About Us

The Brighton Area Fire Authority is located in the State of Michigan with a response district that includes 74 square miles and a population of 47,000+ residents within the City of Brighton, Charter Township of Brighton and Genoa Township. In addition, the Brighton Area Fire Authority serves nine schools in three different school districts as well as several private schools and early childhood learning centers. The fire department also serves those traveling on over 30 miles of interstate roadways and one major interchange (I-96 & US 23).

Like many combination (full-time and on call) fire departments across the United States, the members of the Brighton Area Fire Authority (BAFA) are committed to serving their community through the protection of life and property. Along with paid-on-call staff, the Authority employs many full-time employees. These full-time employees include: Fire Chief, Deputy Chief, Fire Marshal, 2 fire inspectors, 3 shift captains, fire protection specialists, and administrative support personnel. When the call for help exceeds the on-duty resources, the on-call firefighters of the Brighton Area Fire Authority consistently stop what they are doing at home to respond to their assigned fire stations to help their neighbors resolve any emergency.

There are over 800,000 on-call firefighters in the United States. The Brighton Area Fire Authority currently has 76 full-time, part-time, and paid-on-call staff on the department. Each member is well trained and is required to complete the State of Michigan Fire Fighter I and II training as well as complete Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) training before they are allowed to enter what is called the “hot zone” or participate in “patient care” during an emergency. Many of our on-call members have careers outside the fire service and bring to the department a wide range of backgrounds and skill sets including; Laborers, Professional Services, Managers for Small and Large Corporations, Business Owners, Product Management, etc.  

The Authority has two firefighters ready to respond from Station 31, and another two from Station 34 – 24 hours a day/7 days a week. This crew is comprised of a full-time shift captain plus 3 other firefighters.  Furthermore, to better serve the community on weekdays, when the majority of on-call firefighters are working at their full-time jobs, an additional 2 firefighters staff another apparatus daily from 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM.  Outside of these hours, and for all major events, the Authority relies on its paid-on-call staff to respond alongside the 24/7 shift crew when needed.

The Brighton Area Fire Authority is funded by a fire millage equaling 1.5 mills from Genoa Township, Brighton Township, and the City of Brighton through property taxes. BAFA reports to the Fire Authority Board who manages the overall fire department operation. The board is composed of two board members from each municipality served by the fire department and one citizen. Typically the Brighton Area Fire Authority Board Meetings are held on the 2nd Thursday of each month.

The Brighton Area Fire Authority is constantly looking for new members that are living in the area to better serve our community. If you think you have what it takes to join our team please click on the “Employment” tab at the top of this page to review the qualifications and get the application process started. It is the “neighbors helping neighbors” philosophy that makes the Brighton Area Fire Authority unique within our community.