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And they make the alarms themselves — one involving a soda can that gets tipped over by an incoming fax. The clink of the can means there’s an emergency. Then there’ the chain-reaction gadget: a fax hits a door hinge, which then tugs on a wire, which then sets off a doorbell.
“It sounds unbelievable, but it’s truly what the guys have been doing and dealing with for a long, long time,” said Detroit Deputy Fire Commissioner John Berlin, adding that technological upgrades are long overdue. “We’re in desperate need. We’re probably 30 years behind.”
Berlin’s comments confirmed testimony of a recovery consultant for the city of Detroit, who said at the bankruptcy trial that technological upgrades are long overdue in the city.
Detroit Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr has made public safety a cornerstone of his $1.4 billion reinvestment strategy over the next 10 years, with $42 million carved out for fire department upgrades, including technology systems.
According to a 2013 report issued by Orr, response times for both the Fire Department and EMS are “extremely slow” compared to other cities.
The Fire Department’s average time is 7 minutes, and EMS’ response time is 15 minutes. That’s partly due to old trucks and ambulances that are poorly maintained, combined with a never-ending string of incidents, the report found. Detroit has had between 11,000 to 12,000 fires every year for the past decade.
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