The Blade
DUNDEE, Mich. — Dundee officials are seeking a policy change after an urgent-care clinic denied treatment to a firefighter injured in a weekend blaze because he couldn’t present identification.
A member of the Dundee Township Volunteer Fire Department suffered minor injuries while fighting a fire at a mobile home park early Saturday morning. The firefighter, who has not been identified, was injured after partially falling through a floor at the Country Heritage Community Homes offices, 771 Mary Jean Court. Officials were called to the fire at 5:42 a.m.
The man, wearing street clothes, sought treatment at Dundee Urgent Care for rib pain around 9 a.m. that day but was not seen because he did not have a driver’s license, said Dundee village manager David Uhl.
Later in the day, Dan Motylinski, chief of the Dundee Township Volunteer Fire Department, went to the clinic and was told patients need identification or authorization from an employer to be admitted.
The firefighter later received treatment for minor injuries at St. Joseph Hospital in Ann Arbor.
Dr. Mohammed Arsiwala, medical director for the Michigan Urgent Care network, which includes the Dundee clinic, said in a statement Monday that his staff would have treated the man if they had been able to verify his identity and injury with his employer. He said clinic cameras show the man was in the building for about two minutes before leaving.
The clinic apologized in the written statement reading, in part: “We are very sorry that this incident occurred and that the patient who is a firefighter was not treated. We have been in the community for over a decade serving our police and fire in six counties and take pride in caring for them, as well as the community as a whole.”
In a follow-up interview, Dr. Arsiwala said the Dundee fire chief arrived at the clinic at 9:36 a.m. and left a little more than a minute later. To his knowledge, the chief did not request medical care for his employee at the time, Dr. Arsiwala said, but asked for a meeting to discuss the matter.
Dr. Arsiwala, who was not at the Dundee clinic at the time, said he placed several calls to the fire chief that were not returned as of Monday evening.
Dundee police Chief Todd Opperman said firefighters should be able to be treated at the closest medical facility.
Mr. Uhl pointed to Michigan law which exempts firefighters “from carrying certain papers on their person while responding to or returning from a fire alarm or while actually engaged in fighting a fire” and said he hopes the clinic makes a policy change.
“We hope there will be some language come out of this with the urgent care and help get their policy changed,” he said. “Hopefully this isn’t a policy that is widespread [among urgent-care centers].”
State fire investigators ruled the fire an arson, Chief Opperman said. Investigators found an accelerant in multiple locations on the scene. The building, the park’s management office, was deemed a total loss.
Officials think the arson stemmed from a dispute between the trailer park’s management and current or former residents. The current management company took over in August and had been trying to evict residents behind on their payments, Chief Opperman said.
Before the fire, managers had received threats and requested additional police patrols in the area, Chief Opperman said. The chief said they are looking at several people but no one has been arrested. The fire remains under investigation.
Village officials held a news conference Monday about the firefighter’s care and arson case. Representatives of several Monroe County fire departments were present to show solidarity, Mr. Uhl said.
Anyone with information about the fire is asked to call the Dundee Police Department at 734-529-3430, or Crime Stoppers of Michigan at 1-800-SPEAK-UP.
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