A fire broke out on the morning of Monday, June 26, completely destroying a house owned by Tiffany Hart Bergstrom at 11153 West Lakeshore Drive just west of Brimley on the Bay Mills Indian Reservation.
This came ten days after the majority of Superior Township Volunteer Fire Department suddenly quit at a special township meeting held on Friday, June 16.
"I am the one that lost his house," former Lakeshore Drive resident Richard Scott said, interrupting a regularly scheduled township meeting on Tuesday evening. "Is there a reason why I lost everything in my house? My kid has nothing. I have nothing. We have no place to live."
Two cats and three dogs named Roman, Princess Jasmine, Huck, Bandit and Toby succumbed to the fiery blaze. Fortunately, there was no one inside the house when the fire started.
Approximately 80 township residents were present at the meeting to find out what happens next, and if they are getting a new fire department. Most of their questions were left unanswered. Supervisor Richard Phillips asked residents to schedule an appointment with him instead of responding publicly.
"I am here to represent the family that lost their home on Monday, and the other residents of Superior Township that reside on Bay Mills Indian Community's reservation," Whitney Gravelle, President of Bay Mills Indian Community, said during public comment.
"We not only have dozens of homes lived in the purview of Superior Township, we have businesses, which have now suffered harm due to your failure and your inability to govern. Because of that, I now have my tribal citizens coming into my office fearful that their homes, too, will burn down.
"The response time of Bay Mills Township was the best that they could achieve. Even then, they did not arrive for more than 45 minutes. Dafter and Soo townships showed up there an hour-and-a-half later... from the time the fire had started. Thirty minutes after, 45 minutes after Bay Mills Township was already on scene. They were out there, alone, in a single fire truck with a single hose battling a tremendous fire and trying to prevent it from damaging other homes. That is how out of control it was. Multiple firefighters had to drive by Superior Township's fire hall."
Superior Township Volunteer Fire Department is located about 1.5 miles from the property. Bay Mills Volunteer Fire Department is around eight miles away. Dafter Township Volunteer Fire Department is about 11 miles away. Soo Township Volunteer Fire Department is approximately 13 miles away. Most former Superior Township Volunteer Fire Department members work for surrounding volunteer fire departments. They were on the scene of the fire on Monday.
"It took 45 minutes to get the fire department here because we do not have a fire department here anymore," Scott said, tearfully, outside of the township hall.
The Superior Township Volunteer Fire Department dissolved during the special township meeting earlier this month when Phillips, Treasurer Susanne Kniskern, Clerk Mary Jo Harris, and Trustee John Waisanen voted 4 - 0 to dismiss Fire Chief Amy Jere. Several fire department members abruptly walked out of township hall following the vote.
Township resident Linda Shuman said that she asked to be put on Tuesday's meeting agenda the day prior, following a personal investigation into the rumors circulating town. She wanted to learn the truth.
"I did make my own decision, and there was a lot that people are not aware of," Shuman told all those present at the meeting, going on to reference Section 3, Article 1 of the fire department ordinance.
Volunteer fire department applications for Jeremy Spencer and Michael Greene were reportedly given to all current township board members back in May. Greene was not selected to proceed in the interview process.
Yet, Waisanen found a locker with gear and a name tag at the fire department. The board agreed they could have been held liable if something had happened to Greene during training or while responding to a call.
When Shuman inquired as to why applicant Greene was not selected to move forward in the hiring process, she said Kniskern covered each job application, leaving one line on each page for her to view.
"On applicant one, it says, 'reason for applying for membership to the fire department,'" Shuman said. "Guy says, 'I want to help the township.' Good stuff. That's what we want. Applicant two puts there, blank... 'Forced me to.'"
Greene was concerned that his response to the question on the application had been shared during the meeting.
"There was no respect given to my privacy and my personally identifiable information," Greene said. "It's corrupt and unethical."
Finding Greene's locker at the department was one of the board's reasons for letting Jere go. Another reason was over unapproved orders.
Shuman moved on to township finances, referencing Section 4, Article 2 of its ordinance. She was interrupted several times by those present.
"You request what you need," Shuman said, calling that a "no-brainer."
Shuman told her fellow residents that on Dec. 19, Jere had ordered supplies. She presented information on emails exchanged between the former chief and former clerk on Feb. 7, stating Jere acknowledged her failure to seek board approval. On Feb 9, the clerk opted to cut a check without approval from the board.
"There was still no board approval, but the check is cut... paid... $4,100," Shuman said. "On March 28, there was still no request... April, no... May, there was a special meeting. This bill has to get paid. On June 20, another comes in. Now, it's up to $5,100."
"That is not true, Linda," Jere said. "I have them right here. I sent them for six months, emails. You did not get all of the information."
Jere told SooLeader that she would have been in violation of National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MIOSHA) if she had not provided her crew with adequate PPE.
"I requested the items in December when there was a quorum and nicely asked to table the request until all the board was present at the next meeting," Jere said. "January didn’t get the fire department request. February, couldn’t get off from my full-time job to be there. March, the meeting was four minutes because they wouldn’t put me on the agenda, so the meeting was cancelled. April, they didn’t have a meeting. May, I was terminated."
Shuman referenced Section 1, Article 2 next.
"Our fire chief has a two-year contract," she said. "That two-year contract was up on April 15. They could have let her go then. They didn't."
"I would never even consider firing someone for a personal reason or a personality conflict," Kniskern said, who reportedly has 30 years of accounting experience behind her. "If there is not cause, I wouldn't have even been a part of it. I did not even apply for this job (treasurer). My husband had just died right in front of me. I was in no shape to be doing anything.
"It came down to the fact that they needed help. I knew I could do the work. I come from a family of community service. I felt like I could hear my grandpa's voice from when I grew up here... when I was little. He would send me... go help Mrs. Donnay... go help this person. That is how I was raised. When they were coming to me, even though I was in the middle of my grief, I said I would do it until November.
"They appointed me in June of 2020. The November election was coming up. I will fill in and help with summer taxes, but whomever runs, I am going to step back and support that person. Guess what? No one ran. I was the only one on the ballot. There was no way I was going to abandon the township."
Kniskern was sure to add that no one on the board asked the members of Superior Township to follow their chief out the door.
"We wanted them to stay," she said.
Superior Township includes approximately 1,047 taxpayers on 104 square miles of land. The Superior Township board seeks to rebuild its fire department. Applications can be found on its website, here.
