Swedish delegation impressed by US public safety model.

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"People in Sweden say you can't be a fireman and a policeman at the same time," said Anders Axelsson, spokesperson for a Swedish delegation visiting the Grand Haven Department of Public Safety (Michigan, United States).

"These visits show it can be done," said the section member for the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency, called the MSB (Myndigheten för samhällsskydd och beredskap) in Sweden.

Axelsson and 10 other leaders from the Swedish agency -- which is roughly equivalent to sections of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security -- were spending part of the week in Michigan visiting public safety departments in Berkley, Grosse Pointe Park, Ionia, Grand Haven and Kalamazoo. Their last visit is scheduled for today in Kalamazoo.

Public safety departments combine police and fire services into one unit. In the case of Grand Haven, it also includes emergency services.
The visit was coordinated through the International City/County Managers Association based in Washington, D.C. Tom Wieczorek, the ICMA director of the Center for Public Safety Management and a former Michigan resident, accompanied the contingent from the embassy in Washington.

Axelsson said the group targeted Michigan after reading a paper about the public safety department in Grosse Pointe Park, written by a Wayne State University professor. They had no plans to visit any other state.

"Based on that, we decided to study the public safety departments to see what are the positives and the negatives," Axelsson said.

The group was assigned the task by the Swedish government to research, then propose a framework, for a four-year test period for public safety in that country. Their report, due in June, must show how the department would look, what should be tested and how it would be funded, Axelsson said.

The spokesman said the system is different in Sweden, so they have to "take bits and pieces to see what can fit our system."

Capt. Rick Yonker, acting director of the Grand Haven Department of Public Safety, said that it was an honor to host the visiting delegation.

"It's really nice to have this opportunity to meet somebody from another country," he said Wednesday. "We're proud of what we do and how it works."

Yonker said he hopes that both parties learned a lot from the visit.

The Grand Haven police and fire departments began transitioning into a single public safety department in 1993, with full integration in 1994, Yonker said. The police chief at the time took over as the director, while the fire chief became deputy director. The department no longer has a deputy director.

"The whole reason we did this initially was the city believed we needed more police officers on the roads," Yonker said.

The biggest benefits since the merger, according to Yonker, are a decrease in response times and a reduced police and fire budget. Yonker said he was proud that the department is able to maintain these efficiencies without laying off anyone -- although there was some reduction through attrition. They have even taken on more duties, such as ice rescues and expanding volunteer programs.

Axelsson said Wednesday that all of their visits so far have been successful and that their hosts have been very gracious.

When they return to Sweden, Axelsson said they will need to convince nay-sayers that combined emergency services will provide even better services for their country.

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