"It'll be good for the community to bring the resources and manpower together," Charlevoix Township Fire Department Chief Dan Thorpe said. Two Charlevoix County fire departments are getting closer to joining forces. City and township officials have been working closely for months to determine the most efficient way to run the departments. Charlevoix Township has approved and submitted an agreement to the City of Charlevoix to take over their service. The city has had two serious downtown fires recently. The first started in Johan's Bakery in November. Then, on Christmas Eve, a fire broke out at the Cherry Republic building. The city and township responded to both. 9 & 10's Blayke Roznowski and photojournalist Noah Jurik look into the reasons for a fire merger.