By MES Dispatch Staff
The Briefing
- The Gaines Township Board of Trustees voted 3-2 on June 9, 2026, to appoint Dan Stevens as the next fire chief of the Gaines Township Fire Department, bypassing former Interim Chief Scott Mangrum despite unanimous endorsement of Mangrum by the department’s officer staff.
- Following the vote, 17 firefighters and officers walked out of the department, according to Mangrum; it remains unclear how many intend to formally resign.
- The department stated that every member of its officer staff signed and presented a letter endorsing Mangrum to the township board on four separate occasions prior to the vote.
- Stevens previously served as a battalion chief with the department but had not been with the agency for more than three years at the time of his appointment, according to the department.
- Mangrum had served as interim chief since August 2025, previously holding the position of assistant chief; the department said morale, participation, and involvement improved during his tenure in the interim role.
GAINES TOWNSHIP, Mich. — Seventeen firefighters and officers with the Gaines Township Fire Department walked out June 9 following a 3-2 vote by the Gaines Township Board of Trustees to appoint Dan Stevens as the department’s next fire chief, passing over former Interim Chief Scott Mangrum, who held the unanimous support of the department’s officer staff.
Mangrum confirmed the walkout and said the number of personnel who departed stood at 17, though he indicated it was not yet clear how many of those individuals would submit formal resignations. The department did not immediately respond to requests for additional comment from the township board, and the township supervisor had not issued a public statement as of the time of publication.
The department stated publicly that every officer on staff had signed a letter endorsing Mangrum for the permanent chief position. That letter was presented to the township board on four separate occasions prior to the June 9 vote. The department said Mangrum had served as interim chief since August 2025, following a period as assistant chief, and that department morale, participation, and operational involvement had improved during his time in that role.
Stevens, the board’s appointee, previously held the rank of battalion chief within the Gaines Township Fire Department. The department noted in a social media statement that Stevens had not been active with the agency for more than three years prior to his selection. The department publicly questioned the basis for the board majority’s decision, asking why a candidate absent from the department for that period was chosen over one who had been serving in the interim chief capacity with documented staff support.
“What qualifications or factors led the Board majority to conclude that a candidate who had not served with the department for more than three years was the better choice?” the department wrote in a public statement. “Why was the candidate who had been successfully serving as Interim Chief not selected despite having the support of the department’s leadership?”
The department urged residents to contact township officials to express concern about the appointment. The full scope of staffing impact from the walkout, Stevens’ start date, and any response from the board majority had not been publicly released as of the time of publication.