4 Dunedin Firefighters Receive Higher Ranks

Dewayne Fast, Eric Rodriguez, Kevin Naylor and Brandon Young each received promotions within the City of Dunedin Fire Department on May 1.

Four Dunedin firefighters received promotions May 1.  District Chiefs Dewayne Fast and Eric Rodriguez were promoted from lieutenants, and Lts. Kevin Naylor and Brandon Young were bumped up from firefighter-paramedics, fire officials announced Friday. Mayor Dave Eggers swore the men into office during a ceremony at Dunedin Community Center on May 1. Family members pinned badges to their uniforms and Deputy Chief Trip Barrs presented them with new helmets, according to a news release from the City of Dunedin Fire Department.  Dunedin fire officials released the following about the promoted firefighters: All newly promoted officers will be formally recognized during the May 16 city commission meeting. Sign up for the free Dunedin Patch email …

• Photos (1)

Good Neighbors

Scottish Firefighter Sends Gift to Dunedin 'Brothers'

Dunedin fire officials accepted a gift from a visiting firefighter from Scotland recently.

Dunedin firefighters got to connect with some of their Scottish bretheren recently. Part-time Dunedin resident Michael Davis, who spends summers in Scotland, delivered a gift March 12 to the Dunedin Fire Department from his friend Gary Laud, a firefighter in Scotland. Davis presented Laud's gift of a framed picture of a Scottish firefighting crew along with Laud's fire department patch.  Laud, who works for the Highlands and Islands Fire and Rescue Service in Grantown-on-Spey, Scotland, intended to deliver the gift personally while vacationing in the Dunedin area, but his trip was cut short when he developed a health condition. "Laud was very disappointed that he couldn’t get by the fire station here to make the presentation and meet his …

• Photos (1)

Neighbors Alert Residents Inside of Garage Blaze

Neighbors in Stirling Heights alerted three residents inside 1950 Dunbrody Ct. of a garage blaze Thursday afternoon, Dunedin fire officials say. No injuries were reported, but the home sustained smoke damage.

Quick-thinking Stirling Heights neighbors may have saved Jack Giarratano from a much larger disaster Thursday afternoon. Three people were inside when Giarratano's gray, two-story brick home at 1950 Dunbrody Ct., off Michigan Boulevard, caught fire shortly before 3:30 p.m. on Feb. 7. Good Samaritans in the tight-knit neighborhood alerted residents inside and all escaped unharmed, fire officials report. The Dunedin Fire Department arrived within two minutes of a call placed at 3:29 p.m, fire officials report. When they arrived, they discovered a fire in the garage. Several neighborhood children on bicycles, who watched firefighters at work from a nearby hydrant, said they saw flames shoot out of the garage when the door opened.  …

• Photos (5)

Dunedin Must Adapt to Pinellas 911 Dispatch Plan

The plan, which goes into effect June 1, will change the way paramedics and firefighters respond to minor 911 calls, such as those about a fall or a sick person. Dunedin officials argued in August that the plan may not make sense for its residents.

A Jan. 15 county decision to only send ambulances to minor 911 calls could soon leave Dunedin fire-paramedics unable to respond those incidents in their own backyard. Pinellas County says in the third phase of Medical Priority Dispatch, only an ambulance unit may be dispatched to specified non-emergency medical calls. The dual response from a fire unit and ambulance, as well as lights and sirens, will continue to be used for high-level emergencies, according to a news release sent after the Jan. 15 Board of County Commissioner vote. In essence, firefighters and paramedics would no longer both be dispatched to non-life-threatening 911 calls, such as those about a fall or a sick person. Only an ambulance would be dispatched. County officials…

•  4 Comments
• Photos (1)

Dunedin Firefighter to Play Pros in Charity Football Game

The Tampa Bay Sentinels, which is a full contact football team comprised of law enforcement and other first responders, play the Tampa Bay Storm for charity.

One of Dunedin's local heroes is set to square off against some professional football players for a good cause. The National Public Safety Football League's Tampa Bay Sentinels go up against Arena Football League's Tampa Bay Storm in the third annual charity flag football game. This year, money raised at the game benefits the MacDonald Training Center. "Whenever you have a chance to entertain and give back to the community, it's a great thing," said vice president of football operations Jeff Gooch in a press release. "We are all looking forward to getting out there, playing some football, and having fun with our local heroes." Dunedin firefighter Shale Saeger, a defensive end for the Sentinels, is among a team comprised of other law …

• Photos (1)

Good Neighbors

Dunedin Firefighters' Christmas Greeting Warms Woman's Heart

"Each one of them looked right into my heart and said, 'Merry Christmas.' Not the empty words you say to a stranger, but peircing, heart-felt, kindness that I surely needed today."

Editor's Note: Dunedin Patch received this heartwarming letter on Thursday, Dec. 20, 2012. It is from a woman who had just taken grandchildren to see Santa visit their neighborhood aboard a Dunedin fire truck, as part of the Dunedin Fire Department's "Operation Santa" tradition.  Hello and MERRY CHRISTMAS,  I rushed around to bring a friend's grandchildren to see the fire truck with Santa. I finally found a place to park on the side of the road. We could hear them coming and the kids were so excited. I saw the lights and the kids screamed, "He's coming, he's coming." When they reached us, we walked over to the truck and the men and women so finely dressed, handed them treats. But most blessed of all was me. Each one of them looked right …

•  4 Comments
• Photos (2)

Connie Rodgers

10:04 am on Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Nancy, I am sorry for your loss also. Its so nice to know that others care and share the difficult times. Know that I also feel your loss and pray that GOD will lessen it for both of our familys. Connie   more ›

Fire Chief Retires, City Appoints Deputy as Successor

The city announced Dunedin Fire Chief Bud Meyer's retirement on Jan. 9, and that Jeff Parks, deputy fire chief, will take over the job on Jan. 10.

Jan. 9 will be Dunedin Fire Chief C. “Bud” Meyer last day on the job. He is retiring after 24 years working for Dunedin. Dunedin's Deputy Chief Jeffrey Parks is named as Meyer's successor. His first day will be Jan. 10, a city news release says. Dunedin officials will formally recognized both Meyer and Parks at Thursday's City Commission meeting at City Hall.  Parks' promotion will result in several additional vacancies for deputy chief, district chief, and lieutenant positions within the Dunedin Fire Department, according to the city news release. All promotions will be made from within the department, the release says. The city's news release says Dunedin officials announced Meyer's job vacancy nationally, but Parks' appointment was a …

•  2 Comments
• Photos (1)

Mathew Eberius, CPRP

3:52 pm on Tuesday, December 18, 2012

A great family and a great person to take over the reigns of the fire department. Congrats, Jeff!   more ›

Santa Coming Soon to Your Neighborhood

Off-duty firefighters are giving Santa a lift aboard a fire truck so he can pass out candy and toys to good girls and boys in a neighborhood near you, according to a news release from Dunedin fire officials.

Catch sight of Santa Claus when he visits your neighborhood starting Friday, Dec. 14. Off-duty firefighters are giving Santa a lift aboard a fire truck so he can pass out candy and toys to good girls and boys through Dec. 24, according to a news release from Dunedin fire officials. Fire officials said Santa will be leaving on his nightly rounds each evening around 6 p.m. from the station on Ed Eckert Drive in Highlander Park. Santa’s helpers will make every effort to keep to the schedule, weather permitting, the release states. Fire trucks are not able to travel down dead-end streets. Here's when he's scheduled to roll through your neighborhood between 6 and 8:30 p.m., according to fire officials:  Friday, Dec. 14 Saturday, Dec. 15 Sunday…

•  4 Comments
• Photos (1)

Holiday Decor Promotes Safety at Dunedin Fire Stations

The Dunedin Fire Department launched it's annual "Keep the Wreath Red" campaign, along with fire departments across the nation, to promote good fire prevention practices for this 2013 holiday season. Here are 10 tips.

Houses across Dunedin are becoming more colorful as residents decorate for the holidays. Dunedin’s three fire stations have also added some color and holiday cheer, but the Fire Department hopes you’ll note the significance of their decorations.  Wreaths outside each fire station are part of the “Keep the Wreath Red” fire safety campaign, a nationwide program that reminds you to practice fire safety during the holiday season. The wreaths feature decorative red lights, and for each Dunedin fire caused by holiday decorations, the Fire Department will replace one red bulb with a white bulb.  Please help the Dunedin Fire Department “Keep the Wreath Red” by using these fire safety practices this season: Editor's Note: This is a Nov. 29 news …

• Photos (1)

Halloween Near Tragedy for Baby Rescued From Pool

A Dunedin toddler's father arrived home from work Halloween evening to find his wife performing CPR on their daughter after she was found face down in a pool.

Daddy is his little girl's hero after she nearly drowned in a pool on Halloween night, authorities say. A Dunedin mother was looking at a turtle inside a fish tank, located outside on the family's pool deck off of Solon Avenue, with her 18-month-old little girl shortly before 5 p.m. on Halloween evening, Pinellas County Sheriff's deputies say. The toddler's mother Christina Chapman, 36, told deputies that an older child inside called for "Mom," and she went inside, leaving the 18-month-old unattended for just a few minutes. She returned to find her daughter floating face down in the pool. Christina Chapman pulled the little girl from the pool, yelled for help and began CPR. A 911 call from a neighbor was placed at approximately 5:10 p.m., …

•  3 Comments
• Photos (2)