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Grant Township Firefighter Gilbert Flores and his wife Amy.
Submitted photo
Fire department sets up Go Fund Me page
By Allison Scarbrough, News Editor
GRANT TOWNSHIP — Grant Township Firefighter Gilbert Flores, 44, suffered a cardiac event while in the line of duty Tuesday, March 11, and his colleagues have set up a Go Fund Me Page to help him and his family with expenses.
Flores and his fellow firefighters were battling a grass fire on 56th Avenue in Claybanks Township that began around midnight, said Grant Township Fire Chief Yost. “He was working on it when he developed chest pain,” said Chief Yost.
Flores has been on the fire department for approximately seven years, said the chief. He is in stable condition at Trinity Health Muskegon Hospital awaiting triple bypass surgery.
“On the morning of March 11, 2025, our friend and dedicated community member, Gilbert Flores, suffered a medical emergency while working at an incident,” states the Go Fund Me Page. “He has since been hospitalized and will be undergoing a triple bypass surgery in the coming days.”
“We’re going to run it through worker’s comp like we normally would, but there is still state legislation that exempts part-time and volunteer firefighters and other public safety members from workers’ comp if it’s cardiac-related,” he said. The department had the misfortune of experiencing that situation when one of its firefighters died five years ago while en route to a fire.
Grant Township firefighter Michael Buitendorp, 40, died while responding to a camper fire on South Forest Glen Drive, Nov. 18, 2020. His workers’ compensation claim was denied due to his part-time status and the nature of his death, which was a heart attack, said Yost.
“We’re fighting for that legislation to be changed.” Yost said he has received information that a bill is going to be re-introduced “to change that legislation to include all firefighters and anyone in public safety, because right now it specifically excludes part-time or paid on-call firefighters, law enforcement and EMS — any emergency worker — and it exempts them from workers’ comp benefits if it’s cardiac-related. It pretty much exempts 80 percent of the fire departments in Michigan.”
The Go Fund Me Page for Flores states the following:
Gilbert’s Medical Fund: A Community Call
Gilbert has dedicated many years of service to our community, always putting others before himself. Now, he and his family need our support. With an extended hospital stay and recovery ahead, Gilbert will be facing a loss of income from his full-time job, adding financial strain to an already difficult time.
We are asking for donations to help cover medical expenses and assist his family during this period. Any amount, big or small, will make a difference in easing their burden.
Thank you for your generosity and support. Let’s come together to help Gilbert as he has always helped others.
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