The Cape Coral Fire Department’s reason to celebrate Wednesday was three-fold: It was International Firefighters Day, it was the department’s 60th Anniversary, and the department opened its new Station 12, located at 2129 Chiquita Blvd. S.

Watch the festivities above via Facebook Live and see pictures below.

Earlier: Cape Coral (FL) Fire Station Construction Underway

“We are excited to add this station and engine to our response capabilities for serving the Cape Coral community. Thank you to everyone who made this possible and who came out to celebrate today. May the Fourth be with you all!” a Facebook post reads.

FA reported last year that the $4.5 million facility was being built to withstand a major storm.

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It was a wild day in one South Carolina community after a naked man was accused of stealing an ambulance and crashing it into a pole.

WSPA reports it happened Wednesday morning in Greer when officers were called on a report of a suspicious man banging on a home’s front door.

Police said officers found the man under the home and he appeared to be under the influence of drugs. Greenville County EMS was called in to treat the man.

Police said officers left the scene and the man started to hit and kick one of the EMS providers. The man was then able to get into the driver’s seat of the ambulance and drive away.

Officers spotted the ambulance driving through a field before it crossed a road and struck a utility pole. Police were then able to take Jamario Marquis Bowens into custody.

The 35-year-old is facing several charges, including carjacking, grand larceny, assault and battery and resisting arrest.

Bowens was taken to the hospital after the crash.

By Alan M. Petrillo

Sweet Sparkman Architecture & Interiors faced several challenges when it got the job to build Longboat Key (FL) Fire Rescue Station 92, located on a barrier island between Sarasota Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. The challenges include building a structure able to withstand Category 4 hurricane-force winds, raising the level of the site nearly a dozen feet to meet flood plain requirements, and building health and safety features into the station to prevent particulate contamination from entering the living areas.

Paul Dezzi, Longboat Key’s chief, says the barrier island is 11 miles long and the department has fire stations at each end, with a 75-foot aerial quint and an Advanced Life Support (ALS) ambulance in each. The department also runs a 32-foot marine rescue boat, and a high-water vehicle for flooding rescues. “The old station was built in 1982 and was very antiquated,” Dezzi says. “Besides being below flood elevation and not being able to withstand hurricane-force winds, it was not ADA (American Disabilities Act) compliant, and didn’t address gender issues because it had group bunks and showers.”

Todd Sweet, partner in Sweet Sparkman, points out, “We had to bring in a tremendous amount of fill to get the elevation of the site above flood elevation, and still maintain the necessary slope to make the site accessible for the apparatus. The entire site was under one acre, and we had to surround it with a 10-foot retaining wall. And because the site was tight, we had to situate the building on a diagonal on the site in order to get all the interior elements, and still allow enough room for the apparatus to drive around the site.”

Sweet notes Sweet Sparkman had to demolish the old station and set up a temporary trailer to house the four firefighter/paramedic crew on a nearby parcel of property loaned by its owner. “The station is designed to withstand winds of up to 166 miles per hour (mph),” he points out, “and also features a dedicated weather-tracking apparatus to ensure the station’s personnel are the first to know of updates to storm trajectories and duration.”

Dezzi says that another challenge facing Sweet Sparkman was to incorporate the health of area residents and firefighters themselves into the design. Near the station’s front entrance on the South end, a public medical facility provides the island’s residents with basic walk-in medical care, meaning they don’t have to drive to the mainland for more minor injuries.

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Posted: May 6, 2022

Photo of the Day: May 6, 2022

Alexis—Logansport (IN) Fire Department heavy-duty rescue unit. Spartan ELFD Metro Star cab and chassis; Cummins L9 450-hp engine; 20-foot walk-around rescue body; Waterous CPK2 300-gpm PTO pump; ProPoly 300-gallon polypropylene water tank; Command Light KL409D-H4 Hi-Viz Slim Line light tower; heavy-duty 304 stainless steel body and sub frame. Dealer: Eric Foreman, Alexis Fire Equipment, Alexis, IL.

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