QUINNESEC — Jim Rose has resigned as chief of the Breitung Township Volunteer Fire Department.

The township board accepted his resignation at its most recent meeting, after turning down the move two weeks earlier.

Per his request, Rose will stay on as a firefighter at Station 2 in East Kingsford.

Supervisor Denny Olson said the township will take its time in choosing a new fire chief, probably first soliciting letters of interest from within the roughly 36-member department. Breitung Township has three fire stations — in Quinnesec, East Kingsford and on M-95 — that each have an assistant chief, he noted, and Rose will remain with the department, just in a different capacity.

“We want to make the right decision and get the right person,” Olson said. “We’re going to take it slow and easy.”

Earlier in the meeting June 9, the board and Rose discussed bids on a new pumper truck.

At their May 27 meeting, the board opened bids from Pomasal Fire Equipment of Antigo, Wis., and Midwest Fire of Luverne, Minn., and, rather than take action, turned the bids over to the fire department to determine which was the better option.

During the June 9 meeting, Trustee Ben Peterson asked Rose why the fire department’s recommendation included $50,000 worth of options that were not listed on the specification sheet on the invitation to bid. Rose replied they had been rushed, having had only one day to put the spec sheet together.

Treasurer Heather Lieburn said that she looked at other spec sheets from municipalities in the Upper Peninsula and the shortest was 25 pages; some went up to 100 pages. Breitung’s spec sheet was two pages, she noted.

Lieburn also said that fire truck suppliers require four to eight weeks to put a bid together.

“I do not think we did any justice to anybody by rushing the bid process. I did not see one that was two weeks long,” Lieburn said.

Trustee William Day said a company told him more time was needed to prepare a bid, at least 30 days.

Supervisor Denny Olson worried if the township delayed the purchase any longer the tariffs may take effect and the price could go up considerably. Olson also noted a delay could mean the township would not get this year’s model and that next year’s new emission standards may cause performance problems for the new fire truck.

A motion from Olson to purchase the Pierce truck from Pomasal Fire Equipment for $535,617 failed for lack of a second.

Later in the meeting, Rose during his monthly report asked what he should do regarding the pumper truck.

Peterson made a motion to solicit more bids with an Aug. 25 deadline, then amended that to July 21 after it was pointed out they would lose the 60-day price guarantee on the two bids already in hand.

Rose said he will make up a new spec sheet.

In other business, the board June 9:

— Passed a motion to fix the Quinnesec Park soccer field in time for spring 2026. The field now has a sandy surface that allows water to soak into the ground too fast, so many scheduled games have to be canceled due to the conditions. The township will consult an engineer to determine a solution, which may include a layer of clay beneath the topsoil.

— Instructed Superintendent Steve Mulka to get designs and cost estimates on a backup generator for the Township Hall.

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Betsy Bloom contributed to this story.