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Lemoore's public safety officers, police, firefighters, keeping the community safe during unusual and difficult times
Also, rest assured that if in the unlikely case a family's home is endangered by fire, the Lemoore Volunteer Fire Department will respond as it has always done, quickly. And if a paramedic (Emergency Medical Technician, EMT) is called for, the local volunteers have eight on duty, and collectively, Lemoore's trained paramedics average about 150 calls per month.
In other words, Lemoore's citizens can rest assured the local police and firefighters' paramount duty is to ensure the safety of Lemoore's citizens, and they will continue with their everyday responsibilities.
Coincidentally, the Lemoore Police Department just released its crime figures for 2019, and according to Lemoore Police Chief Mike Kendall, crime is down, from traffic statistics to the number of tickets awarded to wayward drivers. And while calls for service are up slightly ( 50,339), the number of felony cases dropped 5.1 percent in 2019. Misdemeanors were also down 18 percent.
So far, since the COVID-19 began its assault, Kings County has remained relatively safe, and as of April 10, health officials have reported just seven coronavirus patients.
However, Lemoore police officers and members of the Volunteer Fire Department have indeed implemented safety procedures to thwart the possible virus.
"Everybody (in the department) has gloves and masks," said Lemoore Police Chief Michael Kendall. And the department has its share of hand sanitizers. Fortunately, the city ordered a big batch prior to the pandemic. "We've also had people donate masks, which is very nice. We're doing okay on masks right now."
The department currently fields 38 officers and employs in the neighborhood of seven to 10 reserve officers at any given time.
"We've also closed the (police department) lobby and are doing some things by appointment." He said records are still available to the public, but they will have to come to the police department and use an outside phone to make any requests.
"We're trying to limit the number of people inside the department, including employees. One officer getting exposed (to the virus), and we would have to quarantine an entire shift, which would certainly deplete our manpower," said Kendall.
Should officers respond to a home, they often ask the callers to meet them outside the home. "People are really being compliant with that," he said. "They speak with us at the door unless there is a reason for going into the house.
"That's just our line of work. We're going to go where we're going to go. We're going to respond," said Kendall, regardless of the times.
How many officers are patrolling the streets at any given hour?
"Were still running a normal shift schedule," said the chief. "We haven't had to minimize that. We're not seeing the amount of calls for service we typically do. With people staying inside and staying home, it appears that it helps us because we're not seeing any spikes in crime."
Kendall added that non-compliant businesses closed, and those that did remain open for some time were compliant, and they closed when asked to do so. He said most almost everybody is adhering to the policies.
"We had some concerns at the initial onslaught, but everybody seems to be following the rules, and we haven't had any calls in that regard."
Lemoore's fire chief, Bruce German, is equally proud of his volunteer firemen as they complete their jobs in the throes of this pandemic. It may be that their only setback was the cancellation of an April 27 inaugural golf tournament meant to benefit Fresno's Leon S. Peters Burn Center. It turns out that most of the Valley's golf courses have closed to the public, but German predicts that the volunteers will reschedule the tournament.
Like the police department, the firemen have had to adapt to the new circumstances. For starters, they're wearing the N-95 masks and gloves. German said Lemoore's firefighters also exchanged their regular heavy jacket, boots, and pants for a one-piece coverall.
"We have purchased disinfectants, and If we contact anybody, that yellow jumpsuit (we use), we spray it down with disinfectant, and we let it hang and dry. We have a washing machine, and we wash it, let it air dry, and then it's good to go again."
There are also new protocols for the department's paramedics.
"As of yesterday, the new protocols are that we can respond, but we cannot contact the patient until the ambulance arrives. Only the ambulance paramedic goes in and contacts the patient. If we're needed, he waves us in," said German.
The Lemoore Volunteer Fire Department currently fields 35 firefighters, including the EMTs.
