Two Huge Events Next Week on Fire Service Infrastructure for District 1

On Tuesday--the BCC will be voting on an agreement with the US Navy to acquire 5 acres of property to construct the new Fire Station 20 in Paradise Beach.  The previous station 20 was shut down in 2018 by Administrator Jack Brown.  I have been working ever since to get a replacement, and we are taking another step forward on Tuesday at the meeting.  We have already surveyed this property and purchased some equipment for this station.  It is coming.

And also, on Thursday of next week, we will be cutting the ribbon on Beulah's brand new, state of the art 14,500 SF fire station, the "Bradshaw McNair" fire station.  See the county's press release on this event, below:

"The Bradshaw-McNair Fire Station, serving the residents of the Beulah community, is named after the late District Chief Dwain Bradshaw and retired ECFR District Chief Steve McNair. Chief Bradshaw died in the line of duty while responding to a call on Nov. 6, 2019. Chief McNair served the Beulah community as a volunteer firefighter for over 50 years before retiring. 

The 14,503-square-foot facility will feature four vehicle bays for fire trucks. Along with the standard features within a fire station, such as a kitchen, living room area, gym, bedrooms, and shower facilities, the new Beulah fire station will include a community meeting and training room for public use.

Construction of the Bradshaw-McNair Fire Station was completed by Emerald Coast Constructors, Inc., and was fully funded by Local Option Sales Tax, or L.O.S.T.

"With the opening of the brand new Bradshaw-McNair Fire Station in Beulah, this community will have a state-of-the-art facility, a full-time staff, and multiple pieces of new firefighting and lifesaving equipment that will help protect the citizens and property," said District 1 Commissioner Jeff Bergosh. "This is a fitting tribute to the two men for whom this station is named, Dwain Bradshaw and Steve McNair, as this facility and those who man this station going forward will continue the legacy of service that Mr. Bradshaw and Mr. McNair epitomized. I am thankful for all the staff who worked for the last seven years to keep this project going, and I want to thank my predecessor, Commissioner Wilson Robertson, for his efforts to get momentum behind this project nearly a decade ago. A project like this requires patience, persistence and teamwork, and in this case, the team had it. This station is the fruit of this teamwork."

The Bradshaw-McNair Fire Station is located directly behind the former Beulah Fire Station, which has served Beulah residents since 1977. Numerically, the fire station will remain as ECFR-Station #2.

"This is an exciting time for the community of Beulah and for Escambia County Fire Rescue," said Fire Chief Adam Harrison. "We have seen tremendous growth and opportunity in this community, and we're honored to continue the elevation of Beulah with the addition of this fire station, which will serve the Beulah citizens 24 hours a day, seven days a week."

Check out this Tour of Escambia's Newest, Soon-to-be-Completed Fire Station in Beulah, District 1

And thanks to John Singley and the folks from Studio 850 for coming out and touring the facility and filming the video.

This facility, once completed, will be known as the Bradshaw-McNair Fire station, in honor of fallen firefighter Dwain Bradshaw and long-serving Beulah Fire Chief  Steve McNair.

This will be a great amenity for the Beulah Community!

New Beulah Fire Station will Remain a Volunteer Station

Folks were concerned and I was approached.  Apparently there were rumors flying around that I supported changing the way the Beulah Fire station was going to be operated after the old facility was decommissioned and the new one opened.  

One individual with whom I spoke even told me the volunteers who run that station currently with the assistance of a full time day shift crew were given notice that the station would become all professionally staffed once the new facility is opened.   And that I supported that?!?

That was news to me--and nothing could be further from the truth.  

So I have subsequently spoken to multiple others affiliated with that station who have told me, unequivocally, that the current arrangement is working well; this is a combination station that is functioning properly with a day shift of career firefighters running calls during the day Monday thru Friday and the ample volunteer component running the evening and weekend calls.

"We haven't missed one call, not one" said a volunteer at the station with whom I spoke at an event this week in Beulah. "So why are they doing this to us--we don't miss calls?"  he asked me.

My response was straightforward:  "They're not going to do this."

Apparently there was going to be a move to make the station fully professional and manned 24/7 with carreer staff after the construction--but after speaking with several senior administrative staff members and voicing my extreme disapproval of such a plan---I have been told subsequently it will remain volunteer run after the changeover.  

That is a relief to hear--as in many respects this new station will be a great recruiting tool for volunteers, and Beulah has a rich history as a station that has typically had a robust volunteer roster.  I, along with many others, would like to see that continue forward after we cut the ribbon on the new station, which will be named in honor of two Volunteer Firefighters who served at the station.

So as of this writing, once the new Station 2, the Bradshaw McNair Fire Station, opens in Beulah in January----the staffing model will remain as it has been:  a combination station run by the volunteers with a day time staff of career firefighters.  I mean, why change something that is working so well?

I suggest we utilize the career staff that were slated to move into Station 2 in other areas of the county where perhaps there is greater need for coverage and where calls are missed.

A Humble Privilege: Naming Station 2 the "Bradshaw-McNair Fire Station"

Watch the ceremony via this video, above

Friday morning was a great day for Escambia County, ECFR, and the Beulah Community of District 1.

It was my honor and humble privilege to host the community, fellow elected officials, and county staff members as we broke ground on Escambia County's newest, most modern fire facility in Beulah.

It has been a long time coming, and the effort to make this happen predates my time on the board.

But finally, at long last, the Board has approved the expenditure of $8.4 Million to build this facility.  They have also unanimously approved the naming of this facility in honor of 2 great men, Dwain S. Bradshaw and Steve McNair.

What a great day; days like this are what it is all about! 

Check out the local media coverage of the event here, here, and here 

See all the pictures from the event, below: