Dade Firefighters Hoping To Save Their Fire Boats
MIAMI (CBS4) – A group of Miami-Dade firefighters and their supporters held an unofficial 'Save the Fire Boats' party on Sunday afternoon in Miami's Bayside Basin.
The firefighters said the loss of the fire boats would mean a lack of emergency response in the county's waters.
"I've been doing this for over 30 years and on the front lines, serving the citizens of Dade County," said off-duty fire fighter Jack Garcia. " I know that if they eliminate this service, it's going to cost lives."
They said with only two units currently staffed, the department is already stretched thin when emergency services on the water are needed. They add that no other entity including the U.S. coast Guard provides EMS, marine firefighting and Rescue Diver services.
"We're the only ones with fire suppression capabilities and that's huge," said Garcia. "Things that happen on land happen out in the water and when they happen out in the water, that's it. The buck stops with us."
It's happened countless times as the fire fighters said they've saved countless lives while manning the fireboats. Including a high profile case back in 2008 when several high priced yachts caught fire. Two teenage boys were trapped in the bottom cabin of one of the yachts engulfed in flames. Miami Dade Fire boat units responded with Nicholas Digiacomo duty.
"It was a tremendous fire," Digiacomo recalled. "And sure enough, a hand popped out of a porthole."
Digiacomo said he cut a hole in the side of the yacht and saved the lives of the two teens.
"I gave them my air pack so they could breathe," he said.
In addition to responding to boaters in distress, the county's fire boats also protect homes and businesses along the coast and the Intracoastal Waterway.
Miami Dade's fire boats were instrumental in extinguishing a major fire at the castle on Miami Beach back in 2009. Their boat was able to pump out 8,000 gallons of water per minute, the same amount as seven fire trucks combined.
"A lot of our properties that border up to the edge of the water have limited access from the front," said Garcia. "They can only run small hoses and small hoses don't get the job done on that kind of fire."
County Mayor Carlos Gimenez is currently negotiating new deals with Miami-Dade government's bargaining units including firefighters and police. The current contracts expire Sept. 30, the end of the fiscal year.
"Negotiations continue with the fire union regarding savings and the budget, including the fire boats," said Griselle Marino with Miami-Dade Fire Rescue.
Those who attended party said they feared the county's fire boats would be taken out of service on October 1st, unless county commissioners reject Gimenez's budget proposal. They've even launched a website which asks supporters to contact their commissioner to sink the proposal.
Those behind the movement to save the boats are not sanctioned by either the Miami-Dade Fire Rescue or the county.
Gimenez's budget proposal calls for cuts in key programs, eliminating nearly 1,300 jobs and a cut in property taxes. Additionally, county employees are being asked to contribute an additional five percent of their salaries to cover the costs of health insurance, effectively becoming a salary cut to all county workers. Gimenez is also proposing doing away with merit pay, cost of living increases, and longevity pay.
All of this is designed to save the county money in order to plug a $400 million budget gap.
Gimenez's proposed budget will be formally taken up, and voted on, by commissioners in two commission meetings this month.
