City of Ypsilanti Professional Firefighters Local 401

08/28/2026

Had a busy day on the road in Washtenaw county earlier this week! Thank you to Ypsilanti Township Fire, as well as Huron Valley Ambulance, Ypsilanti City Fire and Pittsfield Fire departments, and multiple law enforcement teams (not pictured) for all the support they provided on scenes

07/09/2026

Congratulations to Max and the whole Lappan family. We’ve had the pleasure of working with Zack for a few years now and have followed Max’s hockey career through him. We couldn’t be more excited to watch him continue his journey!

07/06/2026

Timing is everything. The first day of the 5 firefighter minimum staffing saw Shift 2 answering 38 calls for service with several relating to the weather, including multiple fire calls.

INCREASED MINIMUM STAFFING

Today marks the first minimum staffing increase for the Ypsilanti Fire Department in at least 5 decades. Thanks to the work of Local 401 members in conjunction with city officials including Fire Chief Ken Hobbs and City Manager Andrew Hellenga staffing will now be a minimum of 5 firefighters instead of the previous 4. This will be on a trial basis from July through September to assess efficiency and cost. With almost 30% run volume increase in the last 5 years, this is a much needed step in the right direction. Though this is currently a trial, we’re confident that the increased staffing will result in a better service to the residents and visitors of Ypsilanti and there will be no reduction in staffing. We’d like to thank the city as well as all members of Local 401 who have prioritized increasing service to our city.

07/01/2026

INCREASED MINIMUM STAFFING

Today marks the first minimum staffing increase for the Ypsilanti Fire Department in at least 5 decades. Thanks to the work of Local 401 members in conjunction with city officials including Fire Chief Ken Hobbs and City Manager Andrew Hellenga staffing will now be a minimum of 5 firefighters instead of the previous 4. This will be on a trial basis from July through September to assess efficiency and cost. With almost 30% run volume increase in the last 5 years, this is a much needed step in the right direction. Though this is currently a trial, we’re confident that the increased staffing will result in a better service to the residents and visitors of Ypsilanti and there will be no reduction in staffing. We’d like to thank the city as well as all members of Local 401 who have prioritized increasing service to our city.

06/19/2026

🔥 Today, we commemorate Juneteenth, a day that marks the end of slavery in the United States.

The IAFF remains committed to fostering a fire service where every member has the opportunity to succeed.

Learn how the IAFF's Elected Human Relations Committee helps advance that work ➡️ iaff.org/human-relations

06/04/2026

6/4/26-RESIDENTIAL STRUCTURE FIRE
SHIFT 1

Early this morning Local 401 members were dispatched to a reported structure fire in the 300 block of E Forrest Ave. Crews arrived to find a multistory single family dwelling with heavy fire in the rear of the home. Hand lines were stretched through the home and around the outside of the home to extinguish the fire. Complicating operations were live power lines on the ground in the rear of the home. Crews did an excellent job to quickly control the fire and search the home ensuring all occupants were out. We’re happy to be able to save a piece of history, as the home is historic and was constructed in 1869. Great job by all crews and thank you to our AMA partners Superior Township Firefighters and Local 1830 Ypsilanti Township Firefighters for their work on scene.

COMPANIES ON SCENE

Command:2C1
Engines: 2-1, 14-3, 14-1, 11-2
Ladders: T2-1, L11-1

05/21/2026

If you haven’t been, be sure to head over to the Michigan Firehouse Museum.

05/06/2026

8,000 firefighters across Michigan chose to endorse our Independent campaign.

Proud to have the support of the Michigan Professional Fire Fighters Union. Now, let’s get to work.

05/04/2026

Local 401 members had the opportunity to support a great cause yesterday at the Fight for Air Climb. Firefighters climbed 1500 steps at Ford Field to support the American Lung Association alongside hundreds of firefighters from all over the state. Thank you to everyone who donated and we look forward to be back next year!

05/02/2026

Yesterdays shift 2 responded the classic “cat in a tree” call. Tower 2-1 was used to get the cat out of the tree about 50 feet in the air. A majority of the time animals will work their way out of tough situations, but with the cat being stuck in the tree for 18+ hours it was decided that fire department intervention was necessary. We’re happy to say the cat was returned to its owners happy and healthy.