GB, Avalon oppose Midway bid
Midway FD may propose to handle countywide ambulance services
PART TWO OF A TWO-PART SERIES
BY STAFF REPORTS Gulf Breeze News news@gulfbreezenews.com

A s deadline a p - proaches for Midway Fire Department to make its bid to handle ambulance service for all of Santa Rosa County, the City of Gulf Breeze is joined by another agency in stating opposition for the move.

Gulf Breeze City Manager Buz Eddy said there has been significant conflict between the Gulf Breeze Volunteer Fire Department and Midway Fire.

Now, the chief of the Avalon Fire District says he's opposed to working with Midway as well.

Midway Fire Chief Stephen Demeter says he's trying to smooth any ruffled feathers.

"I sent the city of Gulf Breeze a letter last week, wanting to clarify our policy. We do want to work well with anyone, but are not going to sacrifice professional standards to do so. We are a state certified training center and we have to follow the letter of the law. Avalon's beef with us extends from the fact that we did not agree to stand down from an EMS call. The chief tried to cancel us. As there was no EMS on site, we did not stand down. Once we were called, we were in his jurisdiction, but acted in what we think were the best interests of those injured. As an ALS first response unit, we felt an obligation to check out those patients and their well-being."

Chief Sid Wiggins explains that his problem with Midway stems from a failure to accept and obey 'incident protocol.'

"Our incident occurred a year ago. To put it bluntly," Wiggins says,"Midway Fire is now not allowed in our district. They have a lot of good equipment and are a good Fire Department. I'd love to have them available, but I cannot afford

to have a wild card in a safety situation. He did not abide by chain of command."

Both men agree that the separation began over Demeter refusing to stand down when directed twice to do so. Demeter believes it has grown to more than that.

"I think this is a turf war. We were just in Gulf Breeze on Friday for a structure fire and they accept our support for that but they don't want us for EMS?"

"Demeter reported me to the state for asking him to stand down, and investigation proved no fault on my part. I am not aware of any turf war that does not surround Midway," Wiggins clarifies. "It is not a turf war on our part, he just appears to have a problem in any other district following directions from any one else."

Holley Navarre Fire Chief Les Slocum said his agency works well with Midway FD.

"We run numerous calls per week on a mutual aid/auto aid basis. We have no problems working with Midway Fire Department," Slocum said.

Eddy asserted that Gulf Breeze City firefighters' certifications were questioned at fire scenes, and that he is concerned about Midway Fire District garnering the ambulance service contract for Santa Rosa County. He also said if Midway Fire gets the contract, the city of Gulf Breeze will procure its own ambulance services, possibly from Escambia County.

Demeter said he is confused as to why Eddy would say Gulf Breeze would not want any Midway Fire ambulance inside city limits when Midway Firefighters do mutual aid fire calls and work with Gulf Breeze City firefighters currently.

Demeter responded to Eddy that Gulf Breeze Fire Chief Shane Carmichael mentioned to him that the Firefighter 1 certification requirement was "problematic" for Gulf Breeze Fire District. Firefighter 1 certification is now required by Florida statute for all personnel who perform at a fire scene, and he knows Gulf Breeze City Fire Department "continually offers Firefighter 1 training for all their personnel" so they could become certified.

Demeter also told Gulf Breeze News that if the Fire Marshal showed up at a scene and discovered any non-certified firefighters, it would be a $50,000 fine to the fire department that was in charge of the fire and had called for mutual aid. "It's not like it used to be 20 years ago - even 10 years ago. This is a fairly new law, only about three or four years old, that requires all firefighters be certified," he said.

Chief Demeter told Eddy in a letter that Midway "desires and strives to have a good working relationship" with all fire departments, paid or volunteer, citing the "paid vs. volunteer attitude that exists all over." He cited examples of how Gulf Breeze City firefighters and Midway worked together in joint training sessions, and how Midway has offered Gulf Breeze City attendees gear needed for certain training when they do not have it, also.

Chief Demeter said in the letter, "I also believe that for the most part, all firefighters work very well together." He also said as far as his paid firefighters working with non-paid firefighters, his crew is used to doing that since Midway Fire District has a number of Reserve (volunteer) firefighters of their own and they have been "invaluable" to Midway.