News · Bay City
Coast Guard restores full operations at Station Saginaw River in Essexville
ESSEXVILLE — The U.S. Coast Guard will fully restore staffing and operations at Station Saginaw River in Essexville, the search and rescue station that serves Saginaw Bay, U.S. Sen. Gary Peters’ office announced Monday.
WNEM reported the Coast Guard’s decision on Oct. 2.
The decision reverses operational changes announced at Coast Guard stations across Michigan, which Peters tied to personnel shortages. Peters, a Michigan Democrat, said Coast Guard recruitment is now at record levels, and that the rise in recruits made the return of full operations possible.
“This announcement will improve the Coast Guard’s ability to respond to crises on the water, keeping Michiganders safe and secure,” Peters said.
Bay City Fire Chief Kurt Corradi said the Coast Guard’s operational changes had put a strain on local emergency response teams. “The return to full staffing is welcome news for our partners across the Bay Region,” Corradi said in the statement.
Peters said other stations are still waiting. “The job is not finished until full operations are restored at every impacted Coast Guard station in Michigan,” he said.
According to his office, Peters called on the Trump administration in May 2025 to prioritize funding for Coast Guard recruitment and retention, and in November 2025 raised the staffing concerns with Adm. Kevin E. Lunday, then the nominee for Coast Guard commandant.
The announcement did not say when full operations would resume or how many Coast Guard members would be assigned to the station.
Sources:
U.S. Sen. Gary Peters, “Senator Peters Applauds United States Coast Guard Decision to Restore Full Operations & Staffing at USCG Station Saginaw River,” Oct. 5, 2026, https://www.peters.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/senator-peters-applauds-united-states-coast-guard-decision-to-restore-full-operations-and-staffing-at-uscg-station-saginaw-river
WNEM, “Coast Guard to restore full operations at Saginaw River station,” Oct. 2, 2026, https://www.wnem.com/2026/10/02/coast-guard-restore-full-operations-saginaw-river-station/
Photo: Chief Petty Officer John Masson, U.S. Coast Guard, “MCPOCG visit to STANT Saginaw,” Wikimedia Commons, public domain, cropped and color-corrected, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:MCPOCG_visit_to_STANT_Saginaw_DVIDS1113870.jpg
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