March 2021 FFS Magazine by ffca

THE PUBLICATION

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FLORIDA FIRE CHIEFS’ ASSOCIATION

March 2021 • VOLUME 29 NUMBER 3

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Florida Fire Florida Fire Fire Chiefs’ Florida Fire

Service is the monthly publication of the Chiefs’ Association, provided to Florida Association (FFCA) members, by the Chiefs’ Association.

Florida Fire Chiefs’ Association 221 Pinewood Drive Tallahassee, FL 32303 Phone: (850) 900-5180 Email: info@ffca.org • www.ffca.org FFCA Staff Wm. Ray Colburn - Executive Director & CEO Denise Holley - Office Manager Scott Leisen - Marketing Director Ngoc Huynh - Conference & Events Director Donna Chason - Administrative Assistant Liz Aperauch - Administrative Assistant FFCA Board of Directors Ty Silcox - President Douglas Riley - 1st Vice President Reginald Duren - 2nd Vice President Darrel Donatto - Immediate Past President Julie Downey - Secretary/Treasurer Ryan H. Crawford - Northwest Region Director Carlos Aviles - Northeast Region Director Terry Wooldridge Jr. - East Central Region Director Percy Sayles - Southeast Region Director Ian Kemp - West Central Region Director Gregory DeWitt - Southwest Region Director Wm. Ray Colburn - Executive Director & CEO Cindy Morgan - Foundation Chair Leland Greek - Senior Member

Editorial Submissions magazine@ffca.org (850) 900-5180 Advertising Scott Leisen, Editor in Chief scott@ffca.org (386) 717-0055 Subscription rate for members is $36, which is included in member dues. Archived electronic monthly editions of Florida Fire Service magazine are available at www.ffca.org. Log in as a member and click on the Publications tab. Florida Fire Service March 2021, Volume 29, Number 3 USPS # 016-759

Periodical postage paid in Daytona Beach, Florida, and additional post offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Florida Fire Service, 221 Pinewood Drive Tallahassee, FL 32303. Statements of fact and opinion are the responsibility of the authors alone and do not imply an opinion on the part of the officers or the members of FFCA. Copyright 2021 by the Florida Fire Chiefs’ Association. All rights reserved. Materials may not be reproduced without written permission.

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FEATURES Good Followers Make Good Leaders . 8

In this Family, No One Fights Alone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Are You Prepared to be a 21st Century Leader? . . . . . . . . . 12

Your Best Investment . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Be Wildfire Ready. . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Essential Elements of Supervision in Public Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

28 FURTHERMORE

Orlando Firefighters Spread Valentine’s Day Cheer . . . . . . . . .6 Members on the Move . . . . . . . . .14 Featured Vendor . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 Central Florida Fire Chiefs’ Association New Officers . . . . . .18 Vaccines Bring Hope in the Fight Against COVID-19 . . . . . . . . . . .20 Tanker Drill Flows Big GPM Numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . .24 FFCA 2021 Annual Memorial Service . . . . . . . . . .26 Celebrating Female Arson Investigators . . . . . . . . . . .26 FFCA New Members . . . . . . . . . . .28 Osceola County Solar Pre-fire Planning . . . . . . . . . . . . .30 Meet the Fire Marshal . . . . . . . . . .32 In brief . . . news from around the state . . . . . . . . . . . . .34 Advertisers Index . . . . . . . . . . . . .42

Orlando Firefighters Spread Valentine’s Day Cheer to Nemours Children’s Hospital Patients By Ashley Papagni, Public Information Manager, City of Orlando Fire Department

n Thursday afternoon, Orlando Firefighters visited Nemours Children’s Hospital in Lake Nona in order to cheer up patients with Valentine’s surprises. The surprise comes when firefighters rappel down the side of the hospital going room-by-room in order to greet young patients. This was an opportunity to spread some love while social distancing completely outside as COVID-19 has made it difficult to host and interact during public events.

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Good Followers Make Good Leaders By Dr. Eric Smith, EFO, Assistant Professor of Public Administration, Barry University

hen thinking about leadership, the usual focus is entirely on leaders. However, without followers, there can be no leaders. Leaders and followers exist in a world where each compliments the other. Followers play a key role in both organizational success and organizational failure. Even leaders near, or at the top of an organization’s chain of command must assume a followership role at some point. Therefore, it’s important that each level of an organization puts an emphasis on not only developing good leaders, but on developing good followers, as well. The United States Army’s leadership principles note ten components of what makes a good follower: • Know yourself and seek continuous self improvement: You can’t know what motivates others until you know what motivates you. • Be technically proficient: Although you don’t have to be the best at doing the job; you do, however, have to be able to do the job. • Follow orders, and initiate appropriate actions in the absence of orders: Just as important as following orders is having the commitment and ability to act independently when needed. • Develop a sense of accountability and responsibility: Once you take ownership of the task, you then become responsible for performing the task and accountable to see that it is done correctly. • Make sound and timely decisions and recommendations: There is nothing more destructive to a team than procrastination and failure to heed sound recommendations. • Set the example for the rest of the team: Setting an example for the team is not the function of just one person; each member should strive to set the example. • Be familiar with your leader and his job: 8

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Don’t assume the leader is not aware of your needs. Assume the leader’s job is probably a lot more difficult than you may think it is. • Keep your leaders informed: Another assumption that should not be made is that the leader has the same information as you. If you receive information that may have an effect on the team; make sure the leader gets that same information. • Understand the task and ethically accomplish it: Ethics can often be as slippery slope. Make sure your actions can pass the “sniff test”. • Be a team leader, but not a “yes man”: Good leaders don’t want you to tell them how great their ideas are; they want you to pick apart their ideas through thoughtful analysis and tell them if their idea will work. By way of analysis, it’s clearly evident that the ten components of good followership are interchangeable with what makes a good leader. This is not surprising if we acknowledge that before becoming a good leader, one must have been a good follower. Understanding why people follow is important to both leaders and followers. Research has shown three key areas of importance that followers seek: • Leaders with character: Great leaders have a good sense of right and wrong. Because of their commitment to integrity, they rarely suffer from ethical or moral dilemmas • Leaders who help employees grow: Great leaders have the ability to get the very most out of their team. And the ability to help individual team members develop their strengths and overcome their weaknesses • Leaders that employees can relate to: Great leaders have the ability put themselves in the shoes of team members. When team members believe their leader has shared the same career ups and downs, they are more

likely to feel a sense of having a shared professional experience. If leaders understand follower’s motivations, they can better respond to them and avoid the risk of losing their followers. Mistaking or misunderstanding follower’s motivations can quickly poison professional and personal relations. Before one can determine the motivations of followers, they must first understand the varied styles of followership. These include, but are not limited to: • The Apprentice: This route is chosen by those who are aspiring to be leaders. They understand the need to learn the ropes and pay their dues. They work to prove themselves to peers and supervisors. • The Disciple: Disciples look for intellectual development and the sharing of knowledge. They can serve as valuable conduits of organizational culture. And can represent the leader to other constituents. • The Mentee: Mentees entrust themselves, emotionally and developmentally to someone who recognizes their leadership potential. The mentor assists the mentee in learning the ropes of the organization. The goal of mentoring is helping mentees avoid the pitfalls and roadblocks that may be present. • The Loyalist: Loyalists are those team members who follow out of personal loyalty to the leader. Loyalty results from emotional commitment to another. Loyalty is not bestowed lightly; it is E ri c S m i t h always earned. In the final analysis, it is clearly reasonable to assert that good followership creates • • the path to good Ba rr y U n i v e r sit y leadership.

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In This Family, No One Fights Alone: #ClaytonConquersCancer Campaign By Janel Vasallo, Public Relations and Information Manager, Lakeland Fire Department

arlier in the year, Lakeland Fire Department (LFD) Firefighter/Paramedic Clay Geiger was given a shocking diagnosis of cancer. He was diagnosed with T-Cell NonHodgkin Lymphoma. Clay is known at the department for his positivity, easy-going personality, love of fitness, and for his passion for firefighting. His diagnosis came as a shock to everyone that knows him. Clay underwent difficult radiation treatments in the past few months and out of respect for his healing process, the department hadn’t shared much publicly about his condition. However, the department wanted to show their support of Clay and raise awareness

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about the type of cancer Clay has, considering it is one of the forms of cancer identified in the Florida Firefighter Cancer Bill. In 2019, the Florida Legislature acknowledged the scientific evidence showing a correlation between firefighting and certain cancers when it passed Senate Bill 426. Outside of all the support Clay is receiving internally and externally from his fire-family, the department began a campaign of support, called #ClaytonConquersCancer, which includes shirts and signage to raise awareness. The campaign was inspired by a similar campaign at the Fernandina Beach Fire Department. Beginning Friday, November 13,

2020, and continuing every Friday after, #Lakeland’s firefighters wear shirts on duty, in support of their brother firefighter. Having worked elsewhere in the county, and closely with peers in paramedic school, Clay is well-known and liked throughout Polk County. Naturally, fellow firefighters from across the region joined in to show their support as well. Winter Haven Fire Department and Dundee Fire Department adopted the campaign and made shirts for their department and now participate on Fridays with LFD. Additionally, over the holidays, many Polk County Professional Firefighters Local 3531 redirected $25 gift cards they were receiving from the organization as gifts and arranged for them to be given to Clay and his family to support him in his time of need; the donation amounted to over $3,000. To add momentum to campaign and raise awareness even further Lakeland's Professional Firefighters, Local 4173, created shirts for members of the public to purchase and show their support too. Over 400 shirts were sold in the span on a 24-hour period to a supportive community. Most rewarding of all is that on the same day the campaign began, Clay shared the following hopeful and news on his condition: “I think now is a good time to bring everyone up to speed. In July, I was diagnosed with Extranodal NK T-Cell lymphoma. I started chemo/radiation treatment shortly thereafter. The good news, I had a pet scan last week that showed no metabolic activity from cancer. While this is a step in the right direction, it does not mean the cancer is gone completely. I am on a short break to get my labs back to a healthy level and I will start another three months of chemo at the end of November. To my family, work-family, and friends: You guys truly are the best! Thank you for the continued support and I will see you all on the other side of this journey.” To learn more and see photos of the campaign in action, visit www.facebook.com/LakelandFD.

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Are You Prepared to be a 21st Century Leader? By Robert E. Collins, Division Chief, Hillsborough County Fire Rescue

hen you finish changing you’re finished.” Ben Franklin; Founding Father, Inventor, and Firefighter. We are now 20 years into the 21st century and some members of our profession are still reminiscing about the way it used to be and asserting that this new generation of firefighters is different and maybe the fire service is doomed. The reality is we are the older generation of firefighters and we are different. The new generation as they are often referred to; is the future of the fire service, they have more years remaining in the business than the company or chief officers. We must ensure the new generation of firefighters are prepared for whatever challenges the future has in store for them. To prepare the next generation of firefighters and ensure our industry is sustainable for generations to come we must

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change the way we do business and our approach to the services we provide. The following categories are not all-inclusive and you should look specifically at your organization for opportunities to improve your business model to meet the changing needs of the public and your personnel. Future challenges will vary depending on the size and composition of your organization; but listed here are five major challenges (opportunities for a change) facing the fire service in the 21st century based on research conducted by FEMA, the IAFC, and other fire service advocates. The challenges are: services provided, culture, health and wellness, technology, and inclusiveness. The services provided by your organization are closely tied to sustainability, the 21stcentury fire department must continue to embrace emergency medical services. The calls for medical aid are approximately 85% of the overall call volume to fire departments nationally. Failure to adapt to this trend not only leaves fire departments vulnerable to cuts in the budget, but is a missed opportunity to provide a better service to the residents of your community. Enhanced medical services by the fire department is a proven model for getting more definitive treatment on the scene faster, most firefighters graduating from Florida Fire Academies today are Emergency

Medical Technicians, the foundation is already in place. If you are an officer and you supervise paramedics and EMTs but you are not one, educate yourself on your department’s medical protocol, and dare I say go to paramedic or EMT school. This not only better prepares you as a supervisor but it demonstrates to your personnel that you are a life learner. The Culture of your organization should be a reflection of your department’s Value Statement. The value statement represents the core beliefs of your organization, the value statement should be inspirational and a guide to how you conduct business and interact with the public. If your department does not have a value statement or it is not known by every member of the organization, it is safe to assume that everyone is not operating under the same set of values. As leaders of your organization, you must enforce the values of your department daily. Departments with a toxic culture typically do not have a good value system in place. Frequently used words in value statements include; service, integrity, honor, respect, and dignity. These should not be confused with mission statements of protecting lives and property. Your department values are how you expect your personnel to behave and interact with each other and the public. The technology of the

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21st century allows information to be broadcast around the world in minutes, to keep your department from getting a reputation as a bad organization you must ensure the culture is one with a positive set of values. Health and Wellness have been a challenge for firefighters for over 100 years, the 21st century will be no different but with an exception, today technology and research exist which will allow for us to better protect our personnel. As a leader of your organization, you must embrace some of the practices that you never had to do when you were first hired. Gross decontamination, annual physicals, Post-traumatic stress, cancer surveillance, cleaning your gear, and diet and exercise. We require a lot of our new employees to get on the job, after probation the standards tend to slide. Embrace all the health and wellness knowledge we have today, lead by example participate and advocate for the physical and mental well-being of your personnel. We can reverse the trend of firefighter deaths from cancer, suicide, and cardiac-related disease. If we knew 20 years ago what we know now, many of our friends might still be here with us. Leaders take care of their people even when they resist. Advocate for mandatory physicals and fitness standards with non-punitive corrective actions. Technology is one of the biggest changes that we have seen in the fire service in the 21st century, the access to data to help make decisions from station locations to which unit should move up is key to strategic planning. The information from analytics of your organization should be used to plan the future. To better serve the community you must rely on data, City and County executives no longer take the word of the Fire Chief on what is needed and why; they want data to support budgetary requests. The use of data will also assist you in explaining to your personnel why some administration decisions are being made. Data is extremely useful in correcting perceptions that may not be accurate. Embrace data and use it as a tool to accomplish goals for the organization. Inclusiveness should be both an internal and external goal of your organization. Internally if all the decisions are made from the top down with no input from lower-ranking members of the organization it will eventually lead to a disconnect between administration and employees. Employees must feel a part of the organization they serve and that their opinions and ideas are valued. Committees with representation from all ranks and suggestion programs are good opportunities for employees to feel a part of the organization. External inclusiveness is being a part of the community you serve, departments must interact with the community outside of the emergency environment, and departments must recruit and hire from a demographic representation of their community. Just as in the business world the best way to get a new customer is testimony from a satisfied customer through word of mouth. The same applies to recruitment, if your organization is having issues recruiting, you should ask yourself how is my organization ert E. Collins viewed by those that do not want to work Rob here. Being inclusive internally and externally is a must for the 21st-century fire department. Change is slow to come and often resisted in the fire service but change is R ro inevitable, as leaders in your e ug h C o u n t y F ir organization look for positive ways to make changes that will improve your department, services to your community, and the overall health and safety of your personnel. These responsibilities are yours and they always remain the same. o

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MCFR Congratulates Chief Chris Stabile on 30 years of Service and a Well-deserved Retirement Administration Division Chief Chris Stabile has graciously announced his retirement from Martin County Fire Rescue (MCFR). His last day with the department is March 12. Chief Stabile started his 30-year career as a first responder with Martin County EMS as an on-call EMT, and just a short two years later, Stabile landed a full-time position that kicked off a tenured career in emergency medical and fire services. With a passion for public service and a drive for all aspects of emergency response, Stabile rose through the ranks of MCFR. He has held the positions of firefighter

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paramedic, fire lieutenant, HazMat team leader, battalion chief, bureau chief of training, bureau chief of EMS, and now, administration division chief. In addition to his career with MCFR, Stabile sought supplemental education, training and instructional opportunities to further his career in both the field and the classroom, too. He sought career development opportunities working as an instructor for fire standards, EMT/paramedic classes and even emergency management FEMA ICS courses. Stabile holds a Bachelor of Arts in Organizational Leadership and is currently working on his Master of Public Administration – completion planned to occur after retirement. In relishing in a life-long career, Stabile said, “those who serve in public safety face challenges every day, but there’s always a path to success. This career is constantly evolving … there is always a training to exercise, new

technologies to explore and situations to overcome. And for 30 years, there was truly something to gain, learn and improve every day I came to work, and, if there’s anything to be said to the future of fire service, it’s to stay in the books, never stop growing, never stop training.” As for retirement, Stabile is planning to remain in the area with his wife, Amy, and spend time with his sons, Josh and Zach. In addition to furthering his education, Stabile mentioned, with a joyous grin, plans on restoring his 1966 Mustang, saying, “I’m excited to relax, take my time going to and from wherever I may.” He said, “it’s time to close a long, but rewarding, chapter in my life.” MCFR would like to extend our appreciation for the tenured service Chief Stabile has displayed throughout his career in Martin County. We wish you the best on your well-deserved retirement!

By Rick Spence, FFCA Chaplain

entoring. It’s something we often talk about and figure it is something we should do. But, do we really? Do we want to take the time and effort and invest it into someone? If we do, will we be around long enough to see the results, and would the results be exactly what we want? Each of us have had mentors in the past. What if they had decided they didn’t want to put in the time and effort in shaping and leading us? Where would our careers or life direction have gone without them? Personally, it scares me to think what I would have become if several strong men of character and integrity had not taken the time to pour Godly wisdom and their personal experiences into me. I’m pretty sure each of

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you reading this probably have a similar story. We often complain and joke about the lack of motivation and focus of the younger generation, especially the millennials. But, I believe what they truly want is for someone to show them a higher calling for their life. They want to do something that has meaning and purpose, that will make a positive difference in people’s lives. I also believe they want to be mentored by people they respect and trust. Well, what is the best way to do that? For me, the Bible is an all-inclusive “how to” book, on a tremendous variety of issues, including mentoring. There is no specific step by step plan that is laid out, but there is a description of how Jesus mentored people. He apparently

was pretty good at it, because he took 12 believers and was able to spread the Gospel to the point where there are over 2 billion people who profess their faith in Jesus Christ worldwide. We probably won’t get those types of results, but we can leave a lasting impact on some who will leave a lasting impact on others who will leave a lasting impact ... you get the idea. The first thing Jesus did was choose the men He wanted as disciples. He carefully chose 12 men that had a heart for service. Jesus even chose Judas, in spite of the fact that Judas would eventually betray him. I don’t really understand why Judas was chosen as a disciple, but he helped fulfill God’s plan. Like my old

fire chief used to say, “Nobody is totally worthless. You can always use them as a bad example.” But, these were the men Jesus chose to carry the Gospel to the world. We need to use that same type of discernment in choosing who we choose to mentor. It should be someone who’s goals and values line up with ours and someone who has an interest in wanting to be led and mentored. The chances are this person will not approach you about mentoring them. You can begin to initiate the process just by simply giving them subtle guidance in a situation where it is needed. Let them know you are available for them to pick your brain and you have been in their shoes before. Mentoring is not the same as coaching (they coach what they used to be able to do) or teaching (they teach what they cannot do). If we are to share a piece of the map, we must be on the road with them. We must look to share life lessons with them. Life does not necessarily happen at church. That is where we prepare for life and are sheltered from the storms in life. Life happens at home, work, school, in our neighborhoods and on vacation. It is not the transfer of information that is the key to being a good mentor, it is more about applying what we have learned to the mentee. If we want to share patience, we must show patience. If we want to share acceptance, we must show acceptance. If we want to share how to love your spouse, you must show you love your spouse. Mentoring includes revealing who we are, even showing our warts. Our firsthand experiences bring a sense of realism from going through similar experiences as our mentee. We have to be totally honest in all our discussions, explaining the best of times and the worst of times. Anything less will undermine our credibility and cause us to lose effectiveness as a mentor. Lastly, a few other details about being a mentor. Most people are under the misconception that being a mentor takes a lot of your time. It does not take an excessive amount of time. Jesus was only with His disciples for 3 years, but He used the time He spent with the disciples to mentor them. We should use the time we already have and spend time with our mentee to pass along our life experiences. Spending a lot of time outside the workplace is not necessary, except for a few occasions when the mentee may request some time outside the workplace. We must also realize that we may not be the only mentor this person may have in their life. If other people chose to mentor the same person you do, it shows that the person you chose is worthy of being mentored. Mentoring is not about width or the number of people we mentor, it is more about the depth of the mentorship. It is about building a deeper and more meaningful relationship. We should choose to mentor someone who will likely have a willingness to pay this forward at some point and chose to mentor someone else. This is something that we may not be able to enforce, but it is a trait we should look for. It is exactly what Jesus’s disciples did. Jesus said go into the world and make disciples. Judging by the fact that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is still alive and well throughout the world over 2000 years later, I would say they were very successful in making other disciples. They retold stories about Jesus, not so much what He said or taught, but what they saw Him do. This is p Rick S ence probably the best example of paying it forward. If we truly want to pass on our values and traditions in the fire service, the best way to do that may be through mentorship. It is something we should strongly consider. Being a mentor is probably one of the most • • unselfish things someone could do. There is FF CA ain l p a C h rarely any tangible benefit that you receive from being a mentor, but the impact you may have on someone could last a lifetime and be the most valuable investment you ever make. Visit us at WWW.FFCA.ORG

igitech and R1 EMS have combined to deliver enhanced resources and best-inclass billing services to Florida Fire Rescue services. Together as Digitech, these two powerhouses deliver maximized revenue, airtight compliance, and complete transparency, both for our existing clients and for new opportunities. Technology-Powered EMS Billing Digitech’s proprietary platform for EMS revenue cycle management has been developed internally over the past three decades. We provide it to our clients to manage every aspect of EMS billing, data management, and reporting. We call the platform Ambulance Commander because it puts you in command of your finances and keeps you on top of every operational detail in your department. One of our first long-term clients to

transition to the Ambulance Commander system said it best: “This is the best integration we have ever experienced and we appreciate how the entire team has worked to get this done.” – Chief Frank Galgano, Division Chief of EMS – Pompano Beach Fire Rescue Ambulance Commander offers: Complete Access and Transparency Authorized Ambulance Commander users have 24/7 access, including monitoring tools, financial and operational reports, and all claim details. Data is real-time, so key metrics are always up-to-date and at your fingertips. Comprehensive Reporting Suite – Users benefit immediately from the most powerful reporting offering in the industry. Specialized solutions like Dashboard and PCR Lens make in-depth analysis easy, and we customize our tools to meet any reporting need. You can view summarized totals and drill down to the individual patient, claim, or transaction level whenever desired. Solutions for Clients and Patients Ambulance Commander offers a range of solutions to empower our clients and their patients: SecureDocs, the records system that securely stores and allows you to retrieve all claim-related documents; Sentinel, the KPI monitoring and alerting watchdog; Portal, your patients’ account self-

service tool; and more. Automated Billing Solutions - We’ve automated the most difficult tasks in the billing process. Our demographic search tool, Sleuth, crawls data sources to find missing patient information. Appeal-IT automatically appeals any short-paid claim. These tools are just the tip of the iceberg. Seamless ePCR Integration - Our platform is already fully integrated with all major ePCR systems. We have built, tested, certified, and deployed our standard interfaces many times. That experience gives us complete confidence in our ability to seamlessly integrate with your system, whatever it may be. Innovative Tools and Processes - Building and maintaining our own platform means we continually innovate based on client feedback. We’ve developed unique solutions within Ambulance Commander to maximize collections performance. Technology-Focused Training - Digitech’s team trains your personnel on the Ambulance Commander platform during implementation and whenever training is needed.For more info, visit digitechcomputer.com or call 866-300-3334.

Central Florida Fire Chiefs’ Association New Officers By Steve Gaston, CFFCA Board of Directors

n March 11, 2021 the newly elected officers of the Central Florida Fire Chiefs’ Association were installed. CFFCA Chaplain Rick Spence conducted the swearingin ceremony at the general membership meeting of the CFFCA held at the Hilton –Orlando/Altamonte Springs. Newly elected officers are: President John Miller – Ocoee Fire Chief; District 1 Orange County Director Will Watts - Maitland Fire Chief; and District 3 Osceola County Director Jim Walls – Kissimmee Fire Chief. Congratulations are extended to these duly elected officers. The CFFCA has a longstanding history since its incorporation in 1964 and proudly serving the Central Florida fire-rescue service for 57 years. The association spans the four-county area of Orange, Seminole, Osceola, and Lake with 28 member agencies and over 255 chief officers, including corporate partners. Under the leadership of President John Miller,

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Pictured L-R: CFFCA Chaplain Rick Spence, CFFCA President John Miller, District 3 Director Jim Walls, and District 1 Director Will Watts

association meetings are held the 2nd Thursday of each month at the Hilton located in Altamonte Springs unless otherwise announced. For more information on the CFFCA please browse the website at www.cffca.us. The March 11th meeting was the

restart of on-site “mask-to-mask” meetings after a long 13 month downtime due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Health and safety meeting protocols were established by the Board and will be followed until further notice.

Vaccines Bring Hope in the Fight Against COVID-19 By Greta Hall, Public Information Officer, St. Johns County Fire Rescue

t. Johns County Fire Rescue (SJCFR) began its original mission to vaccinate more than 300 frontline personnel (on shift). To make it happen, SJCFR activated its internal Incident Management Team and immediately drew on resources offered by the St. Augustine Fire Department and St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office. The IMT developed a site flow plan --from registration to inoculation to post-vaccine monitoring – that quickly moved the county’s firefighters and paramedics through the site and back onto the street. On January 2nd, having observed the SJCFR operation's proficiency, the St. Johns County Board of County Commissioners tasked the department with setting up a mass vaccination site inside a community center in the West Augustine neighborhood, The Solomon Calhoun Center. Working closely with the St.

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Johns County Emergency Management Operations, SJCFR and its partners established a vaccine point-of-distribution (POD) capable of delivering 1,600 shots per day. The POD requires over 50 people to operate it properly, with most of the staffing coming from SJCFR. Also, the City of St. Augustine Fire Department (SAFD), the City of St. Augustine Police Department (SAPD), and the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office (SJCSO) are providing personnel. This site is operational six days a week, by appointment only. First dose vaccinations are supplied on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Residents are being scheduled for the second vaccination before they leave the facility after their first vaccination. Those appointments are scheduled on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.

In a recent press conference, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis recognized St. Johns County for having the highest senior population vaccination rate in the State. Approximately 79% of the more than 55,000 St. Johns County residents who are 65 years of age or older have received at least their first dose of the COVID19 vaccine. More than 59,000 St. Johns County residents, or approximately 22% of the total population, have received at least their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. As of March 12th, 51,505 vaccinations have been administered, with a projected 75,000 by the end of March. As more and more of the population becomes eligible for the vaccine, SJCFR and their partners will remain committed to the residents of St. Johns County to provide a safe and efficient way to receive the vaccine they need.

n the aftermath of Hurricane Michael, there is still a threat to life, homes and our communities – a wildfire threat. The 2018 Category 5 storm destroyed 2.8 million acres of trees in the Panhandle – the equivalent of more than 2.1 million football fields – and much remains on the ground today, ready to burn. Our Panhandle communities are part of the wildland-urban interface, areas that are in close proximity to forests and wooded areas, which amplifies the wildfire threat. To help bring awareness to the increased wildfire threat, the Florida Forest Service (FFS) is launching a “Be Wildfire Ready” campaign in these impacted areas. The campaign highlights the many tools that can be used to mitigate the chances of a catastrophic wildfire that can result in loss of life and devastating socioeconomic impacts in the community, including creating defensible space around homes, safely burning yard waste, utilizing prescribed burning, and reporting a potential wildfire or suspicious arson activity. While the public focuses on their part in helping to prevent and prepare for a wildfire,

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FFS wildland firefighters are ready to respond to wildfires that are unavoidable. The exponential volume and density of damaged trees in the Panhandle have already proven to increase the intensity and speed of wildfires as well as the difficulty of suppressing them. Many wildfires are requiring multiple tractors and crews to respond. As spring approaches, the peak of Florida’s year-round wildfire season, and things dry out, the potential for large, devastating wildfires

remains a major concern. As in the past, there may be a need to call in outside resources from around the state to assist with controlling and containing wildfires throughout the Hurricane Michael-impact area. These wildfires will require more effort to suppress, and it will take collaborative determination to fight and contain. Given these challenges, the Florida Forest Service confirmed that their relationship with local fire departments is more important than ever. The FFS will be working with cooperators to keep them informed of wildfire activity, and their continued cooperative effort will be critical. Responding to more frequent and intense wildfires in the areas impacted by Hurricane Michael will require the highest level of coordinated emergency response efforts. These cooperative efforts will help reduce the chances of catastrophic wildfires and the devastating effects they have on our communities. For Be Wildfire Ready Resources, visit: BeWldfireReadyFL.com.

ARE YOU READY FOR WILDFIRE? In the aftermath of Hurricane Michael, there is still a threat to life, homes and our communities – a wildfire threat. 2.8 million acres of trees (more than 2.1 million football fields) were destroyed during the storm and much remains on the ground today, ready to burn. You must be ready for wildfire.

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Tanker Drill Flows Big GPM Numbers By Madison Heid, Communications Coordinator, City of North Port

n March, North Port Fire Rescue hosted an interdepartmental tanker shuttle drill. There were seven departments that participated: North Port Fire Rescue, East Manatee Fire Rescue, Sarasota County Fire Department, Charlotte County Fire/EMS, Parrish Fire Department, Nokomis Volunteer Fire Department, and North River Fire Department. The training was held at the Suncoast Technical College in North Port. The training day

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March 2021

consisted of a four-hour classroom-based lecture on rural water supply options based on distance from water sources and equipment available. The afternoon portion was a full-scale tanker shuttle operation involving seven tankers, and five fire suppression apparatus. There were two fill sites for this drill consisting of one municipal hydrant located two miles round trip from the dump site and a drafting fill site located just over three miles

round trip from the dump site. With these distances, crews were able to maintain a fire flow of 1,192 gallons per minute. That’s a total of 143,000 gallons over the course of the twohour shuttle drill. This was the first drill involving all seven of these agencies totaling 37 participants. An amazing effort by all! A big shout-out also goes to STC for letting departments use their campus for training purposes.

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he FFCA will be honoring all Five Bugle fire chiefs and FFCA members who have passed away within the past two years. The annual memorial service will be held on Sunday, July 18, during 2021 Executive Development Conference (EDC) being held in Panama City Beach at the Sheraton Panama City Beach Golf & Spa Resort. If you are aware of a Five Bugle fire Chief or a member of the Florida Fire Chiefs’ Association who has passed away since July 1, 2019 please contact the FFCA office at info@ffca.org or by calling 850-900-5180 by April 30, 2021. Below is a list of memorial honorees that we have received to date: Barry Baker, Fire Chief / Ormond Beach - FFCA Member George Bortle, Fire Chief / Mims VFD Russell Brittain, Sr., Fire Chief / United States Navy Lloyd ”Red” Collis, Fire Chief / Lee VFD Richard Connick, Fire Chief / Anna Maria Island VFD Gary Diamond, Fire Chief / Molino Volunteer Fire Department Donald DiPetrillo, Fire Chief / Seminole Tribe of Florida Fire Rescue - FFCA Member Randy Dollar, Fire Chief / City of Winter Garden Fire Dept Frank Dolney, Fire Chief / Hernando Beach VFD

Herbert ”Herb” Glenn, Fire Chief / Crescent City Fire Department Billy Gunter, Fire Chief / Fort Meade Fire Department Joseph Hickson III, Fire Chief / Sanford Fire Department Donald Kean, Sr., Fire Chief / Brevard Co Fire District 5 Joseph ”Joe” Ladd, Fire Chief / Wakulla Station VFD John Manuel, Fire Chief / Bonifay VFD Randolph McKinney, Fire Chief / Sun ‘n’ Lakes VFD James “Wendell” Murphy, Fire Chief / Monsanto Yarn Plant Carl ”Pete” Peters, Fire Chief / Winter Garden Fire Department Raymond Pinkard, Fire Chief / Madison Fire Department Wayne Roseke, Fire Chief / City of Lake City Fire Department Roger Schlievert, Fire Chief / St. Augustine Shores VFD Johnell Smith, Fire Chief / Cantonment VFD James Sommers, Public Safety Director / Suwannee County Fire Rescue - FFCA Member Evia Stateler, Fire Chief / Loughman VFD Paul ”Rod” Strickland, Fire Chief / Wakulla County Fire Rescue Maurice ”Reese” Thomas, Fire Chief / Lee County VFD Robert Vining, Fire Chief / Daytona Beach Speedway FD William ”Bill” Webb, Fire Chief / St. Johns County Fire Rescue

Celebrating Female Arson Investigators By Elyse Weintraub Brown, Fire Safety Specialist, Palm Beach County Fire Rescue

he may be tiny but, she’s tough!! At 5 feet tall and just over 100lbs, meet Pamela Summers, who is the only female Fire and Arson Investigator at Palm Beach County Fire Rescue. This month, we celebrate Women’s History Month. Investigator Summers lives and works by the mantra from the famous author, Mark Twain “Supposing is good, but finding out is better.” A quote that couldn’t be more true for someone immersed in a career of investigative detective work. With 32+ years in the

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fire service, Pamela investigates fires with undeniable gusto and doesn’t mind getting her hands dirty to find the root cause of where a fire started and how! Pam’s biggest fan club is her family. Her grandmother encouraged her, even saving all the newspaper story clippings that featured one of Pam’s fires. In 2020, Investigator Summers was the 1st and only woman to be recognized as the prestigious Florida Fire Marshals & Inspector’s Assoc. Fire Investigator of the Year Award. Pam started her career at Royal Palm Fire Department in 1989 and came over to PBCFR with consolidation in 1999. Investigator Summers has a unique and very valuable repertoire of credentials. As a Florida certified law enforcement officer, trained firefighter, Florida & International certified fire investigator, and fire and arson explosion Investigator, Summers is able to capture and arrest suspected arsonists.

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ow many of you have had a bad supervisor? That is a question I ask at the beginning of every lecture about leadership and, as you can imagine, every hand in the classroom generally goes up. We’ve all had bad supervisors or witnessed poor leadership examples during our careers. Through the years, one consistent theme I’ve noticed among weak leaders is a lack of focus or lack of purpose. They are assigned to a formal leadership role but are not sure what to do with that responsibility. Perhaps a better question centers on the attributes of a good leader. Where do good leaders come from? Is leadership a naturally occurring skill or are good leaders “made?” Although there is no right or wrong answer, it’s safe to say that leadership is an art. Abundant research has explored the science behind highquality supervision and there are myriad philosophies on the composition of the perfect leader. In public service, we see examples of leadership every day. Formal leadership generally occurs from behind stripes, bars or clusters on the uniform, but informal leadership occurs during every call for service.

Angel Alvarado . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Miami Beach Fire Rescue Brent Anzorandia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Miami Beach Fire Rescue Paul Benedicto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Miami Beach Fire Rescue Chase Brown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Miami Beach Fire Rescue Kahlil Esquire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Miami Beach Fire Rescue Nicola Fabbri . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Miami Beach Fire Rescue Sharon Gregory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Seminole County Fire Department Gregory Hedrick . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Tavares Public Safewty Jody Hoagland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Magnolia Volunteer Fire Department Matthew Kohan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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Author Kevin Kruse describes leadership as the “process of social influence, which maximizes the efforts of others, towards the achievement of a goal.”[1] Kruse’s definition certainly captures the essence of informal leadership, but let’s focus on supervision that occurs through formal structures. In that respect, leadership involves techniques that direct the energies and abilities of a group toward the common accomplishments and planned objectives of the organization. Sounds simple, right? It should be, but don’t underestimate the human condition. 5 Essential Elements of Supervision in Public Safety As humans, we spend a great deal of our time and energy fulfilling our own basic needs. Safe to say, we are selfish, and that attribute can make or break a leader. To be a good leader, we must be selfless and direct our efforts toward balancing the quantity of work with the quality of work and overall job satisfaction of our employees. To do this effectively, consider the acronym PRIDE, which refers to essential supervisory elements: • Planning: Effective leaders always have a

Kevin Matteson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Tampa Fire Department Daniel McLaughlin, IV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .MDAlly Teiva Prado . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Miami Beach Fire Rescue Ruben Rayneri . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Miami Beach Fire Rescue Cadets Eric Rodriguez . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Dunedin Fire Department Mladen Salewski . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Miami Beach Fire Rescue Jerry Selwyn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Altamonte Pass Fire Department Mike Sica . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Miami Beach Fire Rescue Joshua Soto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Miami Beach Fire Rescue Michael Vogel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Alachua County Fire Rescue

plan of action, the “what” and “how” we are going to accomplish required tasks. The greater our leadership authority, the more conceptual our approach needs to be. • Reporting: Public service requires formalized structures to get the job done. The chain of command is only effective if communication regularly occurs both upstream and downstream. Although we expect this communication to follow formal channels, we can’t let that formality stifle internal communication. Employees must be kept “in the know.” Additionally, they should be provided with an outlet to easily communicate new ideas to the top levels of the organization. Remember, innovation often comes from within. • Improving: A good leader is only as strong as his/her subordinates. Career development is essential if we want to have competent personnel with a desire to perform. Think of it as an investment in your people. Whether through formal evaluations, mentoring or training, empowered employees are generally productive employees. • Directing: We’ll talk more about this aspect in future articles, but good leaders must know their people and be good at choosing the correct leadership style that aligns with each employee. • Evaluating: Most agencies have some type of formal evaluation process; however, in my experience, many are lacking or are not taken seriously. Outlining employee expectations and giving employees feedback on performance is an essential aspect of professional development. External Factors That Affect Supervision in Public Safety Although most of the elements associated with PRIDE are responsibilities of the individual

leader, many external factors impact the quality of leadership and employee morale within a public safety organization. How an individual supervisor or agency handles these factors has a direct impact on the level of service provided and the level of performance exhibited by employees. Consider these external factors: • False assumptions – It’s tempting to believe that everyone elevated to a formal leadership role is competent, possesses the same characteristics or attributes, and is universally interchangeable, regardless of job function. This false assumption is largely a byproduct of the organization’s culture. • Budgetary and fiscal issues – Often, there is never enough to cover required expenses and many organizations are asked to do more with less. Overtime, equipment and compensation are key factors that can impact the workplace and employee morale. • Technology – Constantly evolving technological developments impact not only a given agency’s budget, but also the associated employee learning curve. Policy updates and training are often impacted as well. • Pressure from changing trends – In recent years, public safety policy and practices have generated increased interest from citizens desiring police reform and enhanced

transparency. These public and political agendas can impact the effectiveness of supervision. • Jurisdictional attributes – Challenges associated with significant population or demographic shifts can require internal adjustments to services provided or personnel necessary to complete essential tasks within the community. • Personnel issues – For most agencies, recruiting qualified personnel is one of the biggest challenges. Recruiting personnel that represent the diverse populations we serve is an even greater challenge. Selection of qualified leaders and the impact retirements or resignations have on institutional knowledge all impact organizational effectiveness. • Job stress – Public safety is rewarding, challenging and taxing. Today’s employees must be resilient and face challenges both at work and at home. How our employees handle stress is a key factor to their personal well-being. They’re Depending on You Nothing about leadership is easy, especially if you aspire to become a supervisor for the wrong reasons. Power, influence and compensation can be improper motivators when you consider what it really takes to be an effective leader. Former General Electric CEO Jack Welch probably said it best when he noted, “Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you

become a leader, success is all about growing others.” Whether you are currently in a formal leadership role or aspire to become a leader within your organization, you must take a step outside of your self-interests and work toward common organizational goals as a team. This requires buy-in within all organizational levels— and the first-line supervisor is a key component to establishing this buy-in. Your people and your agency depend on it. References 1. Kruse, K. (2013). What is Leadership? Forbes [online]. Accessed 1/30/21 from: https://www.forbes.com/sites/kevinkruse/2013 /04/09/what-is-leadership/?sh=729ac4605b90 REX M. SCISM is a 32-year law enforcement veteran who has been involved with nearly every facet of the profession; he currently serves as a training developer for Lexipol. Rex is also a public safety consultant and instructor with more than 20 years of instruction experience in the public safety, private sector and academic communities. He frequently lectures on public safety topics around the country. Rex holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Criminal Justiceand is a graduate of the FBI National Academy’s 249th Session.

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Osceola County Solar Pre-fire Planning By Andrew Sullivan, APIO, Public Information Coordinator, Osceola County Fire Rescue & EMS

sceola County Fire Rescue & EMS Squad 53, Rescue 53 and Battalion 6 met with representatives from Duke Energy recently to conduct a pre-fire plan for their solar power plant, located on a 17-acre site along North Canoe Creek Road, south of St. Cloud, Florida. Combining nearly 15,000 panels that cover an area the size of 13 football fields, the facility has been outputting almost 4 megawatts of carbon-free energy since it was brought online in July of 2016. Crews were given a primer on electrical safety, and briefed on staffing needs for the facility, which is typically very low. Osceola Fire Rescue & EMS has placed significant focus on developing and maintaining pre-fire plans for commercial and industrial facilities in Osceola County, Florida, to ensure the best possible outcome when responding to calls.

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March 2021

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Tommy Demopoulos, Division Chief/Fire Marshal, Tamarac Fire Rescue

Fire Service Tenure: 13 years and 4 months Career Journey: I cannot say I am one of those people that comes from a family of firefighters or that I always wanted to be a firefighter. I was always into cars and made a career in that industry. I learned that the city I lived in, Plantation, had volunteer firefighters, so I joined in 2007 as a volunteer firefighter. I worked my way up through the ranks to become a suppression Captain. I appreciate everything I learned there as this prepared me for my next journey as a fire inspector with Tamarac Fire Rescue where I started June of 2012. Plantation was also where I met my wife and now have two amazing children, so I wouldn’t change a thing! I worked as a fire inspector and then learned how to review plans. I was promoted to Assistant Fire Marshal in 2017 and most recently on February 13, 2021, was promoted to Division Chief/Fire Marshal. Tamarac is a Class 1, Accredited Agency. Population served including square miles covered: 65,377 population over 12.96 square miles. Composition of fire prevention bureau: Our Community Risk Reduction Division consists of one Office Specialist, one Public Education Specialist, who handles community outreach and emergency management, three Fire Inspectors, an Assistant Fire Marshal who is the primary plans examiner and the Fire Marshal. Describe your leadership style. I like to lead from the front and get down and dirty with my team! If I

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ask them to do something, I have already done it and am willing to do it with them. I have done each position within the division and understand the challenges. I prefer to challenge the inspectors and not give them the answers. With code research, it is very tempting for a supervisor to just give the answer or code section to someone. But do the research and find the answer yourself, you will remember where and how you found it for next time. I also love being in a good mood and positive. If you are positive, then there is a good possibility of this rubbing off on those around you. It is beneficial to absolutely no one to walk around grumpy all day. I guess this is what you get for having a career that you love! What is the most challenging issue facing your fire prevention bureau today? I believe the biggest challenge today while in this pandemic is public education. There are limits on how many people can be together and many places are not allowing in-person visits or meetings. We are finding new ways to reach residents and students which is very time consuming. At the same time, we are trying to keep the virtual sessions lively as young kids want to see and sit in a fire truck, not see it on a computer. We have adapted to dropping off materials to the school prior to an event and then speaking virtually. We are starting new video sessions and will be creating a library of recordings that we can use over and over anytime. How has the fire prevention bureau changed during your career? The biggest change within the division is definitely the people within the team. We have an amazing group of people who work as a cohesive unit. There is a great mix of individuals who bring a unique skillset to the table. Each person wants to be here and is doing their very best each day to protect the guests and residents within the city. What is the most challenging issue facing the fire service today? I believe the most challenging issue today is dealing with the COVID-19

response. Whether it is keeping your own department members safe, not running out of PPE or keeping city buildings and apparatus clean. How does your bureau accomplish training? Since we are a Class 1 and Accredited Agency, our training requirements are well defined. We require a minimum of 40 hours annually for inspectors, 40 hours annually for fire investigators and 10 hours annually for public educators. This is accomplished through a forward-thinking budget process which allows us to plan the trainings we will send inspectors to. As President of the Fire Inspectors Association of Broward County, we work side by side with our Board of Rules and Appeals for training opportunities here locally and for a reduced price if not free. Also, as S.E. Regional Director of the Florida Fire Marshals and Inspectors Association, we rotate sending inspectors around the state to those amazing training opportunities. Another thing we have been doing with our new hires is setting up team inspections. We will go out to a location as a group and conduct individual inspections. Then we compare violations at the end and discuss. This has been very helpful to see first-hand how the inspectors interact with the customer and then to see what kind of violations they find. What are some unique aspects of your fire prevention bureau? I believe what makes our division unique is that we are a highperformance organization and go above the minimum requirements to ensure our residents and businesses safety. We complete a bi-annual inspection for businesses with cooking suppression systems to ensure that system is tested and the hood itself has been cleaned. We also conduct more frequent inspections on our target hazard buildings to ensure they are being kept orderly and safe. We also perform monthly walk throughs with our operational crews in target hazard properties or new construction to let them become familiar with the layout and safety features. What is the one thing you would change in the fire service if you could? If I could change one thing in the fire service, it would be that we are reactive and less proactive. I always tell our Operations Chief, if he is rolling the trucks, then our division failed. Most if not all our fire and life safety codes are because of tragic events. Unfortunately, it takes tragedy for people to listen and even at that, if it costs too much money, then we gamble. “It will never happen to me”, people say, until it hits home, then you are a proponent for the cause. Why not be that cheerleader now? For example, we know that the majority of fire deaths are in one-and two-family dwelling fires. We also know that fire sprinklers save lives and

have applications in these dwellings. We are working the best we can through organizations such the Florida Fire Sprinkler Coalition and the Florida Fire Sprinkler Association to educate. Making attempts to add incentives for developers and homeowners to installed sprinklers. We are making slow progress but progress nonetheless. I truly believe this will be a requirement in all new construction one day and will do my part to help the cause. How have current economic times impacted your fire prevention bureau and how are you doing things differently today because of the economy? We are trying to be more mindful of the business and what they are going through. We know that many places have shut down or were shut down. We know many places are at a limited capacity and that revenues for them are not the best. We have tried to make the inspection more meaningful and educational for the business owner. We make it about helping their business succeed and protecting their assets. We are there to help and not hurt their business. What do you look for in a new employee? I want to see someone that wants to be here. Someone that has drive, is self-starting and has passion. Knowledge is great but that can be taught. You cannot teach being a good person or having a good attitude. Someone that wants to learn and won’t stop. What’s the future for fire prevention as you see it? I often think about changes we can make to help our job get easier or more futuristic. I know that during this time, many places have relied on virtual inspections and even NFPA is creating a new standard to assist in this. I can see in the way future this coming to a larger scale for larger applications. Right now, this is convenient for some small applications but do not see an inspection of a 100,000 square foot warehouse being done virtually. I can see a headset being worn by an inspector and then another by the person in the warehouse, and the inspector can see what is really being seen in the building. I see a more proactive fire service and I see more cross trained individuals. Do you have a favorite book or quote? I have a favorite TED Talk. It is by Drew Dudley called Everyday Leadership. This speaks about how we have taken the term leadership and made it into something so big and that we don’t celebrate the smaller, everyday leadership successes. I get the chills every time I watch it! Visit us at WWW.FFCA.ORG

Sidlauskas Appointed to the National Committee for Emergency Pediatric Care

Suncoast Safe Kids Coalition Recognize Stevanovic

By Corey Dierdorff, Public Information Officer

Public Education Training Coordinator Lana Stevanovic has been recognized by The Suncoast Safe Kids Coalition for her outstanding work in providing the City of St. Petersburg residents water safety education. Lana has been a member of the Suncoast Safe Kids Coalition since 2014 and is also a member of the water safety committee. In the Spring of 2020, Lana and Public Education Training Specialist Alexis Lawrence, organized a Firefighter and Lifeguard car wash in partnership with the St. Petersburg Aquatics Department that raised over $1,500. The funds raised at this event allowed 115 children in need to receive free swim lessons. In light of the Covid-19 Pandemic, Lana and Alexis were also able to safely organize multiple drive-through water safety events and distributed over 300 life jackets to children in need. In addition, nearly 5,000 water safety kits full of educational materials for kids and adults were created and delivered to preschools and pool supply stores in the community. Finally, Lana and Alexis assisted in the creation of Safe Kids Water Safety Social Media Virtual Campaign, which reached over 20,000 people. Congratulations, Lana Stevanovic, for your Suncoast Safe Kids Coalition recognition.

Pasco County Fire Rescue and The National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians (NAEMT) is pleased to announce the appointment of Deputy Chief of Administration Jeremy Sidlauskas to the NAEMT Emergency Pediatric Care (EPC) Committee. NAEMT is the largest professional association for EMS practitioners in the United States and focuses on bettering EMS practitioners’ prehospital care and education. Chief Sidlauskas will provide advice and guidance on pediatric medical issues related to the association’s activities, including its policies, position statements, programs, and accepted prehospital clinical standards and practice. These standards and policies translate into laying the groundwork for the next generation of educational materials and NAEMT standards aimed at providing the highest level of prehospital care to pediatric patients. This appointment of Chief Sidlauskas follows a career-long drive to better prehospital care and highlights his commitment to EMS advancement for pediatric patients.

Super Bowl Safety A Team Effort By Eric Seidel, Public Information Officer

On Feb. 7th, the Tampa Bay area hosted Super Bowl LV, but the safety preparations taken by public safety agencies had been in the planning stages for more than a year. Hosting a major event such as this in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic required all the efforts of Hillsborough County Fire Rescue (HCFR), Tampa Fire Rescue (TFR), Tampa Police Department, Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office and many, many others. HCFR Fire Chief Dennis Jones and other leaders participated in the major local and national media briefing on Feb. 3rd discussing the comprehensive security and safety precautions being taken at both the stadium and official pre-event sites. Just as HCFR and other local agencies did during the last Super Bowl, various public safety and law enforcement agencies visited us from the Los Angeles area, site of the next Super Bowl, to observe and study our event procedures and safety protocols. After hearing from both TFR and HCFR’s Fire Chiefs, the group visited the Tampa Bay Public Safety Joint Information Center created for this big event and staffed by Public Information Officers from many local agencies including ours. 34

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By Lt. Steven Lawrence, CFEI, IAAI-FIT, Deputy Fire Marshal/PIO

TFD Carcinogen Exposure Initiatives By Gregory G. Sutton, Battalion Chief of Training, PIO

Titusville Fire has had two hoods for our personnel and completed hood swaps after a fire for some time. Now we are excited to outfit our personnel with particulate hoods to help block exposure and absorption of carcinogens found during firefighting operations. Completing gross decon after fires, gear swap and washing, utilizing Safer Straps and particulate hoods is all part of our initiative to reduce our personnel’s exposure to carcinogens.

Tavares Announces Firefighter of the Year By Helen Vilissov, Administrative Officer

Congratulations to Engineer/Paramedic Mike Willis, who was selected Officer of the Year also referred to as Person of the Year. Engineer Willis began his career with Tavares Fire Department April 1, 2014 as Firefighter/Paramedic and was promoted to rank of Engineer on July 26, 2019. He received his Fire Officer II on July 24, 2018 and continues to work on his education by attending Codes and Standards Classes. He also serves in the capacity of ride-up Lieutenant. Eng. Willis was honored at a Dinner Awards Banquet held at Elks Lodge and will be honored at the Awards Luncheon sponsored by the American Legion Tavares Post 76 sometime in March. Pictured L-R: Richard Keith, Fire Chief; Michael Willis, Engineer/P.

Polk County Fire Rescue New Stations By Chris Jonckheer, Public Information Officer

Orlando Celebrates Opening of Fire Station 9 By Ashley Papagni, Public Information Manager

On Tuesday, February 20, 2021, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer, District 3 Commissioner Robert F. Stuart, and Orlando Firefighters celebrated the grand opening of the new Orlando Fire Department Station 9, “Outpost Nine.” The new 11,928-square-foot station located at 3856 Center Loop provides the Rosemont community it serves with a centrally-located, modern facility, equipped with the latest in technology and space to accommodate multiple, specialized units and equipment to serve the residents and businesses in the area - including single-family homes, garden apartments, commercial warehouses, and industrial buildings. Station 9 is the first newly constructed fire station since the department’s incorporation of the recommendations in the Inclusivity and Equity Action Plan. This station was designed to promote diversity in the workplace and includes private, individual crew bunk rooms, showers, and restrooms, as well as a secure room for special use, such as nursing. It’s nicknamed “Outpost Nine” because of its location being the farthest fire station to serve residents living on the west side of Orlando. Station 9 will be home to 30 firefighters and will include three units assigned to the station: Engine 9, Tower 9, and Rescue 9.

Vaccines Delivered to Holocaust Survivors By Marcos Osorio, Deputy Chief

Eighteen south Florida fire rescue departments deployed through the Region 7 Ambulance Strike Team continue to administer COVID-19 vaccines to South Florida Holocaust and Bay of Pigs survivors, coordinated by the Florida Fire Chiefs’ Association, Division of State Fire Marshal, Division of Emergency Management and Florida Department of Health. At 10 a.m. Friday, Key Biscayne firefighters will receive a hand-painted portrait of a fire department design from Yakov and Tsilya Novak, as a token of gratitude for the fire rescue team’s work as they receive their second vaccines. Vaccine administration began in February, with over 1,000 Holocaust and Bay of Pigs survivors in the tri-county region receiving their first doses. The second round of inoculations began March 3, with over 350 second vaccines already given, and is anticipated to run through March 10. 36

FLORIDA FIRE SERVICE

March 2021

Polk County Fire Rescue is improving its service in the county through the construction of four new fire stations slated for construction this year, and the recent approval of four more to be completed by the end of 2022. On Tuesday, the Board approved a Community Investment Project amendment and budget transfer of $7.8 million to begin the process that will eventually create the new stations. “The Board of County Commissioners has set aggressive goals designed to improve almost every aspect of public safety withing Polk County Fire Rescue,” Fire Chief Robert Weech said. “The approval of the next four fire station construction projects is an example of the progress they support and have directed. The approval of the construction of the new stations improves operational and service delivery capabilities for Polk’s residents, as well as providing design features that increase firefighter safety through carcinogen control.” The four new stations include Nalcrest, east of Lake Wales; Watkins (Sandhill) Road, near Poinciana; Masterpiece Road in Lake Wales and Moore Road in North Lakeland. The CIP amendment will aid in moving these projects forward at a quicker pace. More specifically, this funding will go toward environmental engineering, prototype building design and site development permitting and construction services for the four stations. Environmental permitting/surveying services are required for the recently purchased Watkins Road and Masterpiece Road fire station properties, which need to be completed this spring. And while the Nalcrest station project design services are approaching completion, a site has not been selected for the Moore Road area. By the end of this year, four other new fire stations will be completed, according to Facilities Director Keith Tate. “The Board was told we would have four new fire rescue stations constructed by the end of 2021, which we will accomplish. The first station is slated to be completed by the end of May.”

Navarre Beach Fire Rescue Purchases Lifepak By Danny Fureigh, Fire Chief

Navarre Beach Fire Rescue secured a Lifepak 15 with C.A.R.E.S funding approved by Santa Rosa County. This $30,000 piece of equipment is the final tool needed in our quest to provide Advanced Life Support to our community. Plans are to be ALS certified mid 2021.

Longboat Key Second Annual Medal Day

North Port Fire Rescue Welcomes Firefighter/EMTs

By Tina Adams, Public Safety Information Officer

By Madison Heid, Community Outreach Coordinator

The Town of Longboat Key Fire Rescue Department recently held their Second Annual Medal Day Ceremony to recognize their dedicated and outstanding team members for 2020. COVID-19 presented challenges in being able to hold the ceremony back in November. Fire Chief Paul Dezzi worked diligently in making sure to acknowledge his employees no matter what. On February 16th, the department had a small gathering and presented the following to personnel: Medal of Honor: (Water Rescues) Deputy Chief Sandi Drake, Assistant Chief Bryan Carr, Lt. Tim Haas, Lt. Alan Jenkins, Firefighter/Paramedics Matt Taylor, Jason Berzowski, Jeff Bullock, Ron Koper, Josh Falcon, William Lewis, and Jamison Urch Medal of Merit: (Condo Fire) Firefighter/Paramedic Ron Franklin Unit Citation: (Lost Citizen on an Island) Assistant Chief Bryan Carr, Lt. Tim Haas, Lt. Alan Jenkins, Firefighter/Paramedic Matt Taylor, Jason Berzowski, Jeff Bullock, Ron Koper, Josh Falcon, William Lewis, Jamison Urch, and Missina Cutting Agility Assessment – Most Fit: Firefighter /Paramedic Zack Schield Fire Chief Award: Firefighter/Paramedic David Oliger Employee of the Year: Liaison, Public Safety Information Officer Tina Adams 2020 Promotions: Lt. Bryan Carr to Assistant Chief, Fire Marshal Jane Herrin to Assistant Chief and Firefighter Jose Rivera to Lieutenant Congratulations to the men and women of the LBK Fire Rescue Department. Thank you for your hard work, service, and commitment.

Some congratulations are in order! North Port Fire Rescue welcomed 7 new Firefighter/EMTs to the department in February. They began a 6-week orientation program, and then will be assigned to a shift. Please welcome (from left to right): Eric Walsh, Mathew Simmons, Jeffrey Gibble, Zachary Wiegele, Anthony Schiavo, Matthew Anderson, Saxon Wiskowski. Congratulations to all of these fine gentlemen. NPFR looks forward to all you’ll accomplish with the department.

Orlando Paramedics Administer Vaccinations

By Ashley Papagni, Public Information Manager

On March 10, 2021 City of Orlando trained paramedics administered vaccinations to our community of 65+ helping to eradicate the COVID-19 virus. It’s our commitment to continue to assist the public when the vaccine becomes available to everyone. 38

FLORIDA FIRE SERVICE

March 2021

A Celebration of Teamwork and Effort By Eric Seidel, Public Information Officer

Days after our hometown Tampa Bay Buccaneers won Super Bowl LV, it was a picture-perfect day for a victory boat parade. On Feb. 10th, Hillsborough County Fire Rescue (HCFR) fire and rescue boats joined in the celebration of our Super Bowl Champions, as well as kept an eye out for any rowdy pirates needing a rescue. It was an honor to join in the celebration of our Bucs’ season-long achievements and their victory in becoming Super Bowl Champs once again! On the gridiron, just as in the fire rescue service, no great achievements can happen without teamwork and effort. It was truly a great day in “Champa Bay.”

March is Florida Bicycle Month March is Florida Bicycle Month and our OFD Bike Team assists with events that need easier access within crowds. Each bike is equipped with Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) that help restart a heart in cardiac arrest. Thanks to our volunteer Rosie for showing us a demo of how it works.

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TFD Attends 2021 Orlando Fire Conference By Gregory G. Sutton, Battalion Chief of Training, PIO

Members of Titusville Fire Department attended the Orlando Fire Conference learning from instructors from all over the country. Our members participated in 2 days of hands on training focusing Day 1 on TIC: Thermal Imaging Camera fundamentals (recognition of signs of a flashover and performing a search utilizing the TIC) Day 2: Advanced Vehicle Extrication. Thanks to all who make the Orlando Fire Conference possible and to all the awesome instructors for passing on some great knowledge and techniques. No doubt we are bringing back some valuable information and look forward to sharing with the rest of our department.

Groveland Fire Department News By Sarah Panko, Public Information Manager

The Groveland Fire Department (GFD) announces the promotions of Jamil Dib, Michael Frankin and Brian Quintus to the rank of Battalion Chiefs. This is a newly created position and it’s the first time in GFD history that Lieutenants were promoted to a Battalion Chief or Shift Commander. GFD also promoted Terry Leist, Michael Ridge and Joshua Thomas to the rank of Lieutenant. During the March 1, 2021 council meeting, GFD also awarded the Distinguished Service Award to Division Chief Steve Smith. Smith worked countless hours keeping the fire trucks rolling as several firefighters were out due to COVID-19. Then on March 12, 2021, the City of Groveland held the Public Safety Complex Dedication. The 39,000 square-foot multi-level building on SR 50 now serves as the headquarters for GFD and the Groveland Police Department. Fire Administration and Fire Station 1 is located inside the complex. Fire Station 1 moved from a building that dates back to the 1960s and was about 3,600 square feet. 40

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March 2021

Titusville Fire Department Promotions By Gregory G. Sutton, Battalion Chief of Training, PIO

Titusville Fire Department is excited to announce the promotion of Lt. Lucas Senger (photo #1) to the position of Battalion Chief of EMS, F/F Paramedic Aaron Jolly (photo #2) and F/F Paramedic Roman Lane (photo #3) to the position of Driver/Operator. Chief Senger has been serving since 2006, D/O Jolly since 2011 and D/O Lane since 2013. Congratulations to all.

PBCFR Ladder 57 Push-back Ceremony By Tara Cardoso; Communications & Media Team

Palm Beach County Fire Rescue celebrates the beginning of a new era for Fire Station 57 with a brand new “vision” ladder truck that can extend 78 feet into the air. Ladder 57 was introduced to the crew with its new graphics and American flag decor. The traditional push-back ceremony consisted of a tire wash, water transfer, a blessing, and the final step where the crew “pushed” the new Ladder back into the fire station bays. The truck was then officially put into service for the residents of the western Boca Raton area and beyond.

HCFR Battles Recycling Center Fire By Eric Seidel, Public Information Officer

On the afternoon of Feb. 2nd, Hillsborough County Fire Rescue (HCFR) responded to the scene of a fire reported in a large Waste Management recycling center in the Tampa area. Making sure the structure was cleared of workers, we began an interior attack on the blaze which centered around the wood material hoppers. Using both water and Class A foam, HCFR firefighters had the major flames out within 30 minutes, but spent an additional hour making sure hotspots within the recycling materials were extinguished. There were no injuries to any firefighters or civilians.

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