Our Fire Stations

Leland Township Fire & Rescue personnel respond to the needs out of two fire stations; one in the village of Leland and one in the village of Lake Leelanau.

In June of 2014, a new station Facilities Study Committee was formed to provide review and recommendation on the construction of new and updated facilities in Leland and Lake Leelanau, along with studying funding options. This committee consisted of David Hunter, Warren Watkins, Ross Satterwhite, David Lemak, David Arends and Fire Chief Richard Royston.

In August the Facilities Study Committee made a unanimous decision to recommend the construction of new facilities in the village of Leland and update & expand the facilities in the village of Lake Leelanau. This was based on a review of the different proposals and their belief that it would be the most financially effective option. It was determined that the final project cost about $3.5 million. The Leland Township Board of Trustees entertained a lot of public input, along the way, on whether to construct two new stations or a large central fire hall near M-22 and M-204.

In November of 2014, Leland Township voters approved .3873 mills for the construction and updating of fire facilities in Leland Township which led to the awarding of the design project to Cornerstone Architects of Traverse City (March 2015) and Hallmark Construction as the the construction project contractor (October 2015).

Leland Township Fire Chief Rick Royston (retired) was able to obtain steel artifacts from the World Trade Center (New York City). This steel rail, which is from the subway that ran beneath the World Trade Center, was incorporated into 9/11 memorial tributes at both fire stations. Additional information about that project can be found in the Our 9/11 Memorial Tributes page elsewhere on our website.

We are very proud of the stations – they are a critical part of our infrastructure and future growth!

Be sure to check out the pictures below.

Leland Fire Station

The fire station in Leland is only staffed by firefighters seasonally (Memorial Day to Labor Day) during the height of our tourism season and when our seasonal residents return to the Leelanau Peninsula. The fire station is located at 203 S. Grand Avenue and serves as our administrative headquarters and is where you will find the offices of Fire Chief Besson, Assistant Chief Niessink, and Deputy Chief Stander.

The old fire station, located on the same site, was demolished and a new station was built in it’s place. The construction was completed in August of 2016 and our apparatus, which had to be stored off site, returned home. The Duty Crew, which is our on duty personnel, had been staying in a rented home at M-204 and M-22 while both fire stations were being built almost simultaneously. When the Leland Fire Station was finished the Duty Crew “moved out” of the rented home and were glad to be responding out of a beautiful fire station. They remained stationed at the Leland Station until the completion of the Lake Leelanau station in October of 2016.

The Leland Fire Station houses Engine 512, Tanker 521, Brush 541, and Alpha 592. This equipment is usually brought to the scene by our paid-on-call firefighters responding from home.

Lake Leelanau Fire Station

The fire station in Lake Leelanau is located at 358 W. Main Street and is staffed 24/7 unless, of course, the Duty Crew is called away from the station for emergency & non-emergency calls, special events, duties, tasks, and assignments. The current station was built on the same property as the old station but, unlike the Leland Station, portions of the old station still remain (but are relatively unseen). This station opened its doors for business in October of 2016 and is also a beautiful station. We are very thankful for the support of the community who approved these critical pieces of our infrastructure. This station also is home to the department’s training room where firefighters gather several times a month for training or meetings.

The Lake Leelanau Fire Station houses Engine 511, Tanker 522, Brush 542, Utility ORV 583, and Hydrant 581. Our on duty crew will respond in the most appropriate type of apparatus depending on the type of call. This station is also supplemented by paid-on-call firefighters when the type of call dictates the need for more hands.

The Lake Leelanau Fire Station sits on a narrow piece of property so all apparatus respond from the apparatus bay and must turn immediately onto West Main Street. In Leland, however, the trucks may leave the fire station station onto S. Grand Avenue or Fourth Street because of the drive through capabilities.