OUR HISTORY
FIRE CHIEFS PAST AND PRESENT ON RECORD
1961 CHARLES KREITER
1962 JOE CLARK
1965 GEORGE EAGER
1966-1968 RALPH ROSS, SR.
1969 BERNIE SEARS, SR.
1971-1974 HARRY DAVIS
1975 DAVE GOW
1976-1977 BILL RADLOFF
1978 CHUCK TAYLOR
1979 ROBER SCHULTZE
1980 LARRY WATKINS
1981-1982 AGO KAULEN
1983-1985 GEORGE LEONE
1986 JAY GELD
1987-1991 HOWARD HINTON
1991-1998 L. RON MOBLEY, JR.
–1999-present SERGIO J. GARCIA
HISTORY OF THE KEY LARGO VOLUNTEER FIRE/RESCUE DEPARTMENT
In 1954, the Tavernier Fire Department gave an older Fire Truck to the Key Largo area. This vehicle was kept at the Standard Oil Station at MM 99 Bayside where the Honda Dealership is now located.
A World War II Air Raid Siren was installed nearby as a “Call to Duty” alarm. Telephone back-up calls alerted other volunteer fire fighters, who were out of the range of the siren, to respond.
At that time, the area of Key Largo outside of the business district at MM 99 to 100 was mostly a wooded, rural area, so containing a fire was what the early fire fighters did. The occasional Fish Camp building or weekend trailer usually was “lost”, but any adjacent or neighboring buildings were saved. A lot of the fires were allowed to burn out and only the power poles were “wetted down”.
The First Ten Years: 1955-1965
The Key Largo area began to grow quickly and soon developers were clearing land and digging canals. A more organized Fire Department was needed to service this growth.
The organization of the Key Largo Volunteer Fire Department began early in 1955. Temporary officers of the Department, President Earl Antrim and Secretary Jack Lieb, served until formal elections were held.
By the fall of 1955, a newer, used Fire Truck was acquired and a building site in the Sunset Cove subdivision was given to the Department. These transactions needed a legal entity, so the Key Largo Volunteer Fire Department was incorporated and officially chartered by the State of Florida on December 7, 1955.
The volunteers built the Firehouse and for the most part, the local businessmen in the area paid for the construction materials.
The Official Roster in 1956 was:
Earl Antrim, Ralph Smith,
Jack Lieb , Paul Bridgham,
Charlie Krieter, Frank Taylor,
and William Winston.
Willing hands eager to help out backed up these Official Members. Also the wives of the official members formed the Ladies Auxiliary and were always there with refreshments.
Charlie Krieter was one of the first operational Fire Chiefs. He and a couple of others had Navy Firefighting experience in World War II.
In 1960, Hurricane Donna was devastating to Key Largo. The Firehouse stood the test, but membership was hit hard. Many businesses went broke and developers pulled out.
Monroe County purchased six new Ford Howe 750 gpm Fire Trucks with a Federal Reconstruction Grant and gave one each to Key Largo, Tavernier, Islamorada, Conch Key, Marathon, and Big Pine. The Key Largo Fire Department finally had a dependable Fire Truck.
Reconstruction was going on and workers coming into the area were joining the Fire Department, so membership was going up. The area was recovering.
New projects were improving the Key Largo area for tourism: 1. Pennekamp Park Headquarters was being built. 2. The “cut” between Blackwater Sound and Largo Sound had been completed. 3. The landing strip for light air craft was started at Port Largo.
4. Electric Power and water supply had greatly improved.
The Second Ten Years: 1965 - 1975
Radios were now in all trucks. Plectron Paging System had been installed. Our coverage area was changing by leaps and bounds.
Training became an important part of the Department. Aside from the weekly “drills”, we had instructors from the State Fire College come each January or February to teach and certify our new members. The course was scheduled five nights for three hours each. Then on Saturday night, the Department would put on a big Lobster and Fish Dinner as a reward. Those dinners were the forerunners of the Annual Installation Banquets held today.
The State discontinued this training service to the volunteers in the early ‘70s. Funding, necessary for upgrade of trucks, equipment, and supplies became critical. We decided to send an annual Fund Drive Letter to all postal patrons for donations. Bar-B-Qs and Raffles were also used to raise needed funds.
During the late ’69 to ’71 era, building in the Keys was getting out of hand. A grass roots effort was started: “ No More High Rises”. The County implemented a building code and enforcement.
The Department’s ladders were far too short for rescue or access to rooftops, so a 55 ft. TeleSquirt Pumper/Ladder truck was ordered from American La France. Delivery was scheduled for late 1973 or early 1974. In order to accommodate the new truck, an addition had to be built on the Key Largo Firehouse. This was done without any help from the County.
That period of time brought many challenges to the Fire Department. The U.S. 1 Highway from MM 106 to Tavernier Creek was being four-laned. Accidents were on the increase. There were five 18 wheel gasoline tankers overturned on the highway during that period. The Department got very proficient at “foaming down” the accidents and containing the fuel spills.
Thanks to weekend training sessions at Homestead Air Force Base, the Department developed an “evolution” to respond and control the scene that is still in use at accidents today.
In 1973, the need for a quick response Rescue Vehicle was determined. The Department bought the vehicle at a Fire Equipment Show in Miami right off the floor for $22,000. Five people within our district had been approached and each responded with $5000, payable by “drawing” within five years.
Ocean Reef developers were building a Private Club at the north end of Key Largo. Until they were able to establish a fire department, the Key Largo Volunteer Fire Department covered that area. The Missile Base on State Road 905 was also covered by Key Largo. At that time, plans were on the table for a massive development in North Key Largo at Port Bougainvillea. The need for a north end Key Largo Fire Station was growing quickly. Two new 1250 gpm Pumpers were ordered from American La France. The North Station of the Key Largo Fire Department was erected in 1974, just in time for the new trucks. Actually the North Station was just a “barn”, an old steel air plane hanger taken down from Ocean Reef.
The Third Ten Years: 1975 -– 1985
The growth and development of the Keys continued to define the needs of the Key Largo Volunteer Fire/Rescue Department. The first set of “Jaws of Life” was purchased.
The replacement of the old Howe Pumper and the TeleSquirt trucks happened early in the 1980s.
A new Quick-Attack Rescue Truck was purchased.
Due to the close proximity of the Turkey Point Nuclear Power plant, Key Largo Volunteer Fire/Rescue became involved with Federal Nuclear Regulations and is still part of the Turkey Point exercises annually requiring special evening classes and participation in a mock disaster drill.
During this era, the Water Emergency Team (WET) was established, and inflatable boats and trailers were purchased through donations. Members became certified as rescue divers and ongoing classes for certification in boat handling and SCUBA Search and Rescue were available. The fire department reached out to the many local dive shops in the area and recruited experts from the dive industry to be part of WET making the team one of the most elite in the fire service.
A second set of “Jaws of Life” that came with the new Rescue Truck have proven their worth. More and more the “18 mile stretch” to the mainland has become a “Death Trap” with two sets of “Jaws” often needed at the same time. Training and evolutions in extrication were stepped up. Members of the Department have attended classes in Special Operations outside of Monroe County and have brought information and training back to the Department.
With water capacity of each truck of 1000 gallons Water Transfer truck to truck was begun. Due to the lack of hydrants, salt water was drafted from the canals and bodys of water on many occasions to help extinguish fires.
During this time, the Department grew to 30 Members. Some Key Largo Volunteer Firefighters from this era have made the Fire Service a career choice and have gone on to do well in many parts of the State of Florida.
The Fourth Ten Years: 1985 - 1995
Fire Station #1 was finally completed! Not exactly what was wanted, but adequate.
Compliance with updated training and meeting new classifications of certification prompted several senior members of the Department to become certified as Instructors.
In 1988 an 80 ft. Emergency 1 Aerial/Ladder Truck was put into service. Fire/Rescue Training had to be in compliance with more stringent State and Federal mandates.
August of ’92 brought “Andrew”, the hurricane that didn’t hit lower Key Largo hard, but devastated Ocean Reef and South Dade County. Key Largo Fire responded along with other departments from Monroe County as the first Tasl Force reaching one of the hardest hit areas of Dade County and established the first Command Post in Florida City. Ron Mobley, Sergio Garcia, William Wagner, and Kippy Watson were some of the fire officers from Monroe County that spent a month running the command post until turned over to Miami-Dade.
During this era, the Department hired a Station Manager as a full time record keeper and custodian. It wasn’t long before a computer was purchased and installed to enhance daily operations and record keeping.
Fire Prevention Week activities involved members of the Department at the local schools and at the Station. Public Relations, Service to the community in non-emergency situations, and public visibility had become greatly improved and continues to be emphasized today.
Smaller transistor pagers came into use to alert Department personnel. The Recruitment & Retention Program was upgraded. Some members from outside the district began to serve shifts in the station to provide better coverage.
A 3,000 gallon Tanker Truck was purchased in 1993 improving the departments fire suppression capabilities and making us less reliant on salt water for fire suppression.
A Technical Rescue Truck was acquired in 1994 to meet the needs of the rising number of serious vehicle extrication automobile accidents.
Officer Candidates were sent to classes and conferences out of the State to keep the Department up to date on the latest compliance and safety issues.
Station #1 became an official Emergency Operations Center for radiological emergencies. Phone banks were installed and communications systems upgraded.
Physical Fitness and fire fighter health and wellingess was addressed and equipment for a Weight Room was purchased.
The Fifth Ten Years: 1995-2005
The Key Largo Volunteer Fire/Rescue Department has continued to evaluate needs and has effectively served a growing community by continued efforts to upgrade the capability of personnel and equipment.
2001 we took delivery of two Pierce Engines.
2002 the new Air Utility vehicle was purchased.
Self-contained breathing apparatus became standard and currently outfitted with the most modern technology such as heads-up-display in the face mask.
A new logo, patch and signage were implemented. The method used for the Fund Drive was revamped and has proved to be more successful.
Thanks to Federal Grants, the Station has been fully computerized. The classroom has added SMART classroom technology and state-of-the-art media to enhance teaching.
Donations from the community allowed us to aquire a 17 ft. rigid hull Rescue Boat that greatly enhanced the Department’s capability in water rescues.
A bond for construction of fire stations county wide was in place. With the help of past Commissioner and Mayor Murray E. Nelson funding for the new North Key Largo Station was secured. With no funds available to purshase land for the new station Chief Sergio Garcia worked with Governor Bush and struck an aggreement to build the new station on State Land at a cost of one dollar a year. The fire trucks had to be temporarily relocated to the Rowells property while the station was underconstruction.
The Extrication Team continues to do well in Competition and has placed as high as second place. The Team was one of only 10 teams in the Nation to be selected to represent the USA in the World Extrication Competition and the only Volunteer team, competing.
A new Special Independent Fire, Rescue and EMS District for the Key Largo area was created in October of 2005 and a five member Board of Directors for this Special Independent District were elected by the public.
Key Largo Fire Rescue Department celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2005.
The new DAVE GOW KEY LARGO FIRE STATION NUMBER 25 was completed and dedication ceremonies held on July 1, 2007.
A new dive rescue van was approved for purchase and deliver for fiscal year 2009 to PRESENT
Key Largo Fire Rescue Department continues to provide the highest quality of service to the residents, visitors, property owners and businesses of the Key Largo District while fostering volunteerism through creative recruitment and retention and state-of-the-art professional training programs.
