Wilmette Rotary member and Fire Chief Brian Lambel was the featured speaker at the May 27 noon meeting. He updated the club on the many critical activities of the Fire Department. In addition to providing fire suppression and emergency medical services to Wilmette residents, the Fire Department also now has a boat docked at the Coast Guard station that provides lifesaving operations on Lake Michigan. The boat is shared with neighboring communities. He noted that the department responds to clost to 4000 calls for service each year with more than 70% paramedic related. They also work closely with Vitalant (formerly LifeSource) on blood drives. Vitalant Executive Director Melissa Halcomb joined Chief Lambel at the meeting. Vitalant makes donations each year to the Firefighters Foundation in recognition of the support they receive from regional fire departments.
