Grenelefe Fla--1 person volunteer department to close doors

[captstanm1]

Last spark for volunteer fire station snuffed

Commissioners nix reprieve for the one-man operation

By STEVEN N. LEVINE
ncpub@earthlink.net


GRENELEFE - There appears to be no reprieve for the one-man Grenelefe Volunteer Fire Department that goes permanently out of service in January after 20 years.

Polk County Fire Chief Doug Lewis last week congratulated the upscale community's spirit, but observed there are far too few responses to justify a taxpayer-funded Polk County station. There are too few volunteers and too little money to keep the station open.

With no money to pay full-time crews, Station 12's board of directors has no choice but to close the door for good Jan. 22, says Rick Van Billard, a volunteer fire department trustee.

Lewis sympathized with the upscale community, but says other more needy volunteer stations must be aided before Grenelefe. County Commissioner Don Gifford plans to back him.

A chief lieutenant to new Grenelefe owner David Siegel last month said he'll toss the lobbying pressure of gigantic Westgate Resorts into the mix that pits the condominium and homeowners associations against the Polk County Commission. The commission could order a paid station at Grenelefe. It now maintains a two-bay rescue station off West Lake Marion Road.

On Monday, Gifford said he'd listen to any option, but the county board is inclined to back its professional staff. One alternative could be a special taxing district that would require property owners in areas covered by Engine 12 to foot the bill that in the past exceeded $120,000 annually.

Central Florida Investment Executive Vice President Mark Waltrip, Van Billard and Ray Sapp, president of the homeowner's association council, all maintain the county is obligated to provide the development with fire and emergency medical services. Waltrip was noncommittal last month on Westgate Resorts providing anything but moral support. CFI owns Westgate Resorts which purchased the 1,000-acre Grenelefe resort last summer.

Grenelefe is now protected by county rescue stations at Sun Air and Haines City, 15 to 20 minutes away. Grenelefe's sole active volunteer firefighter-paramedic, Scott Cluston, can generally respond from home, fetch the E-One model pumper and reach the scene ahead of Polk County firefighters. But that's only if he's home from his job as an Orange County fire lieutenant.

During conventions at the Grenelefe Golf & Tennis Resort, the station responded paramedic-firefighters a dozen times a day, the cost split between residents and Grenelefe's owners. Now, Engine 12 with Cluston at the wheel goes out fewer than four times a week.

A single rescuer makes a big difference. Cluston keeps medical supplies, oxygen and one of the company's automated external defibrillators in his personal vehicle.

Van Billard said Monday the last word hasn't been written on the fire station. More than 250 property owners attended the annual start-of-the-season dance last weekend, Sapp said. Grenelefe's south golf course and its Camelot Restaurant are open again to the public.

"We still may be able to do something," Van Billard said.

[iceman4442]

We want fire/EMS protection, and the county should pay for it, not us!

Doesn't sound to me like the area is full of low-income housing projects.

Without turning rant mode "on," I better quit now!

[MalahatTwo7]

Without any real background on this one, ie the political climate, as well as population base, etc I do have a couple of questions:

During conventions at the Grenelefe Golf & Tennis Resort, the station responded paramedic-firefighters a dozen times a day, the cost split between residents and Grenelefe's owners. Now, Engine 12 with Cluston at the wheel goes out fewer than four times a week.

Am I to understand this correctly? Mr Cluston responds an average of 4x per week? And if there is a convention or other large function it could be as much as 12x per day? Also the next nearest responding unit is as little as 15 min away?

At a call volume of less than once per month, perhaps there would be substance to closing the station, but if Engine 12 responds on a very regular basis, how can the Residents be comfortable with waiting a min of 15 min for the nearest due out?

Maybe I am looking at this from the wrong direction, and probably from a biased view point (I don't like to see stations closed without a really good reason). Seems to me, one Some-Body on scene is better than lots of No-Body's.

[SilverCity4]

Four runs a week is 208 calls a year. Maybe not enough to justify a paid staff, but certainly enough to necessitate a fire station. Of course, if you're going to have a volunteer station, you need volunteers. Sounds like the people of the community want a fire department but don't want to help out--i.e. volunteer.

[huff317]

Who in their right mind would want to volunteer???

You don't get paid enough!:D

Peace

[JRFireman]

Yeah, I don't think you should close a station unless you have a good reason, but if the Firefighters(the one in this case) don't want to/can't do it anymore, then what are you going to do?

[captstanm1]

THE LEDGER

GRENELEFE Fire Department May Have to Close

Unless Polk County Fire Services can come to its aid, the Grenelefe Volunteer Fire Department will shut its doors in January, its chief says.

Scott Clugston, the volunteer department's fire chief, said the bankruptcy of Grenelefe Golf and Tennis Resort last year has thrown the small, private department into a financial quagmire.

"We are down to only one volunteer now -- me," Clugston said. "We lost all the volunteers when Grenelefe closed."

The doors stand to close Jan. 22 if nothing changes, Clugston said.

Residents will have to rely on the county departments at Sun Air or Haines City to respond to emergency calls, Clugston said.

"That's a good 15 minutes before they can get here, and we are just a minute away here," he said.

Polk County Fire Chief Doug Lewis said he doesn't see how the county can take over the Grenelefe station.

"In order to staff that station, it would cost us $400,000 a year with three people 24 hours a day," he said. "I just don't see how we can do that."