Protecting the Community

This is the next article in a series profiling the county’s 11 volunteer fire departments, plus the department in Mexico Beach, and the corresponding emergency medical services (EMS), paramedics, first responders, search and rescue and K9 units that comprise this area’s safety network.

Willingness to Learn Forms Solid Teamwork in South Gulf

All the hard work in the last three years of the South Gulf County Volunteer Fire Department has paid off, multiple times. Last Sunday was yet another example.

For about 12 hours Sunday, fire departments from around the county joined South Gulf to fight a large fire that threatened several communities on the Cape.

It was a test of men, equipment and training that the South Gulf firefighters had trained and worked hard to meet.

“This year (2007) is a lot different than last year, when we had so many fires and accidents,” said Lanny Blair, fire chief for the volunteer unit that serves Indian Pass, Cape San Blas and St. Joseph Peninsula. “Up until this fire, we’ve only had two or three other major events this year.”

Taking a look back to about 2003-04, anyone can readily see just how far the South Gulf volunteers have come.

“About three or four years ago, we would have one or two guys show up when we had a fire or an emergency,” Blair said. “Now we regularly have half a dozen guys show up about anything.

“All in all, we’ve been real please with the support from the community. It’s come a long way.”

From the Inside Out

Some of the changes are visible in the firehouse, which sits on Cape San Blas Road (S.R. 30-E), between the turnoff from S.R. 30-A and Salinas Park.

They recently purchased a new pumper truck that required new doors to be installed in the parking bay.

The new truck is almost 12 feet tall and wider than the other trucks.

“We had to get bigger, wider doors to the fire house,” Blair laughed. “We kept tearing off the side view mirrors when we tried to park the new truck.”

But one of the biggest things South Gulf has done this year, according to Blair, is adding 11 first responder bags to their equipment.

With nine of these bags placed in the fire deployment area throughout South Gulf and two on the trucks, “our first responders are probably within five minutes of any event we’ve had within our 15 to 20 mile field radius,” said Blair.

The fire house also now has several “talking” defibrillators that guide the user through the process.

“Those first responder classes we took with Shane [McGuffin, director of Gulf County EMS] last year, and these defibrillators, I can’t say enough about them,” Blair admitted.

Strength in Numbers

After 2006, when the South Gulf department ran from one fire and accident scene to another, many more people became involved in the department. People now help with everything from relaying information to running hoses to paperwork, Blair said. It also brought in what Blair described as “younger blood.”

“We now have three or four guys in their 20s to provide muscle when we need it,” he laughed.

“We have learned the hard way that this is a young man’s game,” he sighed. “For me and the five or six guys who always show up [at fires], it is rough. I’m 54 and these other guys are 60-plus.

They still have the ladies’ auxiliary group, formed last year, that keeps the firefighters supplied with water and Gatorade at fire scenes, and the fire brigade that helps with anything not involving actual fire fighting.

Ten of the South Gulf volunteers took the first responder classes about a year ago and also took the state required Fireman I classes. All now are qualified as first responders and Fireman I.

They also began practicing searching for victims in smoky buildings.

“The main thing is getting people out of houses,” said Blair. “We have a 35- foot ladder with an extension, and we are now practicing for rescues at the 45 to 48 foot height limit.

They still drill at least twice a month, Blailr said, working on brush fire training and rescue techniques. Blair has also taken a wildlands fire class to help with fire management out on the Cape and at Indian Pass, where brush and wildland fires are a problem.

Sunday’s fire was a frightening example of just how important that kind of training can be.

“Bill [VanderTulip] taught me at least how to think about a fire,” said Blair. “Bill gave me the confidence that we could get to a fire, start fire suppression and get started right. He gave all of us the confidence we needed to do the job.”

Equipment Counts

Last year The South Gulf Fire house won a $50,000 FEMA grant for new equipment, including newer turnout gear, which is significantly lighter in weight than the older gear, and newer breathing apparatus.

They also purchased two new large jet skis and established a water rescue unit, which has since racked up a significant number of water rescues.

“We did well on grants this year, too,” Blair said, indicating the new equipment that came in so handy on Sunday.

Their pride and joy, which got its first real workout Sunday, is the new pumper truck that arrived in early June.

It was custom-built for the department, designed so “we don’t have to do a lot of climbing on the truck to get hoses out.” Blair pointed out. “None of us need to be climbing around on the truck.”

A major component of the new truck is the huge cab, designed as a rehabilitation unit for firefighters. Equipped with air conditioning, oxygen and a first aid station, they can place up to six people in it at one time.

“Last year, when we were so busy with fires, what surprised me was how intense the work load is on the fire fighters,” Blair said. “This truck gives us a place on scene to take care of our people as soon as they need help.”

Another huge benefit of the new truck is its maneuverability and easier handling, a very important consideration when trying to navigate the winding, narrow roads in South Gulf communities, Blair emphasized.

“This baby has a push button transmission - yeah, it’s an automatic - and a flat front end so it can turn on a dime,” he laughed.

“We were a little reluctant to take the old truck to some locations because it was so big and unwieldy,” Blair added. “But this one is a dream.”

Several of the regular volunteers recently took the Emergency Vehicle Operation Class, including Blair, and currently about 12 people are certified to drive the truck, if needed.

They also designed the truck to carry two sets of hoses right on the front bumper of the truck, which saves time and effort for the firefighters. Usually hoses are wound and stored at the rear of a fire truck.

The truck carries 1,000 gallons of water and has the capacity to add foam to the water, which increases its efficiency “about 400 percent,” said Jim Caughy, one of the volunteers who was very instrumental in helping the department secure the truck, Blair said.

The department also has another pumper, a brush truck, and a one-of-a-kind “giant pressure washer on wheels,” as Blair described it.

According to Blair, it is the only one of its kind in the United States. It is a six-wheeled, golf cart-like contraption, with an onboard foam apparatus and 200 feet of lightweight hose with a 35-foot range.

Hauled to fire scenes on a small flat trailer, the baby pumper showed its worth in Sunday’s fire, Blair said.

Carrying 100 gallons of water and five gallons of foam, it delivers more knockdown power than the department’s brush truck, because of the high pressure it wields.

But it also sprays a circle of fine, cool mist that engulfs the firefighters, which helps them tremendously while they are near a blaze.

All in all, they’ve come a long way, Blair said, since a couple of years ago. “I remember saying last year that we knew about the red lights on top of the trucks, and where the water came out, but that was about it,” he laughed.

“We’re still waiting to see about some extra land for a new fire house. Even a small place to just securely park the jet skis and the small truck would help.

“But from where we were three or four years ago to where we are now, we’ve come a long way, baby.”

Anyone interested in joining the South Gulf County Volunteer Fire Department, in any capacity, can visit their website at www.sgcfire.com.