January 3rd, 2010 – At 1406 hours communications transmitted an alarm for a house fire possibly fully involved at 8400 block of San Carlos Blvd. Engine 51, Engine 43, Truck 42, Rescue 51, Battalion 50, and Medic 9 responded on the assignment.
Units arrived to find a fire in the kitchen that was quickly knocked down. Battalion 50 then canceled Engine 43 and Truck 42. Units remained on the scene checking for extension, ventilating, and investigating the cause of the fire.
January 2nd, 2010 – At 1215 hours communications transmitted an alarm for a building fire at Miromar Outlets. Communications advised the caller reported a fire in the bathroom at the La Bamba Mexican Restaurant 10801 Corkscrew Rd. Engine 44, Engine 43, Engine 53, Ladder 53, Battalion 40, and Medic 9 responded on the assignment.
Units arrived to find smoke in the restaurant and a fire in the bathroom extending into the walls and ceiling. The fire was extinguished and units went to work overhauling, checking for extension, ventilating, and investigating the cause of the fire. Battalion 40 requested the Arson Investigator due to the suspicious nature of the fire.
January 2nd, 2010 – At 0710 hours communications transmitted an alarm for a house fire on the 8300 block of Robin Road. Communications reported the house was filling with smoke and the smoke detectors were ringing. Engine 51, Engine 43, Ladder 41, Rescue 51, Battalion 50, and Medic 9 responded on the assignment.
Units arrived to find smoke in the residence and after investigating it was determined the air handler heater in the garage burned up. Weather conditions had temperatures dipping into the 40’s during the overnight hours. Battalion 50 then released Engine 43 and Ladder 41 who were staged on the scene. Engine 51 and Rescue 51 remained on the scene ventilating, and controlling the utilities.
December 27th, 2009 – At 1940 hours communications transmitted a Haz-Mat alarm for a gas leak in a group home in the 7400 block of Carrier Road. Engine 51, Engine 52, Rescue 51, Battalion 50, and Medic 9 responded on the assignment.
Units arrived and staged away from the scene establishing a safety perimeter. Engine 51 investigated and located a malfunctioning gas stove and a residence charged with gas. Units isolated the source and then ventilated the residence. Command held all units for approximately one hour prior to returning to service.
December 26th, 2009 – At 1524 hours communications transmitted an alarm for a building fire and explosion at the Miromar Outlet Mall 10801 Corkscrew Road Estero FL in the vicinity of Neiman Marcus, Godiva Chocolatier and Le Gourmet Chefand. Engine 44, Engine 43, Ladder 53, Battalion 40, and Medic 25 responded on the assignment.
Units arrived to find a large pad mount transformer fully involved in fire outside the building and fire that had extended inside the building. The building’s sprinkler system helped extinguish the fire, but not before it could cause an estimated $150,000 damage according to news reports.
December 8th, 2009 – At 0515 hours communications transmitted an alarm for a building fire with flames showing at 8024 Alico Road between US 41 & I-75. Engine 51, Engine 512, Engine 52, Engine 53, Rescue 51 and Battalion 50 responded on the assignment. (Click the play button above to listen to the dispatch and initial scene audio. Dead air has been deleted providing continuous listening.)
Battalion 50 arrived on the scene within minutes of the initial dispatch reporting heavy fire throughout the plaza initiating a defensive operation.
Units from Battalion 60 and Battalion 40 were relocated into Station 51 and Station 52 for coverage throughout the fire.
The building was a total loss upon arrival and crews on the scene kept the fire from spreading into the two adjoining exposure occupancies in the same building, and the delta exposure. Crews remained on the scene till the afternoon hours while the State Fire Marshall’s Office completed their investigation.
October 25th, 2009 – At 1542 hours while Engine 51, Ladder 53, and Battalion 50 were on the scene of an MVA at Alico Road & I-75 a passerby reported a serious rollover MVA with ejection on I-75 north of Alico Road.
Battalion 50 responded along with Ladder 53, Engine 62, and Engine 64. Units arrived on scene to find one ejected and one trapped in a single vehicle crash. The subject was trapped for just over 30 minutes.
October 18th, 2009 Today a group of Laid Off Firefighters and Firefighters from other area agencies joined together at City of Fort Myers Station # 16 on Veronica Shoemaker Blvd.
Help “ReHireTheFire” click here and follow them on Facebook.com/ReHireTheFire !!!
It is also the start of Florida City Government Week. The City of Fort Myers decided to kick off this week with an open house at Fire Station #16. The city wants to spread the word that it’s residents can shape and influence city government.
Join us in re-shaping and influencing the City of Fort Myers to “Re Hire The Fire” the laid off Firefighters. Contact the city politicians and express your feelings and influence city politicians as they have asked to return to NFPA 1710 company staffing levels (recommended by the International City Managers Association), re-open the closed Ladder Co. and two Rescue Co.’s, and restore the employment and Re-Hire the 17 laid off Firefighters.
Contact City Politicians at the following contact information below:
Fort Myers Firefighter Layoff Informational Pickett
Re-Hire Laid Off City of Fort Myers Firefighters
City of Fort Myers Manager to Reduce Engine Co. & Truck Co. Staffing Compromising Public Safety
Click to read other area Firefighter Layoff articles
Return to the San Carlos Firefighters Homepage
Go to the San Carlos Firefighters Photo & Video Gallery
Saturday, October 17, 2009 – At 0144 hours the alarm was transmitted for the house fire on Huckleberry Road just north of San Carlos Blvd. Engine 51, Engine 43, Ladder 41, Rescue 51, and Battalion 50 responded on the assignment.
Engine 51, Battalion 50 and Rescue 51 arrived on the scene within minutes of the initial dispatch reporting heavy fire conditions from the alpha side of the structure.
Engine 51 was advised by a Lee County Sheriff’s Deputy on the scene that they could hear someone crying inside the residence. Command was advised of the possibility of persons trapped inside the residence. Engine 51 stretched the pre-connect and put a quick knockdown on the visible fire as the front door was being forced.
With the front door forced Engine 51 and Rescue 51 entered the residence and began a primary search of both sides of the home. Command then pulled all crews from the residence as the fire had vented through the roof.
The primary attack line and backup line were then directed into the converted garage bedroom and the attic space to extinguish the remaining fire. The fire was put out in about 10 minutes. Engine 51, Rescue 51 and Engine 43 then regained access to the residence, began opening up walls, knocked down the remaining fire in the attic space above the bravo side of the home, and completed a secondary search revealing an english bulldog and a pitbull in a small enclosed room on the rear of the structure.
The home had heat and smoke damage throughout but the only fire damage was contained to the area above the garage and hallway just inside the home. Engine 53 was special called to the scene to assist with restoring Engine 51 and the 900 feet of 5″ hose laid by Engine 43. The fire was declared out at approximately 0300 hours Crews remained on the scene till 0545 hours till the State Fire Marshall’s Office completed their investigation.
San Carlos Park Firefighters were then dispatched 30 minutes later to a report of a house fire on Phlox Drive that turned out to be a neighbors car alarm going off and a smell of smoke from the Huckleberry Road fire several blocks to the east.
Return to the San Carlos Firefighters Homepage
Return to the San Carlos Firefighters Photo & Video Gallery
17 City of Fort Myers Firefighters were laid off Wednesday September 23rd 2009. Jeopardizing the lives and property of the residents, employees, and visitors to the City of Fort Myers.
Join them in their in crusade to protect the people and the now short staffed fire department.
The City of Fort Myers Firefighters respond to almost 18,000 alarms/responses annually. This is close to 50 alarms/responses per day placing these professionals as one of the busiest fire rescue agencies in Lee County FL.
In their infinite wisdom the Fort Myers City Council finalized its budget and that means Firefighter layoffs. What does this mean for you?
Watch this short YouTube Video and then finish reading the additional information below.
So will you, the citizen, notice a difference? Fort Myers Deputy Fire Chief Trenton Bowen says you can bet on it. He says two rescue trucks and a ladder truck will now be pulled from service because of the decision. “We’re shutting down apparatuses and we’re going to have to pick and choose some calls,” he said.
Fort Myers City Councilman Warren Wright voted to approve the budget, but says the city should have cut elsewhere. “When I see that we’re keeping open a museum and we’re losing firefighters, to me that borders on insane,” he said. “I’m absolutely frustrated.”
Mayor Randall Henderson says he’ll work to bring the firefighters back. “It’s just going to take time,” he said. “This is going on across our nation. This is not a surprise.”
FIREFIGHTER LAYOFF’S AND CUTS TO PUBLIC SAFETY ARE NOT SOCIALLY ACCEPTABLE JUST BECAUSE SOMEONE ELSE DOES IT – FORT MYERS ALSO IS SHORT CLOSE TO 40 POLICE OFFICERS !!!
The only way to right this wrong is by contacting the elected officials and telling them of your unwillingness to accept their decision to gamble with the public’s lives.
If you don’t voice your opinion, the city will remain with a gutted fire department! Please help us protect the city! Call them all, send emails, and send faxes! Tell them to REHIRE THE FIRE !!!
Here is a GUIDELINE of what you can say, fax and e-mail. Tell them what means the most to you:
Dear XXXXX,
I am seriously disappointed with the budget that was approved on September 23rd. It has severely weakened the fire department’s effectiveness. The city’s policy statement says that you want to preserve and enrich the quality of life, deliver critical public services in a timely and efficient manner, and that the key to doing that is by retaining highly qualified city employees.
But the highly trained firefighters that protect this city were not retained! So how can the city assure it’s citizens of the other aspects of it’s policy? How can the quality of life be enriched in a city where houses are now more likely to be burned down and people are more likely to die in a serious car accident?
Don’t let a Civilian or Firefighters death be what it takes to finally move you to rehire the fire !!!
Concerned for my Safety,
XXXXXXXXX
Contact City Politicians at the following contact information below:
FAX NUMBERS
Fort Myers Firefighter Layoff Informational Pickett
Re-Hire Laid Off City of Fort Myers Firefighters
City of Fort Myers Manager to Reduce Engine Co. & Truck Co. Staffing Compromising Public Safety
RETURN TO THE SAN CARLOS FIREFIGHTERS HOMEPAGE
Florida Fire Fighters support Sink for Governor
www.FireFightersForSink.com
San Carlos Park Professional Firefighters
The Florida Professional Fire Fighters are proud to announce their support for Alex Sink, who is running for Governor of our great state.
After serving as the CFO/State of Florida Fire Marshal for the past 3 years, Florida’s professional fire fighters have come to respect Alex Sink for who she is and the job she has done serving the citizens of Florida.
The Fire Fighters For Sink website has been created as a one stop center for fire fighter resources as they plan events in support of Alex Sink. www.FireFightersForSink.com
If you have a resource or event you would like to add to the effort to elect Alex Sink, please contact us.
Visit the OFFICIAL Alex Sink For Governor Web Page
The one place to find out everything you need to know about the CFO and why she wants to be your next governor
Go to Alex Sink 2010.com NOW !!!
RETURN TO THE SAN CARLOS PARK FIREFIGHTERS HOMEPAGE
Tuesday October 13 2009 Chief 1, Engine 51 and Battalion 50 attended an evening ribbon cutting event for a 5k race over the new Estero Parkway / I-75 Flyover Bridge that will connect U.S. 41 to Ben Hill Griffin Pkwy via Estero Parkway.
The bridge will add another much needed east to west corridor in South Lee County that will provide drivers quicker access to U.S. 41 from points of interest such as FGCU, Germain Arena, Miromar Outlets, and the Gulf Coast Town Center Mall. This new roadway will most likely reduce traffic flow on Alico Road and Corkscrew Road.
The most positive benefit comes in the way of reducing response times for emergency services to neighborhoods on both sides of the interstate.
San Carlos Park Fire Rescue Station # 53 located at 19591 Ben Hill Griffin Parkway will see their response distances to San Carlos Park, Three Oaks, and Estero Parkway decrease 5.5 miles.
San Carlos Park Fire Rescue Station # 51 will see their responses distances to Miromar Lakes, and FGCU decrease 1.5 miles.
The greater benefit for Station 51 and Station 53 will be the ability to avoid the highly congested Alico Road and Corkscrew Road corridors.
RETURN TO THE SAN CARLOS PARK FIREFIGHTERS HOMEPAGE
The National Labor College formerly known as the George Meaney Center for Labor Studies in Silver Spring MD is the educational arm of the AFL-CIO.
If you have been considering returning to school to pursue higher education the National Labor College may just have the program you’ve been seeking.
The Administration, Faculty and Staff are extremely positive and want you to succeed in your educational goals.
The NLC focuses on the learning needs of unionists, so the courses are organized around your busy schedule. You can choose classes that meet entirely in the classroom, those that blend face-to-face and online learning or fully online courses—all designed to fulfill your learning needs and scheduled to make your degree achievable. As you study and learn, you will interact with unionists from all over North America in an atmosphere designed for your success.
The National Labor College will assist you in retrieving credits you may have earned from previous institutions of higher learning, military credits, or apprenticeship work. You have the opportunity to transfer up to 90 credits for the BA program and 69 credits for the BTPS program, including many apprenticeships, partnerships, training, and safety classes.
The Southwest Florida Professional Firefighters & Paramedics IAFF Local 1826 Inc. have just released a first ever “NEW” Challenge Coin to Benefit the Member’s Assistance Fund.
These coins will be sold for $5.00 with all profits (approximately $1.50 ea.) being donated to the Local 1826 Member’s Assistance Fund. This is the fund that the $17,500.00 came from to support our “laid-off” employees and other employees past and present experiencing hardships.
Show your support and purchase a challenge coin by stopping in the IAFF Local 1826 Union Hall at 2030 West First Street Fort Myers FL 33901.
RETURN TO THE SAN CARLOS PARK FIREFIGHTERS HOMEPAGE
Thursday September 17th 2009 at 0425 hours communications alerted Engine 51 and Battalion 50 to respond to Miami Blvd for the vehicle fire in the driveway of a duplex.
As Engine 51 and Battalion 50 made the corner onto Miami Blvd from San Carlos Blvd there was no trouble in finding the exact location of the incident. Engine 51 called out on the scene with a small pickup truck heavily involved vehicle fire from the engine compartment to the bed.
Engine 51 deployed their trash line and knocked down the fire quickly followed by overhauling and opening up the engine compartment to finish extinguishing the fire.
The State Fire Marshall’s Office was notified and responded to the scene to investigate the cause of the fire. All units returned to service at 0555 hours.
RETURN TO THE SAN CARLOS FIREFIGHTERS HOMEPAGE
September 11, 2009 Today marks the eighth anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on our country which took the lives of 347 dedicated IAFF members. As set forth by “Resolution 9/11 Firefighter Day of Remembrance” passed at the 2006 IAFF Convention, IAFF members are encouraged to solemnly recognize this day “as a Day of Remembrance for all fire fighters who fall in the line of duty everywhere.”
September 11, 2001 was the darkest day in the IAFF’s 90-year history. Not before or since have we lost so many of our brothers or sisters in a single day. This union responded by raising and distributing more than $160 million dollars to the families of our members and by establishing and continuing to this day counseling services to assist those who served with our fallen and to help them recover.
Every fire fighter life is as precious to us as any member of our family would be. A feeling of great sadness and loss spreads across our union each time we lose a member of our fire fighting family.
Since 9/11, nearly 700 IAFF fire fighters in the United States and Canada have given their lives in the line of duty. So, today, let us remember the 347 who made the ultimate sacrifice at Ground Zero and never forget all of our fallen brothers and sisters.
Monday September 7th, 2009 IAFF Local 1826 presented a check for $112,484 to the local chapter of the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) at a live broadcast during the Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon from WGCU Studio’s on the campus of FGCU in Fort Myers FL.
These funds were raised during IAFF Local 1826’s “Fill the Boot” Boot Drive in late March 2009 when our members took to the streets to collect money for MDA on an annual basis.
The check was presented by IAFF Local 1826 MDA Coordinator Ryan Gagnon and accompanied by brothers from IAFF Local 1826 9th District San Carlos Park whose district made the largest contribution of $15,267.
RETURN TO THE SAN CARLOS FIREFIGHTERS HOMEPAGE
Thursday September 3rd, 2009 At 1647 hours Engine 53 and Battalion 50 were alerted to respond to the intersection of I-75 and Alico Road for a report of a motorvehicle rollover with injuries.
Engine 53 and Engine 51 arrived on the scene and found a SUV that had rolled off the interstate, through a canal, and into a retension fence, coming to rest against some trees.
Engine 53 and Engine 51 went to work cutting the trapped driver from the vehicle. All units cleared the scene around 1730 hours.
Tuesday Sept. 1st 2009 At 1944 hours communications alerted Engine 44, Engine 43, Ladder 53, Battalion 40 and Medic 21 to respond to a report of a house fire at 11528 Woodmount Lane in the Stoneybrook Golf Club community just south of Corkscrew Road in Estero FL . The entire area had been subject to a large lightning storm a few hours before and communications reported that the caller indicated that the fire was in the attic.
Engine 44, Engine 43, and Ladder 53 arrived on scene reporting smoke showing from the roof. Engine 44 made access to the home, Ladder 53 setup and went to the roof while Engine 43 assumed RIT. Engine 44 reported a fire in the attic and Battalion 40 requested Ladder 41 to respond and Engine 23 to move into Station 43 for coverage.
The companies made quick work of the advancing fire and opened up the ceiling in one of the upstairs bedrooms to achieve a quick and efficient knockdown. Crews then finished suppressing the fire and performed some overhaul of the affected area.
Ladder 53 and Ladder 41 operated till approximately 2115 with the balance of the companies on the scene operating till just before 2200 hours when the fire was declared out and all units were cleared by Battalion 40.
August 27th, 2009 – The International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) today sent a letter to Lehigh Acres (Florida) Fire Chief Donald Adams and the Lehigh Acres Fire District outlining its concern over layoffs and other cuts to the fire service and offered to help the district apply for federal grants to fund fire fighter salaries and restore public safety.
The following is the content of that letter written to the Lehigh Acres Fire Chief Donald Adams from IAFF General President Harold Schaitberger.
The letter can be viewed here: www.iaff.org/comm/PDFs/Lehigh.pdf
August 27, 2009
Chief Donald R. Adams, Sr.
Lehigh Acres Fire and Rescue
636 Thomas Sherwin Ave. S.
Lehigh Acres, FL 33974
Dear Chief Adams:
It is the solemn duty of the members of the International Association of Fire Fighters Local 1826 to protect life and property in their jurisdiction. They chose this role and perform their duties with passion and resolve; they hold the lives of the community at large in high regard and are willing to risk their own lives if necessary in the performance of these duties. In as much, it is the responsibility of the elected and appointed officials to assure the health, safety and well-being of these servants. That’s why I’m writing to you. My members’ lives are at risk in Lehigh Acres, and the security of your community is at stake.
These are challenging times, and we fully understand that communities across the country have seen revenues drop as a result of our nation’s economic crisis, and that has in turn put tremendous fiscal pressures on local governments.
But taking away life-saving resources as a response to financial problems is an enormous risk for your community and the firefighters who respond to the emergency calls each and every time the tones sound in your firehouses.
We’ve seen dangerous cuts in other jurisdictions around the United States, but the cuts in Lehigh Acres are especially alarming. No amount of rhetoric can cover the fact that the cuts you’ve implemented endanger firefighters and the community of Lehigh Acres.
Chief Donald R. Adams, Sr.
Lehigh Acres Fire and Rescue
August 27, 2009
Page 2
I understand that your Fire District budget has a $9 million shortfall and you must do something to close the gap. Therefore, I would like to offer a solution that will address one of your major funding issues quickly and get those fire fighters back to work.
To protect communities where the economic crisis is threatening public safety and fire fighters’ ability to protect citizens – just like in Lehigh Acres – the IAFF was successful in lobbying Congress and the Obama administration to approve an IAFF proposal that will allow the use of federal funding through the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant program to rehire laid-off fire fighters and prevent reductions in force specifically related to this economic downturn.
The IAFF is now working with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to finalize the guidelines for administering the changed SAFER grants program, and I believe those guidelines will be released very soon.
DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano has already agreed to delay the 2009 application process to ensure that the $210 million that Congress appropriated for SAFER for 2009 can be used to address the current wave of staffing cuts. In addition, Congress has approved $420 million for the SAFER program for Fiscal Year 2010, which will also be available under the new guidelines.
The new guidelines will also prioritize and cut the red tape for cases of extreme need, like Lehigh Acres, which has already announced layoffs of the 35 dedicated fire fighters to whom you handed pink slips. The new rules will NOT require your jurisdiction to match any of the federal funds or to provide maintenance funding for the positions. So with your application, this is virtually no-strings-attached funding to put these fire fighters back to work.
With the families and lives of 35 fire fighters on the line, along with emergency response capabilities for Lehigh Acres citizens at risk from reduced resources, there is no reason that Lehigh Acres shouldn’t apply for this funding. In fact, I personally pledge that the IAFF will use our extensive resources in Washington, DC, to assist your community in applying for the grants. But it will require your sign off to make it happen.
This critically needed funding will alleviate the need to keep fire fighters laid off and keep fire protection strong in Lehigh Acres.
I urge you to work with us and the talented and dedicated leadership of IAFF Local 1826, to be ready to apply for SAFER grants as soon as the application period is announced. We stand ready to assist.
Fraternally,
Harold A. Schaitberger
General President
cc: Walter Stevens, President, IAFF Local 1826, Southwest Florida Professional Fire Fighters
Larry F. Osborne, IAFF 12th District Vice President
Robert K. Carver, President, Florida Professional Firefighters
1750 NEW YORK AVENUE, N.W., WASHINGTON, D.C. 20006-5395
(202) 737-8484 FAX (202) 737-8418 WWW.IAFF.ORG
LEHIGH ACRES FIREFIGHTER RELIEF FUND DONATE NATIONWIDE @ WACHOVIA BANK
LEHIGH ACRES FIRE RESCUE “DROPS THE AXE” AND LAYS OFF 35 FIREFIGHTERS
PRESS RELEASE FROM LOCAL 1826 PRES. WALT STEVENS REGARDING THE LEHIGH ACRES LAYOFF’s.
REMEMBER WHEN FLORIDA GOVERNOR CHARLIE CRIST SAID “NO FIREFIGHTERS WILL LOSE THEIR JOB?”
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