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 Simply "InVinceable" Vince Merriweather- Story and photos by Lt. Douglas McGlynn.
Posted on
February 28th
, 2006
The Customer Service Team would like to recognize Carol Lentz and Judy
Gonzales of our dispatch center for their vision and development of a
new charity based product designed to raise money for local spinal cord
research. It's amazing that this simple idea transformed a product that
supports our brother firefighter Vince Merriweather in a way that is
nothing less than inspirational! Thanks to Chief Keily, our fire
rescue family has been kept up to speed on the status of Vince's
remarkable road to recovery and how the power of Vince's strong
personality has helped others adapt to recovery within his unit. Carol
Lentz, of Palm Beach County Fire Rescue Dispatch has been a huge
"behind the scenes" shoulder to lean and a constant supporter of Vince.
It's not unusual for Carol to make anonymous contributions out of
her own pocket and she doesn't hesitate to step up to the plate when
there is work to be done for a fellow fire rescue member that needs a
helping hand. That's why it's not surprising that Carol approached
Judy Gonzales about creating a new product that would inspire Vince to
"fight strong" through his rehabilitation since the auto accident that
left him without the use of his arms and legs. Carol came up with the
red fire bracelet inspired by Lance Armstrong's yellow "LiveStrong"
bracelet. If you think about the obstacles and odds that Vince has
overcome when faced with this seriousness of his spinal cord injury
that left him paralyzed, many have simply said, "it's just
unbelievable,... but of course we're talking about Vince." Judy loved
the idea and immediately coined the phrase, "InVinceable" and thought
it would be great to have that displayed on the bracelet. The two
began contacting people and making phone calls to place the idea into
action, but they did not intend on selling any bracelets or deploying
any marketing ideas. They simply wanted Vince to know how much support
he had from his close friends, family members and nursing staff who
were the original targeted recipients of the bracelets. The bracelets
were to be given out for free to those that were close to him and the
girls would absorb the costs out of pocket.
Many people were
interested in donating money in Vince's name to get one of the highly
anticipated "InVinceable" bracelets so a decision was made to sell them
at $5.00 each and the funds would be donated to a local charity that
supported spinal cord injury research and development. Vince would be
able to select the charity of his choosing but he wasn't too crazy
about all of the attention at first. After hearing all of the details,
he was very pleased to hear that he would be contributing to the aid of
helping others with the money that is raised and Vince has embraced the
idea of the bracelet and the support that Dispatch represented for us
all. Vince may be proud to be a part of The Palm Beach County Fire
Rescue Family because of people like Chief Keily, Jen J., Carol, Tracy
and Judy alike,......but not nearly as proud as we are to have Vince
put our own lives into perspective and teach us all what it means to be
a part of this great brother and sisterhood we call The Fire Service!
The first 500 bracelets sold out almost immediately and the next 1000
bracelets should be here any day now. Please contact any of the above
mentioned names to secure your name on the waiting list to get your
"InVinceable" bracelet today!
jjohnson@co.palm-beach.fl.us
jgonzales@co.palm-beach.fl.us
clentz@co.palm-beach.fl.us
moore@co.palm-beach.fl.us
 Steve Driscoll and Blaze- Story by Captain Don Delucia, photos by Jon Ferguson.
Posted on
February 21st
, 2006
The Customer Service Team would like to recognize Firefighter/PM Steve Driscoll for his contributions as a Canine
Specialist and trainer of a unique and noble profession. Steve serves on the Florida Task Force USAR Team along
with his 4 legged life saving partner, "BLAZE". Steve, who is assigned to RE22/B shift has been with our department
since 1991 and has been certified as a Canine Specialist MDFR on Florida Task Force 1 since 1998. Steve has an
amazing ability with animals and a proven track record to show for it. Steve's partner and companion is a 4 year
old Border Collie and is rated as an Advanced Level 1 Search Dog leaving Blaze in a group of canines that make
up fewer than 100 canines in the country! Steve trains Blaze on his own which takes over two solid years to
accomplish with additional time and training to bring the dog to the level of Advanced Level I qualifications.
Most dogs never reach that level of performance. A dog's drive, focus, intelligence, and agility all come in to
play and most dogs fall short.
Blaze has been trained to work the rubble piles searching for live victims since he was only 8 weeks old. Steve
and Blaze hold an impressive resume with deployments all over the world including the G8 Summit Meetings, the Turkey
Earthquake and Hurricanes Charlie, Frances, Ivan, Dennis, Rita, Jeane, Katrina, and Wilma but has also traveled to
many other states in the country as well. It helps build a stronger dog if he works different rubble sites and the
stresses involved with that travel and topography. FLTF1 has 6 level 1 handlers/8 level 1 dogs which makes it one
of the strongest teams in the country! FLTF II has 3 teams with the next closest Level 1 dog located in Tennessee.
Recently Steve and Blaze were part of an elite team of only 30 personnel who were activated as a Type III Search Team
on one of the longest recorded deployments for a canine specialist and handler. Steve and Blaze were assigned to New
Orleans for 11 days where their unit performed over 1,137 person rescues as well as located 34 deceased.
Thank you Steve for taking the initiative of "going the extra mile" and in turn,.... bringing pride and notoriety to
the Palm Beach County Fire Rescue Brand!
 Headstone for Jackson- Story by Captain Don Delucia, photo by Jon Ferguson.
Posted on
February 21st
, 2006
Jackson Nomex, the Dalmation that entertained many youngsters during his lifetime at station 33, was honored with a
headstone at his burial site next to the station. The dog, who died a few years ago, helped teach kids about dialing
911 and rode to numerous calls in Engine 33 for almost 10 years. It was not uncommon to see the dog sitting up in the
engine compartment to the delight of young and old.
Captain Dan Teems and D/O Buddy Yarbrough were instrumental in
setting up the memorial.
 New Additions to Fire-Rescue's Fleet- Story and Pictures by Mark V. Carr.
Posted on
February 21st
, 2006
In keeping with their plan to maintain a safe, efficient and modern fleet of
fire apparatus, Palm Beach County Fire-Rescue has again updated its fleet
with the purchase of four brand new fire engines. The engines, a variation
from previous units, were built by Ferrara on Freightliner's new M-2 chassis.
Roll-up doors on the apparatus body make it easier for firefighters to gather
equipment without be obscured from traffic by the old style hinged doors.
Each pumper is equipped with a 1250 gallon per minute pump, 750 gallon water
tank and 15 gallon foam tank.
The rig shown is assigned to Rescue-Engine 16
near the Abacoa community in Jupiter. The remaining three rigs have been
assigned to Rescue-Engines 33, 41 and 47. All four are staffed by paramedics and
carry a full compliment of Advanced Life Support equipment in addition to
typical firefighting tools. New graphics dress up the rigs up nicely.
 Volunteers Install Smoke Detectors at Century Village- Story and Pictures by Batt Chief Kevin Rattey.
Posted on
February 17th
, 2006
On January 28 2006, the Volunteer Battalion visited over 120 units at Century Village in West Palm Beach as part of a
continuing project to check and install new smoke detectors throughout the development. This program has been carried out
for several years and on average, the Volunteers are able to visit some 400 homes per year. Volunteers check the detectors,
replace the batteries and the smoke detectors as required. The most common problems found are that the batteries are
expired, not installed properly or are taken out of the smoke detector by the owner.
Jack Norris accompanied the Volunteers and is in the process of doing a story on this valuable program. Also on that day,
news crews from channle 5, 12 and 25 shot footage that was latered aired on both the 6 and 11PM news.
The smoke detector program is a free service to the residents of Palm Beach County and definitely plays a major part in
fire safety. The Volunteer Battalion is proud to be a part of this program. For more information on the program please
contact the Community Education Department.
 Abandoned Mobile Home Fire- Story by Captain Don Delucia, photos by Captain Don Delucia and Jon Ferguson.
Posted on
February 16th
, 2006
A singlewide mobile home caught fire early this morning, February 14, in suburban Lake Worth. When units arrived,
the rear of the home was on fire. Initial searches indicated no one was in the residence and no one was injured by
the fire. This particular trailer appeared to be vacant and without power. The fire investigator indicated that
vagrants using the home for shelter from the cold weather might have started fire.
Units on scene included RE36, RE33, R35, DC3, EMS3, T34, IV2 and PI1.
 USAR Team Completes Collapse Awareness Training- Story and photos by Staff Captain Houston Park.
Posted on
February 15th
, 2006
Collapse awareness was the last class of five that our USAR team members just completed. In total the USAR team
participated in well over 200 hours of specialized training since November 2005. Pictured below the USAR team
members can be seen building various shoring systems to stabilize a light construction collapse incident.
Rescue Training Associates provided instructors from across the country for this class.
We look foreword to expanding the response capabilities of the department and improving overall firefighting safety.
 Forestry S130/S190 Course- Story and photos by Staff Captain Houston Park.
Posted on
February 9th
, 2006
During the first week of February, 2006Chief Schaffner, Chief Howes and Lt. Michael Amelung delivered the
Forestry S130/S190 course out at station 28. Attendees included personnel from fire rescue and the Environmental
Resource Management otherwise known as ERM. This class was given over three days with the third day spent out in
the Corbett area on multiple controlled burns. The class was merged with a forestry Burn Boss course, this increased
the personnel involved.
Three teams were created and sent out to burn areas of the Corbett area. Swamp buggies and
all terrain vehicles were used to move around the wildland as well as many hours on foot. The hands on section of
 Mobile Home Fire In Lake Worth- Story and photos by Captain Don Delucia.
Posted on
February 2nd
, 2006
A stubborn fire above the ceiling in a manufactured home gave crews plenty of work to do on Thursday January 26.
The call came in to us as a fire above a ceiling fan. By the time units arrived, the fire had made its way into
the small attic space above the ceiling. This was a manufactured home in Lake Worth Mobile Home Park, not the
usual mobile home, so there were trusses above the ceiling as well as flammable foam used for insulation and
weather seal. Firefighters had to make numerous holes in the ceiling to gain access. No one was seriously injured.
Units on scene included RE31, RE32, R31, DC9, DC10, PI1, EMS9, CAT4, T34, IV4 and R32.
 PBCFR's Pipes and Drums Lead the Parade- Story by Scott Jurasz, photos by John Ferguson.
Posted on
February 2nd
, 2006
Members of Palm Beach County Fire Rescues Pipes And Drums led a parade of people for the 2nd annual
MDA Stride and Ride fundraiser held at the Palm Beach Gardens Mall. Over 100 participants joined in
the event to help raise money to assist children and adults affected with muscular dystrophy in Palm
Beach County. Palm Beach County Fire Rescue strongly supports the MDA year round with other events
like the MDA summer camp and the annual boot drive.
The MDA Stride and Ride is just another event we
plan on attending for years to come.
 USAR team 756 Trains in Extrication Procedures- Story by Staff Captain Houston Park, photo by Captain Lenny Collins.
Posted on
January 30th
, 2006
Earlier this month USAR team 756 was training in extrication procedures at the recycle facility of off Pike road.
The team members participated in a forty-hour class involving various techniques for gaining patient access, scene
safety, and technical operations. While training they went through 1.2 cars per person. Rescue Training Associates
delivered the training as they have also delivered the other three disciplines, Trench Rescue, Rope Rescue and Confined
Space Operations. RTA will deliver the final class next month to the team, which is Collapse Rescue Operations.
Upon completion of this training our USAR team will have met the standards for the state as a fully trained USAR Light
Technical Rescue Team, Type II response team.
We are one of three teams in the County, Boynton Beach and West Palm
Beach are the others.
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