by Chuck Seaver, South Lake Tablet
The Lake County Fire and Rescue Department hosted a reopening and new fire engine “push back” ceremony on January 23rd, at the recently renovated fire station located at 11630 Lakeshore Drive, Clermont.
Ceremonies led by Lake County Director of Public Safety David Kilbury included an unveiling of station 109. Although Fire Station 109 has been in its current location for many years, the building was in serious need of updates and retrofitting that would accommodate the current day necessities of personnel assigned to the station.
The station was built many years ago during a time when fire stations were simply a housing place for the fire engines and equipment of the times. When it was built, Lake County still had fire districts and volunteer firefighters within those districts to respond to calls. The South Lake Fire District had two fire engines and a handful of volunteers to cover the south Lake County area.
There was no need for sleeping quarters or a kitchen in those days since the volunteers did not work from the fire stations. “A coffee pot and maybe a toaster oven were the extent of any kitchen items to speak of,” says Kilbury.
Fast forward to present day when unincorporated fire stations across Lake County are staffed 24 hours a day with a minimum of three firefighters per station. This station, on average, staffs a daily minimum of 6-8 people. The staff includes an engine crew, a paramedic crew, a medic crew and the south Lake County Battalion Chief that oversees all the county stations from the Clermont area, south to the Four Corners area.
The renovation of the station allows for easy access to the many modern-day ways of providing fire and rescue service to the citizens of south Lake County. Equipped with the latest dispatch technology, personnel can exit and respond to scenes in a timelier manner.
A new fire engine-heavy rescue truck arrived just in time for the reopening ceremonies that were being planned. “The truck had been ordered nearly three years ago, a standard time to receive new engines, and was not expected to be in service today when we unveiled the new station. We were delighted to hear that it would be arriving sooner than expected and would be here in time for reopening,” says Kilbury.
After opening accolades by Kilbury, Chaplain Rick Spence and Lake County Commissioner Sean Parks, attendees were invited to participate in the age-old tradition of “pushing back” the new engine into the bay of the engine’s new home. This ceremony dates back to the 1800’s, when fire apparatuses were pulled by horses. Upon returning to the fire stations, the horses would be unhitched, and the wagons would then be pushed back into the firehouse bay by human power. Over time, as motorized apparatus became common, the push back tradition continues to honor new units.
Visit www.LakeCountyFL.gov-fire.com for a full list of services offered, station locations, and community service programs.
