The Sanibel Fire and Rescue District\u2019s commission approved two resolutions and one district policy at its recent meeting, as well as heard about possible additional grant funds for the Station 171 project.<\/p>\n
On April 8, the commissioners voted unanimously 3-0 on a resolution to authorize the execution of an amendment to the district\u2019s agreement with Schenkel & Shultz for professional architectural services.<\/p>\n
Prior to the vote, Fire Chief Kevin Barbot explained that the firm has completed the phase 1 design services for Fire Station 171 on Palm Ridge Road. He continued that the resolution would authorize the firm to perform the phase 2 construction administration services for a not-to-exceed fee of $203,377.<\/p>\n
On a related note, Barbot reported that he attended the Lee County Commission meeting on April 7, where he outlined the district\u2019s need for additional funding for the station reconstruction project.<\/p>\n
The county board directed staff to find the deficit funds within the U.S. Housing and Urban Development\u2019s (HUD) Community Development Block Grant \u2014 Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) program, which the county administers, and bring the funding request back for its approval.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo we can proceed with this project,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Barbot thanked county Commissioner Kevin Ruane for his partnership in helping to secure the funds.<\/p>\n
Also during the meeting, the fire board voted 3-0 on a resolution to approve administrative staff overtime for relocation purposes, superseding the district\u2019s current conflicting policies.<\/p>\n
Before the vote, Barbot explained that the district is relocating from Station 171 to temporary offices. The resolution would temporarily supersede the emergency-only overtime policy, authorizing administrative staff overtime for 60 days to facilitate the logistical move. He noted that he will strictly oversee and account for all recorded hours, and that the proposal was cleared by their attorney.<\/p>\n
Also at the meeting, the commission voted 3-0 to approve the following district policy: Disposition of Valuables and Personal Belongings.<\/p>\n
IN OTHER NEWS<\/p>\n
\u2013 Jeff Tuscan, with HSC\/Tuscan & Company, presented the commissioners with the final report on the district\u2019s audit for fiscal year 2025. He reported that the firm had an unmodified \u2014 clean \u2014 opinion.<\/p>\n
\u201cCertainly the type of opinion you want,\u201d Tuscan said.<\/p>\n
The commissioners voted 3-0 to accept the audit.<\/p>\n
\u2013 Barbot gave an update on the county\u2019s installation of a drone at Station 172 for emergencies.<\/p>\n
He reported that the electrical has been taken care of and the drone is on the ground. It is expected to take 14-21 days for the equipment to be fully operational, but they already got to see how it will operate as a tool when the county tested out the drone for a recent structure fire in North Fort Myers.<\/p>\n
\u2013 Deputy Fire Chief John DiMaria reported that the district responded to 144 calls in March, compared to 176 calls for the same month last year. It has responded to 460 calls this year, compared to 526 calls for the same time period for 2025.<\/p>\n
\u2013 Division Chief of Prevention Larry Williams reported that he conducted 17 fire plan reviews and 92 fire inspections in March.<\/p>\n
\u2013 The following staff were recognized for their years of service: firefighter Bryan Clement for seven years; Lt. Shane Grant for 16 years; and firefighter Mike Suarez for one year.<\/p>\n