When Troy residents dial 911, they don’t ask who’s on duty.
They don’t ask whether that firefighter reached a milestone.
They don’t search budget reports or policy memos.
They simply trust, that someone will come.
Someone will put on the gear, step into danger, and protect a neighbor they may not even know.
That isn’t employment.
That isn’t transactional.
That is Troy.
And it built one of the most respected (and largest) volunteer fire departments in America,
When people said volunteerism couldn’t work, Troy proved it could,
When other cities said volunteers couldn’t be professional, Troy showed them how,
When money became tight, Troy firefighters saved taxpayers millions without ever compromising service.
But suddenly and in complete secrecy, the city dropped a bomb in January 2023 that the promise they made was over. To this day, the city has refused to show the IRS letter that they relied on to remove the pension program. 4 firefighters sued for it and lost. Another firefighter nearly got a judge to force it only to have the city attorney briefly suggest the letter may not even exist at all. If the big bad IRS made the city take away the best incentive plan for the 3rd largest volunteer department in the country, would they not have put up a fight or provided the evidence? Or is it possible that with the pension plan being funded only at 55ish percent, that the city needed to figure out a way to get out of its commitment.
What the city did next was shift away from that volunteer spirit. And in doing so, we didn’t just change policy.
We changed what service means in Troy.
The System That Worked. A Promise for Every Day Served
For decades, Troy firefighters served under a simple and dignified structure.
If you reached age 55 and had 10 or more years of service, you received: $800ish per year of service, every year going forward.
If you passed away, your pension got transferred to your spouse.
It wasn’t salary.
It wasn’t a handout.
It was Troy saying: “Your time mattered. We remember you.”
| Years Served | Annual Benefit |
|---|---|
| 10 years | $8,000 / year |
| 20 years | $16,000 / year |
| 25 years | $20,000 / year |
| 30 years | $24,000 / year |
It rewarded longevity.
It encouraged mentorship.
It kept experienced firefighters in the city, decade after decade.
It built culture.
It built roots.
It built legacy.
Every year mattered.
Every extra day mattered.
It was the best retention program in the country. IN TJHE COUNTRY.
You know who now has the same system we used to have? A town called Clawson. Weird, right? That the plan that Troy said had to go away is being used by a city, and weirdly enough right next to us.
The System We Have Now is Now Milestones Instead of Meaning
That structure was removed and replaced with one that pays:
$75,000 at Year 10
$75,000 at Year 15, 20, 25… and it stops at 30. Because once you get to 30, you work for free. There’s no 35 year milestone.
It looks neat on paper, but in real life, it does something dangerous:
If you don’t reach the milestone… you get nothing.
If you do reach it… you have every reason to walk away.
This unintentionally built:
- Countdown clocks instead of careers
- Exit plans instead of mentorship
- A transactional culture instead of service-based pride
Under the old system, every day had value.
Under the new system, only the finish line matters.
Not because firefighters stopped caring, but because the system did.
Are We Still Volunteers, Or Paid Employees?
Let’s be honest:
When you offer $75,000 per milestone, you no longer have a volunteer department.
You have a paid workforce… without admitting it publicly.
That change didn’t just shift finances, it shifted identity.
The structure now incentivizes short-term service, not lifetime commitment.
We are creating firefighters who stay just long enough to qualify… and then leave.
That’s not volunteerism.
That’s employment, packaged as something else.
And employment cultures focus on:
- “How long do I have to make it?”
- “When can I qualify?”
- “When can I leave?”
That is the opposite of what built Troy’s department.
Troy firefighters never asked “When can I go?”
They asked …
“When do they need me?”
What Could Be Done, Easily, and Right Now
This isn’t complicated.
This doesn’t require new laws, high-cost studies, or drawn-out committees.
The solution already exists.
It worked for decades.
It honored service, not survival.
It preserved experience, not payouts.
Troy doesn’t need to reinvent anything.
It simply needs the courage to return to what worked, and keep the promise made in 2023.
April 17, 2023: The Promise That Still Hasn’t Been Kept
On April 17, 2023, city leadership publicly told firefighters:
“We will come back to the table. We will make this right. We will build something better than before.”
That promise mattered.
It gave people hope.
It created faith in leadership.
But since that day?
❌ No meaningful change
❌ No collaboration
❌ Not one step toward fulfilling that commitment
Dozens of firefighters have already reluctantly retired, others are still waiting. The city has a habit of inflating numbers by putting outgoing members on a one year administrative leave hoping city council won’t ask questions.
Others continue serving, hoping Troy still honors its word.
A promise delayed is a promise broken… and every day without action weakens it.
Trust has a timeline.
What This Is Really About
This isn’t about going back in time. This is about who we choose to be next. Do we want a culture built on:
| Leadership & Legacy | or | Survival & Silence |
|---|---|---|
| Mentorship | Milestone mentality | |
| Commitment | Countdown clocks | |
| Belonging | Burnout | |
| Service | Survival | |
| Roots | Turnover |
Troy can fix this, and do it proudly. But only if leadership acts… now.
What Troy City Council Can Do Right Now
We can create a system that:
✔ Rewards years of service, not just survival to a milestone
✔ Keeps experience, training, and leadership in Troy
✔ Preserves the volunteer spirit while still evolving with the times
✔ Fulfills the promise made on April 17, 2023
✔ Ensures Troy is served by people who stay, not just people who qualify
✔ Brings back some of the people who have reluctantly left
Because one day, someone in Troy will dial 911 at 2 AM.
And when that happens…
We will want someone who stayed… for Troy.
We didn’t just change benefits.
We changed belonging.
But belonging can be rebuilt, if city leadership chooses courage over convenience.
Troy still has the heart.
The firefighters still have the passion.
The community still has the trust.
Now…
leadership must match their commitment.