Each month on FOX 2, we salute local first responders, military personnel, or veterans with our Proud to Serve award.
This month, we introduce Kevin Martin, who has given 45 years of volunteer hours to the New Melle Fire Department. The New Melle FD has grown from an all-volunteer response team when they started, and they now have one station, 12 employees, 3 shifts of four, a Fire Chief and Secretary. The department responds to 800-900 calls a year in a very rural area that includes waterways, hillsides, and large acreage to cover.
Kevin was nominated by his sister-in-law who tells us:
Kevin is my amazing brother-in-law. Aside from being a great husband, father, and grandfather, he is one of the best humans that I know. Kevin has volunteered for the New Melle Fire District for 45 years as a volunteer. It’s one of the only combination departments in the area. (Volunteer/Career) Kevin is currently the Division Chief in the Volunteer Division.
When my family moved to New Melle in 1972 and later when Kevin started with the department, the fire station worked with a party line fire phone, then graduated to pagers, and now the firefighters are dispatched with 911.
Kevin and the department respond to all different types of emergency calls which have included a cow stuck in a pond, structure fires, brush fires, a glider stuck in a tree, a plane crash, MVAs, and sick calls. Whatever is needed, Kevin can be counted on.
Trainings for the department’s firefighters and volunteers are held on Tuesday evenings and weekends. Some classes & conferences, and staff meetings are held during working hours and attended all on his own time. (Paric graciously allows Kevin to attend these meetings).
The New Melle Fire District covers an unimaginable amount of rural area with all types of terrain and waterways. Kevin, having grown up here, knows the area and the people like no other. He is a leader and a hero in our community who does not get paid for the countless hours he has spent helping the community over the 45 years of his service. I am proud of Kevin for all of his gifts he has brought to New Melle, our surrounding area, and our family.
Kevin Martin receives $500 from Brown & Brown Law Firm and FOX 2’s Proud to Serve Award. If you would like to nominate a 1st responder, military or veteran, click here.
