New fire commissioner sworn in
A newly-elected commissioner for the Sanibel Fire and Rescue District was sworn in at its recent meeting, along with the date and time announced for the district’s annual pinning ceremony.
On Dec. 12, Commissioner Richard McCurry was sworn into office as family, friends and district employees watched. He joins Commissioners Bruce Cochrane and Jerry Muench. The board also voted for its new officers: Muench as chair, Cochrane as vice chair, and McCurry as secretary-treasurer.
Also at the meeting, Training Officer Capt. Tim Barrett reported that the pinning ceremony is scheduled for Dec. 22 at 10 a.m. at The Community House. Firefighter Craig Shelby, recently off his probation, will be honored, plus the promotions of Capt. Kevin Barbot and Lt. John DiMaria.
“It’s going to be a heck of a party,” he said.
The community is encouraged to come out for the ceremony.
Fire Chief Matt Scott told the commission that the union contract had been ratified.
In addition, the district’s brush truck is nearly complete. He explained that there had been a plumbing issue that needed to be resolved. Scott estimated that it will be out of service for two more weeks.
As part of swapping out the old chassis, he asked commissioners for approval to donate any old unneeded parts to the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation. The district had previously donated an old truck to the SCCF, he explained. The commission gave Scott permission to provide the parts.
Assistant Fire Chief William Briscoe reported that he is still meeting with subcontractors about the radio tower project. He expects to have the costs prepared for review for next month’s meeting.
“So you can see all the prices at that point,” Briscoe said.
The repairs to the bay roof at Station 172 are done. He said Campbell Roofing & Sheet Metal of Florida completed the work in three days. However, there is water-damaged drywall the still needs to be replaced. Briscoe told the commission that he will gather bids for the work starting in January.
“The (fire and rescue) boat is still getting serviced,” he said.
The district is waiting on a replacement part.
Scott estimated that the boat should be operational in approximately two weeks.
Fire Marshal Rick Tassoni reported that BIG ARTS plans to demolish its Dunlop Road structure to make room for a new building starting in April. The project will be completed in four phases.
“It’s getting torn down and built up,” he said.
The Sanibel Sunset Beach Resort received its demolition permit.
“They’re still not sure if they’re going to do that preseason or postseason,” Tassoni said.
He noted that prior to the demolition, however, the district has been given approval by the owner to utilize the structure for training exercises.
Tassoni reported that new modification lines are going in at the Island Water Association East Rocks project. Similar to The Dunes, the fire hydrants are being set up every 500 feet rather than farther apart to help with water access. He explained that the district is supplying them and IWA is installing them.
Campfire permit requests are on the rise, with 40 to 50 issued as of the meeting.
Barrett told the commission that training continues on the new fire truck.
Additional recent training has focused on confined space gas monitoring for special operations, continuing CPR and AED training for public education, and stroke awareness for medical.
“We have some new airway equipment we’re training on,” he said.
Barrett noted that the Sanibel Beach Club II now has an AED.
“Which is good because it’s down on that far end (of the island),” he said.
The district is also taking part in a Stop the Bleed Campaign, which educates the public on how to handle mass bleeding incidents using tourniquets and applying pressure until help can arrive. Barrett explained that the goal is to work with the school and city employees, then later the general public.
“Most people don’t understand how to stop mass bleeding,” he said.
IN OTHER NEWS
– The following employees were recognized for their years of service to the district: Barrett for 20 years; Chris Jackson for 15 years; Todd Walter for three years; and Arian Moore for two years.
– The district received a payment of approximately $1.3 million from Lee County.
– The new fire truck has responded to approximately 200 calls since going into service, about five service calls per day. It was recently used to take part in the annual Friday Night Lights at the Golisano Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida.
– The district responded to 127 calls for service in November, compared to 108 calls during the same month last year. Briscoe expects the year-over-year calls to be up by 100 to 150 compared to 2017.