Island, county emergency responders recognized with award
The Sanibel Fire and Rescue District recently honored staff, as well as members of the Sanibel Police Department and Lee County Emergency Medical Services, with the prestigious Phoenix Award.
At the May 10 meeting of the fire district’s commission, 10 first responders were recognized for their life-saving efforts on April 3. At about 2:30 a.m., a call came in about a cardiac arrest at a residence on the east end of Sanibel. Officials reported that the patient, Jane Henshaw, was found in cardiac arrest.
“They proceeded to conduct life-saving treatments,” Capt. John DiMaria said of the group of fire, police and EMS staff that responded. “They were able to get a heartbeat back, a heart rhythm back.”
Henshaw was then transported to the hospital for further treatment.
At this week’s meeting, she was in attendance to present those first responders with their award.
Prior to the presentation, Fire Chief Kevin Barbot talked about the training staff undergo for critical situations like this. He praised the three agencies for working together and the success of their efforts.
“Every life matters,” Barbot said.
The Phoenix Award recognizes first responders who successfully bring back to life individuals who were in cardiac arrest and who make a full recovery from the incident, according to fire officials.
Firefighter Robert Bell, SPD Sgt. Jarred Ciccone, EMS paramedic Mike Cunningham, SPD Officer Kyle Eckert, fire Capt. Chris Jackson, SPD dispatcher Courtney McCarthy, firefighter Arian Moore, firefighter Michael Tejeda, SPD Lt. Grace Towler and EMS EMT Wayne Young received the award.
“I know the community is very proud of our firefighters and what they do for our community,” Commissioner Jerry Muench said following the awards presentation.
Also during the meeting, the district recognized the promotion of firefighter Michael Martin to lieutenant, as well as recognized and swore in Tejeda for completing his probationary year.
After the ceremonies, the commission continued on with its meeting.
Fire Chief Kevin Barbot provided a finance overview for the district.
On the tax relief bill offered due to Hurricane Ian, more than 19,000 applications had been received by the Lee County Property Appraiser’s Office and about 11,500 had been processed as of May 5. Outstanding ad valorem revenue is about $232,830. The property appraiser’s office has projected post-Ian property value adjustments at 20-30%. He explained that this could translate to a $1.6 million to $2.4 million budget loss for the district for fiscal year 2023-24, before the tax relief bill’s impact.
“When you add the two, it’s time to get creative,” Barbot said, adding that retaining staff in order to maintain service for the community is the top priority, so there will not be any personnel layoffs.
He reported on the district’s year-to-date revenues and expenditures, as well as projected FEMA reimbursements. On FEMA’s Community Disaster Loan, Barbot reported that all reviews are done.
As for Station 172 on Sanibel-Captiva Road, staff are continuing to check the numbers against the FEMA 50% rule for full structural replacement. The review was 80% complete at the second check.
“Things are looking very positive for us,” he said. “We’re getting some positive traction there.”
Barbot reiterated that the goal is to have the federal government fund the rebuild of the station rather than local taxes from property owners. However, staff are proceeding with the plan for rebuilding.
“We can’t stay in a trailer forever,” he said.
Barbot also provided an overview of the financial impact of personnel services. He noted that staff have stepped up to help with cost savings for the district by taking on projects they have expertise on, like repairing pumps, fixing electrical issues and picking up apparatus items to avoid delivery fees.
“All done in-house,” he said. “All of this helps with our budget concerns.”
“Our entire body, our entire team, knows what we’re dealing with,” Barbot added.
IN OTHER NEWS
– Division Chief of Prevention Larry Williams reported that firewall code updates are continuing.
He conducted 76 plan reviews in April, with a total of 391 done so far this year.
– DiMaria reported that he is incorporating Water Safety Month into the CPR classes set for May.
– The district has responded to 321 calls this year, compared to 680 for the same period for 2022.
“So we’re down about 53%,” DiMaria said.