Eaton County man billed for fire he extinguished

JUSTIN A. HINKLEY, Battle Creek Enquirer

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By Jason Overholt

Story Created: Oct 25, 2009 at 9:43 AM EST

Story Updated: Oct 25, 2009 at 9:43 AM EST

BELLEVUE TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — A Bellevue Township man was charged for the work of 13 firefighters last July, though only two firefighters showed up to check on a brush fire he'd already doused.

John Villeneuve said kids playing with fireworks near his home in Eaton County, northeast of Battle Creek, caught a bush on fire in his front yard. Though a neighbor called 911, Villeneuve said he had the fire out before firefighters arrived and called to cancel the run.

Nonetheless, two plainclothes firefighters from the township's volunteer department arrived in their personal vehicles to check on the fire, Villeneuve said and Bellevue Township Supervisor Bernard Otto confirmed. Villeneuve said the men were there fewer than 10 minutes.

Weeks later, Villeneuve received a bill for $375 — a charge that included a fire truck run and one hour's pay for 13 firefighters who were on duty at the station at the time, despite the fact only two had responded to the house.

After months of phone tag and haggling, Villeneuve got the township to admit a paperwork mix-up put the fire truck charge on the bill, and that was removed. But the $195 for the 13 firefighters remains. Because the bill remains unpaid, the township said the bill will go to a debt-collection agency.

"It's a little bizarre, I've got to say," Villeneuve said. "I wouldn't ask to be paid if I wasn't working."

He said he's willing to pay for the two men who responded, but not the 11 others.

Otto said Villeneuve was treated the same as any other township resident. The 22-person department serves Bellevue and Assyria townships, as well as the village of Bellevue in Barry County and Convis Township in Calhoun County.

"It's not the township; it's the fire board's rules and regulations," Otto said. "They adopted it years ago that any firefighter who interrupted their life and took their time to go down to the fire station would get paid for an hour of their time."

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Information from: Battle Creek Enquirer, http://www.battlecreekenquirer.com

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