Grand Blanc Twp. Fire Chief Placed on Leave After Raising Safety Concerns Following Church Tragedy
Unions reportedly claim the move is an attempt to silence Chief Jent after he raised staffing and safety issues.
GRAND BLANC TOWNSHIP, Mich. — Sources tell independent journalist Dave Bondy that Grand Blanc Township Fire Chief Jamie Jent was allegedly placed on administrative leave Monday morning by Township Superintendent Dennis Liimatta. According to those sources, Liimatta informed Jent that he would be recommending his termination to the Township Board at its next meeting, scheduled for October 28, 2025, at 6:00 p.m.
Following the September 28 active shooter incident at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc, Jent allegedly raised concerns about unsafe staffing levels within the Fire Department to both the Township Superintendent and Township Supervisor. He reportedly cited violations of NFPA 1710 standards and OSHA regulations.
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Chief Jent released the following statement: “I will not be coerced into illegally interfering with the Union’s federally-protected rights, including their ability to communicate with the Township Board and engage in protected concerted activities under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). Implementing notification requirements for union communications would directly violate the NLRA, chill protected activity, and expose the Township to unfair labor practice charges. I cannot and will not violate federal labor law.”
Sources allege that both the full-time and part-time firefighter unions have echoed Jent’s concerns, voicing similar worries about firefighter and public safety. The unions have allegedly shared their concerns through social media and direct communication with township board members.
The union released the following statement:
According to sources, the unions claim their concerns were met with threats from Superintendent Liimatta. They allege that Jent’s potential termination is being pursued under false pretenses and believe it is an attempt to silence his advocacy and obscure administrative failings.
I asked Liimatta for a comment and he released this statement:
Grand Blanc Township has a long-standing policy against commenting publicly on any internal personnel matters out of respect for our employees. - Dennis Liimatta, Grand Blanc Twp. Superintendent
Jent was reportedly hired as Fire Chief in April 2025.
Seems a bit ridiculous to fire a person because he's siting legal errors on your part and asking for help to keep people safe. He has staffing and safety issues. If I were a resident of Grand Blanc or Grand Blanc Twp. I'd be up in arms. If they don't have the staff to keep people safe that's a bad thing. Relook at the budget and get positions filled.
I live 3/4 mile from a fire station. It's pretty much abandoned. When a house a mile down the road from me caught fire, there was no one to fight the blaze. There was nothing left but ashes and smoke. The family had been on vacation. Theirs had been an old farmhouse, well kept up. Evidently, it was an electrical fire. It was not replaced with a new farmhouse. It was replace with a tiny house and they had to sell their beautiful 5th wheel. Luckily no one was in the house at the time and no lives were lost. It could have been much worse. This is exactly how it could be worse in Grand Blanc or Grand Blanc Twp.