By Mike Ciampo

The city of Orlando is known for its amusement parks and attractions, so many don’t see the daily acts performed by the city’s bravest: the fire department. Beyond running the typical daily calls that many departments run, they also operate in the parks on technical rescue calls and to assist the park’s response teams with emergency medical incidents. Although those technical rescue incidents are low frequency, runs to the park can increase due to the warm weather.

An increase in medical calls can be the norm for many units. Across the city, large neighborhoods and commercial complexes exist and need fire and EMS protection. A good distance from all the attractions, on the east side of the city, is where you’ll find Engine Company 11. It’s housed with Tower 11, Rescue 11, and District Chief 4. They provided protection to numerous single-family-dwelling neighborhoods and have more than 100 garden apartments and commercial buildings in their district. The firehouse does its share of running and work, and it has earned the nickname of “The Beast of the East”.

Engine Company 11 recently received a 2021 Sutphen heavy-duty custom Monarch pumper. The cab is a five-person, 62-inch, extended tilt-cab with a 10-inch raised roof. It’s painted in the department’s color scheme—black over red. The black paint also encompasses the upper portion of the apparatus body over the roll-up compartments. Running along the base of the cab and around the entire body of the apparatus is red, black, and gold reflective striping for apparatus visibility in the periods of reduced lighting.

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