Under Carnesale, the Apopka Fire Department is innovative and faster

By Reggie Connell/Managing Editor of The Apopka Voice

You've heard it said before... in business, cash is king.

But for firefighters and emergency medical technicians, speed is king. A fast response to a fire or traffic accident can save lives, property, and minimize injury. There is no substitute for arriving on the scene faster, and no better way to arrive faster than to be closer to the call for service in the first place.

And in this regard, the firefighters and EMT's at the Apopka Fire Department are world-class sprinters.

Apopka Fire Chief Chuck Carnesale has employed a host of creative ideas to get his firefighters and EMT's closer to the population centers of Apopka, and that involved more than just building new fire stations.

In 2017, the AFD's vision was to stay ahead of the imminent growth curve by investing in two additional fire stations - #5 and #6. But Station #5 would not be ready until 2018, and there is no projected date for #6, so Carnesale implemented a plan to set up temporary quarters for those two areas.

Firefighters for Station No. 5 worked for weeks from a temporary location at the Northwest Recreation Complex that opened on December 3rd. Another temporary fire station – Station No. 6 – opened that same day at Florida Hospital Apopka’s new location off of Harmon and Ocoee Apopka roads.

#5 was the first fire station opened in Apopka in 20 years. The staff includes 21 firefighters – seven for each of three shifts. Emergency vehicles include a fire engine, ambulance, and a rapid response squad truck that carries equipment for vehicle accidents and other emergencies.

Fire Station #5 has significantly improved emergency response times to the largely residential areas of northwest Apopka and also handles vehicle accidents along Wekiva Parkway and State Road 429. The opening of Fire Station #5 and its proximity to the city’s newly constructed Brush Drive cuts an estimated six minutes off of emergency responses to Rock Springs Ridge, Oak Ridge, Wekiva Run and other nearby neighborhoods.

"Obviously, our growth in city limits is to the north and Station #5 is perfectly set to handle those demands," said Carnesale. "Response times have reduced by more than 50% from where they were before Station #5. Housing developments are springing up everywhere. Fire Station #5 will serve this community well, cut down on response times, and save lives."

In the temporary Fire Station #6, the AFD converted a 2,000 square foot construction trailer and additional space on the hospital property into a temporary fire station that will house nine firefighters (three at a time working 24-hour shifts), and a fire truck until Fire Station #6 is completed. According to Carnesale, and research done by The Apopka Voice, this may well be the only fire station operating on a hospital property anywhere in the United States.

Carnesale is pleased with the partnership and the location - which is nearby to the actual Fire Station #6 site.

"It gives us quicker response times to three major roadways (the 429, 415 and the 451)," he said. "It can be challenging to get to accident scenes on those roads, but with a station at the hospital, we will have quicker response times. Adding station 6 has also given the residents in the southwest area of the city a tremendous reduction in response times as well."

Carnesale also points out how thin the AFD would be spread without the additional stations.

"Fire station 1 is our busiest station. When those trucks are out on another call, if station 6 wasn’t in service, the next closest trucks are coming from fire station 2 on Welch Road or Station 4 in Plymouth to get to the southwest part of town including the hospital area and the Emerson Park and other neighborhoods off of McCormick Road which are also in the city. We have several layers of redundancy built into our response plans that benefit all residents."

With Station #5 complete, and temporary Station #6 established, the attention turns to a deal that Carnesale and Orange County Fire Rescue Chief Otto Drozd III have been working on for about a year to expand the AFD's reach to areas of unincorporated Northwest Orange County that are outside of the Apopka city limits. Areas that would be better served by Stations #2 and #5 than by the OCFE's Station 29.

"We’ve worked very hard over the last several months to come to a fair and equitable agreement that not only benefits the county residents but the city as well without affecting the services to our normal response areas," said Carnesale. We recognize and respect the historical pride and independence of each other’s department’s but also realize it’s a plan like this that is best for the citizens we serve. The fire department is excited to get this opportunity once again to provide the fire and EMS service to this area. We have the resources available to not only provide services to the city residents but to this part of the county as well."

Carnesale points out two major benefits for the residents under Station 29's coverage:

1. More options, more backup and faster response times - "Currently, they have five firefighters, one ambulance, and one fire truck at station 29," said Carnesale. "With station 2 and 5 covering them, they will have 12 firefighters, three fire trucks and four ambulances readily available for their area and several additional ambulances and fire trucks from the other Apopka stations that could get to the contract area if needed much quicker than the current county backup units."

2. More public outreach and safety programs - "County residents in the contract area will also benefit from the many public relations programs we provide such as the smoke detector give away program, collection of biohazard sharps boxes at any Apopka station, and the capability of scheduling their child’s birthday party at an Apopka fire station which is one of the biggest things the public enjoys about our community outreach programs," he said.

There are also advantages for Apopka in this agreement.

In addition to the property tax funds, Apopka will also receive ambulance transport fees, which are estimated to be over $500,000 for the 2018-2019 fiscal year. The AFD will also have access to large water trucks owned by Orange County that are in Northwest Orange County.

Carnesale also points out the improved working relationship between the two agencies is a primary reason a deal like this could be struck.

"Relations between the AFD and OCFR fire have never been greater than they are now," he said. "Over the last two years, we've worked great together. Apopka’s been assisting Orange County in joint response areas and doing whatever they need when they call us on for assistance. The dynamics between the two agencies are totally different now. It will be nice to know that if we have a catastrophic event, either agency will be there to help the other."

During his time as Apopka's fire chief, Carnesale has earned a reputation as a change agent, but with change inevitably comes pushback. On social media sites, there has been criticism of the expansion of Stations 5 and 6, and now there is skepticism in regards to the AFD replacing Orange County's Station 29. It's a concern to Carnesale, but ultimately it's to be expected, and Carnesale is focused on the most important factor facing a fire department.

"Chief Drozd and I would hate to see the improvements we’ve made between our two departments and the benefits for the residents in the contract area suffer from any possible misinformation or untruths typically seen on social media platforms without getting the proper information from the fire chiefs of both agencies. But ultimately, it’s all about response times. Yes, these new stations are not yet as busy as our other stations but the life-saving results are being seen for sure and will be seen for the residents of Northwest Orange County as well. It shows how serious we are about public safety and getting to people quickly that need help."