Page 42 - InCommand Volume 36

OFESF Update
Captain Josh Martell
Josh Martell is a 15-year veteran of the fire service. He started his fire service career volunteering with South Central Fire District (Fredericksburg) were he currently serves as Fire Chief. He began
his full-time career in 2008 with Monroe Township Fire Department (Licking County) where he serves
as a Captain and EMS coordinator. Josh has obtained his Associates degree in Fire Science and is enrolled in the Fire Administration Bachelor degree program through Bowling Green State University. Josh is a member of the Ohio Fire Chiefs Association and holds numerous certifications through the Ohio Department of Public Safety. Josh resides in Fredericksburg with his wife Heather and daughters Abigail and Madelynn.
2021 Ohio Fire & Emergency
Services Foundation Innovation
Award Winner
The Ohio Fire & Emergency Services Foundation Innovation Award is awarded to a member of the Ohio Fire Chiefs’ Association who is innovatively making a difference in Ohio’s fire service by creating a functioning program. Many OFCA members, who are making great strides in their communities, applied for the award, thus making
the application process competitive. It was ultimately voted by the Ohio Fire & Emergency Services Foundation Board of Trustees that Captain Josh Martell, Monroe Township Fire Department (Licking County) would be awarded the 2021 Ohio Fire & Emergency Services Foundation Innovation Award for the Monroe Township Fire Department Neighbor Assist Program.
Monroe Township Fire Department Neighbor Assist Program – Captain Josh Martell
Time is measured in many ways. Sometimes we are lucky enough to measure
it in years or months, but in other moments, we must measure it by heartbeats. Time with a terminally ill friend or family member is measured in heartbeats, and there is never enough of it. We plead for time to stand still: to allow for one more family vacation, one more walk around the pond with a spouse of 50 years, one more afternoon watching the grandkids play ball. But time at the end of life is fragile and fleeting.
When we are advised that hospice should be called for a friend or loved one, that nothing more can be done to prolong their life, time suddenly seems very short. The days, weeks, or months after receiving this news are a blur. Family members focus on providing love, care, and support to their ill loved one. The hospice patient is preparing for the unknown, perhaps afraid or in pain. They may by habit concentrate on supporting their own supporters, all the while facing a parade of doctors and nurses.
Thankfully, in our community, hospice patients and their families no longer have to take this journey alone. The Neighbor Assist Program (NAP) is designed to help patients and their loved ones as they navigate their final time together. The program does not take the place of hospice care. The NAP’s purpose is to assist with day-to-day activities that might otherwise take time away from hospice patients’ last days. The NAP is a resource for those in the community to turn to when times are tough. NAP personnel are committed to helping those in need, and we take joy in facilitating families and friends as they continue to make memories together.
As a 13-year veteran of the Monroe Township Fire Department, I am always on the lookout for new ways to help my community, and in 2019, I recognized this opportunity to collaborate with hospice. In June of that year, the Neighbor
42 InCommand OCTOBER/NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021 • www.ohiofirechiefs.org