For more than 100 years the City of Ionia’s police and fire departments operated as two separate departments. However, in 1987, the two departments merged and formed what is now known as the Ionia Department of Public Safety. At the time of the merger, police officers received the necessary training to become qualified as fire fighters, and some fire fighters received the necessary training to become certified police officers.

After the merger, the Public Safety Department continued to operate out of two separate buildings; the basement of City Hall and the old Fire Department on West Washington Street. In 1992, the City of Ionia constructed a new Public Safety Facility on East Adams Street which now houses all of the Department’s police and fire equipment.

Although the Agency’s jurisdiction is strictly limited to the corporate City limits for police matters, the jurisdiction expands to two surrounding townships (Easton and Ionia) for fire service. The City of Ionia has provided fire service to the two Townships through formal contracts since the 1940s.