Fire chief describes the calls of duty

Caring for residents takes the fire department down many roads.

By Linda Linonis

LIBERTY — “Service is the No. 1 job” is how Fire Chief Michael Durkin describes his department’s work.

“We’re here to take care of residents,” he said, noting that fire calls are just a portion of what the department does.

In its mission statement, the department promises “to protect life and property” ... “by providing the highest- quality professional fire prevention, public education, fire suppression, rescue and emergency medical services.”

The department’s mission also mentions a “commitment to serving our customers, through innovation, with integrity, and with an emphasis on safety and quality.”

One service, seemingly reminiscent of something Sheriff Andy Taylor might do for the neighbors in Mayberry, is helping senior citizens and those with chronic illnesses get their prescriptions.

“It doesn’t present any complication for the department to help out,” Durkin said.

He noted a storm once knocked down a telephone pole, blocking a woman’s driveway. “She was a diabetic and needed her medicine,” Durkin said. “We got her prescription and brought along some orange juice, too.”

He said Liberty Township has about 13,700 residents who live in 16.7 square miles. “It’s small enough that we are able to help those who need it,” he said.

When there’s a lot of snow and roads are bad, seniors and those with chronic illnesses can call the department at (330) 759-0363 or dispatch at (330) 759-1511 to get nonemergency help, Durkin said. Office hours are from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays through Fridays; the office is closed weekends and holidays. If residents need to call the department in a nonemergency situation outside of office hours, they can call the shift captain at (330) 759-8081.

In an emergency, people should always call 911 first.

“A lot of Trumbull County departments provide such services,” Durkin said.

He said the fire unit works in conjunction with the police department and the Liberty Senior Watch Program. That program has a phone-call system to check the welfare of seniors, who make up a sizable number of the population in Liberty.

Durkin noted that those signed up for Senior Watch can provide a key for a lockbox for which only the police and fire departments have access. In an emergency, police and fire personnel can use the key to get into the house. “Then we don’t have to knock down the door,” he said.

For information on the Senior Watch program, residents can call Capt. Toby Meloro or Detective Sgt. Robert Greaf at (330) 759-1315.

Durkin said winter also poses the risk of slips and falls for older people. The fire department responds to those accidents, and all firefighters are paramedics.

In 2009, they responded to 788 fire calls and 1,184 EMS calls.

At various times, the department has applied for and received grants for smoke detectors, which the department helps install. Donations also have been used to buy detectors.

Durkin also noted that the department offers blood-pressure checks at the monthly meeting of the Liberty Historical Society, which meets at 10 a.m. the first Thursday of each month at the administration building.

At a recent meeting, medical vials for medical information and a list of prescriptions were distributed. Carol Faustino, society president, said her husband, Fred Faustino, serves on the senior advisory board for elderly affairs in Trumbull County and gave them to distribute at the society meeting. A sticker in the window at a home alerts the fire department to the vial, which is stored in the refrigerator.

“The fire and police chiefs attend our meetings and give us useful information,” Carol Faustino said.