By Meg Peters
Review Staff Writer
The Lake Orion Police Department awarded several certificates of appreciation to officers of the Oxford Police Department Monday night at the Lake Orion village council meeting.
Upon hearing of the damage inflicted in Lake Orion from the April 12 straight-line windstorm, Joe Young, Oxford Village Manager directed his Department of Public Works employees to respond to Lake Orion to assist.
In addition, the Lake Orion Police Department requested a Mutual Aid assist from the Oxford Police Department to help secure and clear the many emergency runs that were pouring in.
Oxford sent two police officers, two patrol cars and eight reserve police officers. The Oxford DPW responded by sending four employees with heavy equipment and chain saws to clear roadways.
The Oxford ? Lake Orion Dispatch Center performed flawlessly while answering and responding to over 300 calls into the Dispatch center in a short period of time, Chief Jerry Narsh said in a press release.
‘It is without question, that our ability to so quickly answer all the calls and secure the Village would not have been as successful without the incredible assistance from our partners at the Village of Oxford.?
The Oakland County Sheriff’s office was also extremely busy.
Orion Township Fire Department Chief Bob Smith awarded the main dispatcher on duty, Lisa Ludwig of Sterling Heights, with a certificate of appreciation for remaining calm and professional for the eight and a half hour shift she dispatched for Orion Township.
OC Emergency Management Director Mel Maier and Orion Chief Smith presented Ludwig the award at the township board of trustees meeting Monday, April 21.
‘She did a flawless job. We appreciated the way she handled herself, her calls, and her professionalism,? Chief Smith said.
The Orion Township Fire Department responded to 54 emergency calls, dispatching 36 runs to Orion Township and 18 to the Village of Lake Orion. Eight calls were for live-wires down, four calls were for gas leaks, two calls were for medical emergencies, one call for a residential fire and one call to clear a tree from a pump house.
Of the near 300 calls Oxford police dispatched that night, 46 calls were defaulted to the OC sheriff’s dispatch center when Oxford’s 911 lines were busy. Forty-one defaulted calls came from the village of Lake Orion and five from the Village of Oxford.
‘We were happy to assist Oxford dispatch as their backup because they were overwhelmed by the amount of calls coming into their center,? Undersheriff Mike McCabe, of the Oakland County Sheriff’s office, said.