Novi fire chief’s career evolved from the funeral industry to saving lives

NOVI — A man who once thought he would be burying people instead continues to save lives as the new chief of the Novi Fire Department.

John Martin, who was promoted to his current rank during a ceremony Aug. 8, started his working career in the field of mortuary science, though he never finished his studies. He was introduced to dealing with the dead at a young age, as a friend’s dad owned a body livery service. Martin said the business expanded to include a funeral home, and at one point he even lived above the funeral home. However, Martin eventually decided that he would rather save people than help bury them, and so he started on a path that would lead to his firefighting career.

“I did a lot of stuff in the outdoors. I mean, mountain biking, kayaking, canoeing, a lot of that type of stuff — kind of like a little bit more remote, and that was more intriguing to me than dealing with people’s sadness and all that. So, that was the better choice,”said Martin.

His mother, Rita Martin, said that a longtime friend was surprised to hear that John had gone from an aspiring mortician to a fire chief, but as his mother, she wasn’t completely surprised. Rita Martin said that although her son didn’t always want to be a firefighter, he did have some qualifying traits for the position as a young boy. He was always climbing, she said, and he could climb the tallest pole.

“Even when he couldn’t walk, he would climb to the top of the slide,” she recalled.

“He said morticians, all they do is sit around, so he decided to go into the Fire Department,” she said.

Prior to working for the Fire Department, John Martin worked for Outward Bound, an outdoor education training program. Martin said he started his firefighting career at a time when the field was very competitive. He said he had some relatives in the Novi area who suggested that he apply to the Novi Fire Department, which he did. He has been working for the city for 20 years.

Martin has an associate degree in fire science from Macomb Community College and a bachelor’s degree in public safety administration from Eastern Michigan University. He is also a licensed paramedic and a paramedic instructor coordinator, a fire instructor, an American Heart Association basic life support instructor, and an emergency casualty care instructor.

In his 20 years of service with the department, Martin has been decorated with six lifesaving awards, two unit citations, two merit citations, a leadership award, an individual achievement award, an advanced education award, a National Fire Academy award and a staff and command award, and he was named the 2011 Firefighter of the Year.

“It was an easy decision with John,” said Erick Zinser, Novi chief of public safety. “He’s very well qualified, knows the department, knows the culture, knows the history. With his qualifications, it was easy.”

Martin said he is passionate about protecting the residents of the city of Novi. This might be evident by his daily commute to and from his home in Macomb Township. He said the drive to work is not bad, as few people are on the roads at the time; however, he said it’s the drive home that is often drawn out. With traffic and construction, he said the drive home can often take up to two and a half hours.

He enjoys being out in the field and plans to continue to do so, despite his new, more administrative role.

“It’s good to get out there and see what goes on,” Martin said. “Because part of it is seeing what everybody is doing and seeing if there is anything that we need to change or keep continuing on with the processes that we do. Not having eyes on it and micromanaging, but it’s seeing how people operate and how people work. The idea that we are here for the community — I want to make sure that everybody has that attitude of taking care of the community.”

He said that part of ensuring that he and his staff take care of the community is through community risk reduction projects. This includes making sure people have enough smoke detectors in their homes; installing car seats, which is done once a month and via appointment; performing home safety inspections; and teaching CPR and water safety classes.

“None of it is punitive,” he said. “We are here to help you.”

As fire chief, Martin said, he has a lot of goals, but one of the most prominent ones is to recruit more firefighters.

“We recruit all the time, but we’re trying to figure out how to get more people — trying to figure out how we can incentivize them to come in.”

Martin said he would also like to provide more training, and newer and upgraded facilities. He also stressed the importance of mental health for firefighters.

“I’m excited for him to do this, because he loves it, and we know it’s important,” said his wife, Renee.