.”
Mayor Cyndi Trobeck said, “Hunter, wow. Look at al this, you should feel extremely loved.”
Trobeck said decisions had to be made on facts, not on emotion.
“The decision has been made that the Otsego fire trucks roll after four minutes,” she said.
Commissioner Tom Gilmer agreed, “It’s not about Hunter as a person, it’s about the regulation.”
Commissioner Nick Breedveld said he appreciated all the firefighters for what they do, putting themselves in danger on every call.
“It may be something with the fire department that we need to look into as a commission,” Breedveld said. “It’s not something that can be done tonight, but I think we can maybe look at it.”
Commissioner Ryan Wieber thanked the crowd for coming.
“Thank you for doing this and doing it very respectfully,” Wieber said.
Contact Dan Pepper at dpepper@allegannews.com or at (269) 673-5534.
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