Lincoln Park Police Chief Steve Martin
By SUE SUCHYTA
Sunday Times Newspapers
LINCOLN PARK – From providing COVID-19 vaccinations to the homebound, to procuring smoke detectors for seniors in need, Fire Chief Steve Martin and his team has been busy serving the city’s residents.
At the Aug. 2 online City Council meeting, Martin said that in the last three month, the department have had 1,712 calls for service, of which 1,448 were emergency medical service calls, and 54 were fire calls, which included 19 building fires, 10 vehicle fires, 23 rubbish, trash or trash bin fires, and two cooking-related fires.
He said there was one civilian fire-related injury during the three-month period, and no fatalities.
Martin said the department responded to 83 other hazards, which include gas leaks, wires down and carbon monoxide runs.
He said the department responded to 27 mutual aid calls, providing aid to other communities nine times, and receiving help from other communities 18 times.
Members of the department also are required to complete training every month, to keep their medical licensure current. Classes include emergency driving dynamics and characteristics, facial trauma emergencies, chronic care patients, treating hepatitis patients, the FEMA incident command system, opioid emergencies and medication resistant pathogens.
Martin said the department switched ambulance companies, and Beaumont Mobile Medicine, which it used for the past three years, was bought out by Superior Ambulance, and when their contract ended, Lifeline Ambulance, which is located in Lincoln Park, was awarded a three-year contract.
“They have been working out well,” he said. “We expect it to stay that way.”
Martin said the remaining members of the Fire Department recently were vaccinated for COVID-19, and when they have their second dose later this month, the department will have achieved 100 percent vaccination status.
“Along those lines, in coordination with the Wayne County Health Department, we’ve been able to reach some of our homebound residents, who haven’t been able to get out and vaccinated, and we have been able to give that to them in their home,” he said. “We continue to work to reach more residents, as our staffing allows, and we have more people on the list that we hope to reach out to within the next coming weeks.”
Martin said the department has used Community Development Block Grant funds to purchase smoke detectors, and will begin reaching out to eligible seniors, age 60 and older.
He said Lincoln Park seniors may sign up by calling his office, at 313-381-1100, option 2, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday through Thursday, or use the online form, and return the form in person, by email, or traditional mail. The form also is on the city website.
“If you need assistance, we can even come to your house and install it for you,” Martin said. “With the terms of the grant, we are trying to do every level of the home, so, if you have a basement, you have a bungalow, you will get one for the upstairs, one for the downstairs and every occupied bedroom.
“We are trying to get the most vulnerable population in our city get smoke detectors in their house and make everything a little bit safer.”