Nearly one year after being sworn in, Petersburg Fire Chief Tina Watkins is no longer in charge, WRIC.com reported Monday. A city spokesperson confirmed the change of leadership in an email to 8News.

Watkins made history last January as the first woman and woman of color to lead the city’s Fire, Rescue and Emergency Services, the report said.

It’s unclear if she was forced out or if she resigned on her own; however, the move comes after months of complaints from within her department about staffing shortages and equipment issues, according to the report.

The Johnson Road Fire Station has closed more than once since September due to staffing shortages, the report said. The Petersburg Professional Fire Fighters Association (PPFFA) sounded the alarm about the closure on its social media pages with a picture of the firehouse with the bold word “CLOSED.” 

Today, the fire engine based at the Johnson Road station is shut down and replaced with a one-person ambulance. #StaffingMatters pic.twitter.com/vKryKzscOm

— Petersburg Professional Fire Fighters – IAFF 2773 (@PetersburgL2773) December 3, 2022

In addition to staffing, there has also been growing concern about equipment issues, the report said. In June, 8News reported that the department was operating with a limited number of fire engines, with at least one of the vehicles in its fleet still out of service.

The PPFFA posted on Instagram that the “firefighting apparatus remains broken down or partially functional.”

Petersburg has named Chris McGann as interim chief, according to the report.

The Sanibel and Fire Rescue District’s commission approved the purchase of a new replacement vehicle for towing its fire boat at a recent meeting, captivasanibel.com reported.

On December 14, a fire official explained that the district’s insurance provider has deemed the 2009 Ford F-550 — the support vehicle that it uses to tow its marine asset — a total loss as a result of Hurricane Ian and will reimburse the district $35,000 for the vehicle, the report said. He added that the district is also planning to sell the current fire chief vehicle, which is a 2017 Chevy Tahoe and is valued at $25,000.

Hurricane Ian slammed the state in September 2022.

Using the funds received for both vehicles, the district would like to purchase a new Ford F-250 for towing the boat, the report said. The estimated cost for the four-wheel-drive truck is $50,231.

The commissioners voted unanimously 3-0 to proceed with the purchase of the vehicle, according to the report.

Also at the meeting, the commission learned that a former fire chief’s staff vehicle was also deemed a total loss due to the storm and will be replaced with a 2023 Chevy Tahoe, the report said.

The commission was updated on rebuilding Station 172 on Sanibel-Captiva Road.

A Lee County Property Appraiser has estimated the fire station is worth $574,000 and the district’s insurance provider has estimated it will cost $471,000 to rebuild the station to its pre-hurricane form, which places the district well above FEMA’s 50% rule, the report said.

A fire station that opened at 1401 Selma Road in Springfield (OH) in 1959 closed this week as the Springfield Fire Division looks ahead to its four new fire locations, SpringfieldNewsSun.com reported.

The Selma Road station, known as Fire Station No. 3, was decommissioned in a ceremony Tuesday, the day after it officially shut down, the report said. The Selma Road location replaced another firehouse built in 1878.

The station, which typically housed three firefighters, was not large enough to hold modern fire engines and other large equipment, the report said. Only one engine remaining in the fire division’s fleet can fit into the station: a model from 1994, according to a Springfield fire official.

Fire services for buildings once served by the Selma Road station will now be served by crews from Springfield fire stations 1, 6 and 8, the report said.

Springfield city officials announced in November plans for four new fire stations to roll out in the coming years, with ground already being broken for the Station No. 2 project on South Limestone Street.

Apparatus Ideas Bob Vaccaro

The Seaford (NY) Fire Department is an all-volunteer department located on the south shore of Nassau County, Long Island. Its fire district is relatively small, covering 2.3 square miles with a population of roughly just over 15,000.

Its response district, like most on Long Island, has a great number of shopping areas, schools, and businesses. It also has one of the main lines of the Long Island Railroad and a considerable amount of waterfront on the Great South Bay.

According to Captain Joseph Pignataro, “Our department looks to replace apparatus on a 20- to 25-year cycle. However, it really depends on our budget, the condition of the apparatus, and the money in our apparatus reserve fund. Back in 2015, we started looking to replace an older aerial that we had in service. It was beginning to show signs of wear, and we decided to start the process of looking at what was out there as far as what different manufacturers had to offer.”

He continues: “We eventually chose Rosenbauer because of the ease of operation and the overall maneuverability of the truck. Our fire district has a great number of tight streets, and this vehicle was easy to handle for our drivers to maneuver around. By going with the Rosenbauer Viper Model, it gave us an additional 9 feet of reach compared to a standard 100-foot rear-mount aerial.”

The department usually only allows two members to be on the apparatus committee, to make it easier to make decisions. Members found in the past that too many opinions were too much of a distraction for getting anything done in a timely manner.

In 2020, the committee was challenged to work on the design of a pumper for the fire district. This time, it would be replacing a 1994 pumper that had served them well.

Since the department had a good experience in the past with Rosenbauer, it decided to go that route again. It took 1½ years to work on the design and specs because of COVID-19; there were a lot of Zoom meetings. “Since we went with the Source Well Consortium, we didn’t have to go to bid and could choose who we wanted for the build. The local dealer for Rosenbauer had changed since we took delivery of our ladder, but both offered us great service and helped us with the design and operation of both vehicles as far as training and service after the sale,” Pignataro adds.

“For the engine design specs, we wanted a basic type of apparatus. We went from a top-mount to a side-mount this time around to gain more compartment space. Also, a low hosebed in the rear makes it easier for our firefighters to stretch hoselines,” Pignataro says. “Our committee decided a generator wasn’t necessary since the 12 Volt V-Mux Electrical System was enough to handle our needs.”