{"id":99755,"date":"2025-12-30T07:08:21","date_gmt":"2025-12-30T07:08:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/99755\/"},"modified":"2025-12-30T07:08:21","modified_gmt":"2025-12-30T07:08:21","slug":"new-fort-myers-beach-fire-station-built-to-last-fort-myers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/99755\/","title":{"rendered":"New Fort Myers Beach fire station built to last – FORT MYERS"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Fort Myers Beach Fire Chief Scott Wirth stands in front of the new fire station on the former Topps supermarket lot. Photo by Nathan Mayberg<\/p>\n

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The new Fort Myers Beach fire station off Estero Boulevard is set to be operational in March. Photo by Nathan Mayberg<\/p>\n

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Fort Myers Beach Fire Chief Scott Wirth. Photo by Nathan Mayberg<\/p>\n

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Fort Myers Beach fire station. Photo by Nathan Mayberg<\/p>\n

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Fort Myers Beach Fire Chief Scott Wirth. Photo by Nathan Mayberg<\/p>\n

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Fort Myers Beach Fire Chief Scott Wirth. Photo by Nathan Mayberg<\/p>\n

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Fort Myers Beach fire station. Photo by Nathan Mayberg<\/p>\n

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The look of the formidable new Fort Myers Beach firehouse is<\/p>\n

zooming into focus eight months into its construction.<\/p>\n

Fort Myers Beach Fire Chief Scott Wirth expects that when the<\/p>\n

work is done in March on building the department\u2019s new station<\/p>\n

on Estero Boulevard, the 35-feet high structure will not only be<\/p>\n

able to withstand a major hurricane but will be able to protect<\/p>\n

firefighters staying there in a minor one.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis station is a little higher than our other stations. If we know<\/p>\n

we have a Category 1 or 2 hurricane, then we have the ability<\/p>\n

(to keep some staff on site),\u201d Wirth said. \u201cWe have more<\/p>\n

opportunity to keep this station in service, at least we shelter<\/p>\n

here until the storm goes by and then we would be able to get in<\/p>\n

service quicker versus if we evacuated.\u201d<\/p>\n

The garage floor is eight feet above sea level, three feet higher<\/p>\n

than Estero Boulevard and four feet higher than the Tropical Shores Way entrance.<\/p>\n

Wirth said he would be comfortable with the new station staying<\/p>\n

staff in a Category 1 or 2 hurricane. \u201cThis gives us a little more<\/p>\n

opportunity to stay in district for those smaller category storms,\u201d<\/p>\n

Wirth said.<\/p>\n

A swamp buggy is on the way, which Wirth hopes will help the<\/p>\n

department on rescue missions through flooded roads in a<\/p>\n

smaller category hurricane, like when Estero Boulevard and<\/p>\n

San Carlos Boulevard turned into rivers during Hurricane Milton.<\/p>\n

The Lee County Sheriff\u2019s Office was able to use one effectively<\/p>\n

last year during hurricanes.<\/p>\n

Wirth expects the swamp buggy to be ready before the next<\/p>\n

hurricane season to be used in high-water situations. The<\/p>\n

swamp buggy is expected to be handle up to four feet of water<\/p>\n

in the roads. \u201cIt depends on the winds,\u201d Wirth said. \u201cIt definitely<\/p>\n

gives us more capabilities than we have now by about a foot<\/p>\n

and a half more water,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The department also has a small inflatable boat trailer which it<\/p>\n

purchased and conducted training on last month. The inflatable<\/p>\n

rapid response boat is lightweight and can be used to evacuate<\/p>\n

civilians during floods, and on search and rescue missions.<\/p>\n

In Hurricane Helene, the water was too deep for the<\/p>\n

department\u2019s firefighters to get to an electrical bike fire that<\/p>\n

started from the battery. Luckily the fire went out once the bike<\/p>\n

fell into the flooded waters inside the garage. With the swamp<\/p>\n

buggy, the department would have been able to respond, Wirth<\/p>\n

said.<\/p>\n

During Hurricane Milton, the department evacuated off site.<\/p>\n

During a recent tour of the new station, Wirth touted elevated<\/p>\n

electrical outlets that have been installed to protect against<\/p>\n

water damage on floodproofed walls. Vent openings in the<\/p>\n

station are meant to allow water to exit in the event of a<\/p>\n

hurricane and flooding. A generator was placed 18-feet high to<\/p>\n

withstand a major hurricane. All of the doors in the garage will<\/p>\n

have flood panels.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are basically floodproofing to 14 feet above sea level,\u201d<\/p>\n

Wirth said. Wirth has ensured that all of the department\u2019s<\/p>\n

valuable equipment and the electrical room is being placed high<\/p>\n

up to avoid damage from flooding.<\/p>\n

The new fire station, which is costing approximately $11 million<\/p>\n

to construct (after 435,000 in architecture fees and $148,000 for engineering), will be able to house the Fort Myers Beach Fire Control District\u2019s ladder truck and primary ambulance. The station will also be home to firefighters working 24-hour shifts.<\/p>\n

At least six firefighters will be rotating 24-hour shifts at a time at the station, which means the station will have enough room for their housing quarters.<\/p>\n

The department\u2019s other station on the island at Lenell Road, next to Santini Marina Plaza, will house the department\u2019s fire engine and its other ambulance. The department also has a fire engine at its station off island on San Carlos Boulevard, where it shares space with Lee County EMS and their ambulance.<\/p>\n

Along with the living spaces for firefighters working overnight shifts, there will be a workout room with equipment for both indoor and outdoor exercises.<\/p>\n

Wirth said his background managing a construction company has helped him in helping to oversee the construction of the fire station, which is being led by the Wright Construction Group of Fort Myers. GMA Architects & Planners led the designing. <\/p>\n

\u201cAt this point, we are under budget,\u201d Wirth said. \u201cI\u2019m hoping to come in closer to $11 million than the guaranteed maximum price (of the contract) of almost $12 million.<\/p>\n

Wirth was the operations chief with the City of Fort Myers Fire Department when they built a new fire station in downtown Fort Myers in 2015. With joined the Fort Myers Beach Fire Control District in 2017 after retiring from the City of Fort Myers fire department.<\/p>\n

There is floodproofing throughout the new fire station, including foam<\/p>\n

insulation on the ceiling. Countertops inside the kitchen and<\/p>\n

dining room are stainless steal, for durability and safety.<\/p>\n

\u201cMore expensive to purchase initially but they will last 20 to 30<\/p>\n

years instead of a laminate that could wear out,\u201d Wirth said.<\/p>\n

Everything installed is \u201cmade for durability, its built to last. It\u2019s<\/p>\n

built for safety.\u201d Fire suppression systems are installed with the<\/p>\n

oven in the kitchen.<\/p>\n

Contractors are putting multiple coats of waterproofed layers of<\/p>\n

paint while using high grade shiners, Wirth said.<\/p>\n

The building is being constructed to withstand winds of 200<\/p>\n

miles per hour with the highest level of impact protection. They<\/p>\n

are a limited number of windows throughout the building in<\/p>\n

order to reduce the risk of water leaking in.<\/p>\n

The plans for the newest station go back nearly five years to<\/p>\n

when the district acquired the property on the former Topps lot<\/p>\n

at 2545 and 2555 Estero Boulevard for $3.99 million in January<\/p>\n

of 2020, next to the former Town Hall.<\/p>\n

The district still plans to sell a little less than an acre of property<\/p>\n

in the rear of their Estero Boulevard property. The district\u2019s next<\/p>\n

project will be to construct a new administration building and<\/p>\n

training facility off Main Street on San Carlos Island. Once that<\/p>\n

is built, the district will sell its administration building on Voorhis<\/p>\n

St. The district sold its fire station off Donora Boulevard last<\/p>\n

year, which had been considered totaled by Hurricane Ian. The<\/p>\n

new administration building will also have a room for fire<\/p>\n

commissioner meetings. The seawall and docks at the property<\/p>\n

need to be rebuilt, Wirth said.<\/p>\n

The Fort Myers Beach Fire Control District currently employs 36<\/p>\n

full-time firefighters and paramedics, as well as 16<\/p>\n

administration staff. The department is looking to hire<\/p>\n

firefighters to bring their total firefighting unit to 48 firefighters<\/p>\n

and paramedics, for a total staff of 64.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the department is conducting a merger study with<\/p>\n

the Iona-McGregor Fire District. Such a merger could have to<\/p>\n

go in front of voters.<\/p>\n

The planning for the new fire station to be able to withstand a<\/p>\n

major hurricane was done in the light of the town\u2019s experience<\/p>\n

of having gone through Hurricane Ian, which killed 16 people on<\/p>\n

the island. Last year, the town also went through three other<\/p>\n

hurricanes.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s three years since Hurricane Ian. While we work and live<\/p>\n

here every day and we see the impacts still, we realize that it\u2019s<\/p>\n

something that affected us, it\u2019s part of our history, but it\u2019s not<\/p>\n

part of our identity now. We are consciously moving away from<\/p>\n

the after-effects from ian,\u201d Wirth said.<\/p>\n

One of the major initiatives Wirth has overseen since Hurricane<\/p>\n

Ian is a new program for town property owners to notify the fire<\/p>\n

department if they will be staying or leaving during a hurricane.<\/p>\n

That was used effectively during Hurricane Helene and<\/p>\n

Hurricane Milton and will allow firefighters in the event of a<\/p>\n

major search and rescue operation after a hurricane to know<\/p>\n

which homes were not occupied, and which ones they need to<\/p>\n

check on. After Hurricane Ian, firefighters had to break down<\/p>\n

doors and windows during search and rescue attempts, not<\/p>\n

knowing which homes may have had people inside them. Now<\/p>\n

folks can sign up on the department\u2019s website to let them know<\/p>\n

if they will be home or not for a hurricane.<\/p>\n

Wirth said the difficult parts of Hurricane Ian included rebuilding<\/p>\n

from all of the destruction. He said he learned a lot from the<\/p>\n

State of Louisiana\u2019s incident management team during the<\/p>\n

search and rescue mission, which included more than 1,000<\/p>\n

responders. \u201cThey were huge,\u201d Wirth said. Wirth said the<\/p>\n

department also learned from firefighters from the Fire<\/p>\n

Department of New York, who relieved the Louisiana<\/p>\n

responders two weeks later. \u201cWe were making incident<\/p>\n

management plans every day,\u201d Wirth said. \u201cIt\u2019s humbling to<\/p>\n

have to be the ones being helped.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wirth said one of the lessons he learned most from the<\/p>\n

response to Hurricane Ian was the importance of having state<\/p>\n

and federal agencies coordinate with the infrastructure to<\/p>\n

provide assistance during a major hurricane.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople talk a lot about government, FEMA and everything else,<\/p>\n

the State of Florida does a tremendous job responding to large-<\/p>\n

scale emergencies,\u201d Wirth said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey had us help before we knew we needed it,\u201d Wirth said.<\/p>\n

Next time there is a hurricane, Wirth said the department will be<\/p>\n

even better prepared with its experiences. \u201cIf we\u2019re in shelter<\/p>\n

and we see webcams with buildings floating down the<\/p>\n

boulevard, we\u2019ll have those resources ordered right out of the<\/p>\n

gate. They will be here quicker than they did during Ian,<\/p>\n

knowing what we know now.\u201d<\/p>\n


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