South Gulf County Volunteer Fire Department

SMOKIN' HOT FIREFIGHTERS CALENDAR - 2010

New fire station work has begun. Site work has been completed and foundation preparation has started. Concrete should be poured the second week of December. Things are moving much slower than we would like but we should start going vertical in December and hope to have a completed fire station by April 01, 2010. 

We have also ordered a new truck that should be completed about the same time as the new fire station. The new fire station will go a long way in getting most of the structures in our area of responsibility within five miles of our fire stations. The new station will be a real help in the issue with hazard insurance as well as help us get a faster response to Cape San Blas and North St. Joseph Peninsula.

A recent fire we had November 5th on Spoonbill near the state park was a reminder of why we need the additional fire station. This street is almost 9 miles from our current station. This was a rental house and when the tenant fired up the fireplace the chimney caught fire. Our new fire station is only ½ mile from this location and having a station this close could be the difference in stopping the fire sooner.

The other thing that this fire reinforced is the support between our fire department and others in the county. Because many of our guys were in Apalachicola helping out with the Sportsman’s Banquet it took many of us quite a while to arrive on the scene. We owe a great deal of gratitude to the fire support from Port St. Joe and Highland View and all the volunteers that showed up from those two departments. I especially would like to thank Chief John Ford from Port St. Joe who arrived at the scene quickly and took over as incident commander. John did a very professional job of handling the situation and with all three departments on the scene we were able to stop the fire and keep it from spreading to other properties.

Coming to the end of the year, I would like to remind you that we continually have needs. A new station and a new truck gets us started but we will need to outfit the station and the truck. We will also need more volunteers.

A few months ago the South Gulf County Volunteer Fire Department took on a new challenge and decided to do a fundraiser in support of our new hospital by creating and selling a firefighter calendar.    I hope that you have had a chance to buy your calendar. If you have not already done so, please do. You can buy the calendar many places in town or order the calendars online at: http://www.sgcfire.com/index.cfm/pageId/44   By the way the new hospital will be open in March and they have already started to hire people and are planning to hire over 110 personnel.

We appreciate the support that you have given us in the past and hope that we can continue to count on you in the future.

Preston Russ, President
South Gulf County Volunteer Fire Department

Update (5/21/09)....click here for the latest news on the new fire station.

We have BIG news.  We recently have acquired a half acre parcel of land on North St. Joseph Peninsula.  This will give us the opportunity to build a fire station to protect all of those homes that have been 5 to 10 miles from our current station.  This will allow you to continue to get hazard insurance on your homes, which would become increasing difficult for those homes more than 5 miles from a station.

We are currently advertising for bids and will select a contractor soon for the project.  Our plans are to start construction as soon as possible and we will go out for bids in the next few weeks.  This means that we may need your help more than ever.  When this fire station is complete we will need volunteers more than ever.  We need firefighters, first responders and auxilary help.  Don't feel like that you have to be a firefighter, we have many needs that do not require strenuous efforts.  We will keep you updated.  Thanks for your support.

Preston Russ, President
South Gulf County Fire Association
 

 We envision a fire department that:

1. Focuses on safety and well being of its members and those it serves.
2. Meets the needs of the community through education, cooperation and innovation.
3. Provides the highest level of community service and protection with integrity, pride and commitment.
4. Consists of properly equipped, well-trained professional men and women dedicated to meeting our community needs.

2008 was a great year for our fire department. We have made many improvements; become better organized and added many new volunteers. South Gulf County Volunteer Fire Department has been able to attract a large number of volunteers and many of them have completed the state mandated 160 hour training for Firefighter One certification.

Don’t think that all volunteers have to drag hoses and fight fires. There are many jobs to be done. We can use YOUR help. Dragging a hose may be too much exertion for some, but how about operating the pump controls on the truck.

Our women’s auxiliary is now organized and has been very helpful in assisting the firefighters. Last year, the firefighters working the fire in North Port S. Joe were very happy to see Mary Ann & Sherrill show up with Gatorade. Mary Ann may want to carry an extra set up clothes so she won’t have to walk through mud in her cocktail dress and high heels. We really do appreciate all the ladies that have organized and are ready to go.

Jim Caughey, our fire chief and David Sapte, our assistant chief have done a wonderful job of organizing and getting people moved into leadership positions. Vince Bishop is now the captain in charge of water rescue and Melisa Larson is our safety captain.

We are getting great turnout to our training exercises. We have a very capable medical response team of first responders. They are well trained with up to date procedures and are ready to respond at a moment’s notice. Those that have had to dial 911 have been pleasantly surprised at our fast response times and the number of first responders that are on the scene. We are getting better and better.

Our department has made huge strides over the past year, but we continue to grow and to get better and better. I continue to be proud of our leaders in the fire department and all of our firefighters, our first responders and our auxiliary for their dedication. It takes a lot of time and sacrifice to be a volunteer. Our volunteers are willing and ready.

Last I would like to thank the community for your continued support.

Preston Russ
President