| 1968 |
The Department employs its first
paid personnel. |
| 1971 |
The Department employs its first
paid fire chief, Al Bradford. |
| 1973 |
The first new fire apparatus, a
1973 American LaFrance pumper is received. |
| 1974 |
The Department is under the
control of Lee County. |
| 1976 |
The Florida Legislature creates
seven independent fire control districts, including the South Trail Fire
Protection and Rescue Service District. Our service area is
established and encompasses a 36-square mile area. |
| 1979 |
Staffing is increased to 13 paid
firefighters; the first fire inspector is hired. |
| 1980 |
Thomas E. Zepp is appointed fire
chief; the District has 10,680 permanent residents. |
| 1984 |
The Daniels Road station is
constructed; number of paid personnel is 26. |
| 1986 |
The District has 39 employees,
and responds to 1,438 calls for emergency service. |
| 1990 |
The District has 23,914
permanent residents, a 124% increase from 1980. |
| 1991 |
A new central fire station and
administration facility located off Six-Mile Cypress Parkway is
constructed. The District receives a new KME pumper equipped with a
750-gallon tank and a 1250 gpm pump. |
| 1993 |
The District is one of a select
few in the U.S. to receive an accelerant detection canine through a grant
from the State Farm Insurance Company. |
| 1995 |
The District employs 51
personnel and its total '95-'96 operating revenue from ad valorem taxes
totals $3,688,121. The District responds to 3,305 calls for
emergency service, and through its code enforcement programs, conducts
2,699 inspections. |
| 1996 |
Gateway community residents
overwhelmingly vote to be annexed into the District. |
| 1997 |
Chief Clifford H. Paxson
replaces the retiring Thomas E. Zepp as fire chief. |
| 1998 |
An Advanced Life Support (ALS)
Engine is placed in service at Station #2 which provides paramedic
expertise on all calls. |
| 2001 |
Station #4 is constructed in
Gateway. An Open House at Station #3 commemorates the 25th year of
the South Trail Fire Protection and Rescue Service District. |
| 2003 |
South Trail establishes first
CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) volunteer teams in Jamaica Bay and
Seven Lakes. |
| 2004 |
The District responds to a
record 7,164 calls--an increase of 20% from 2003. On August 13, Hurricane
Charley struck parts of the District with wind gusts of up to 100 mph. In
the hours and days following the storm, crews responded to over 300 calls. |
| 2005 |
Mobile data computers installed
in apparatus transmit call information and mapping to the scene of an
incident. Hurricane Wilma hits SW Florida on October 24, and causes roof and
antenna damage to Station One. The District serves as the County liaison
with the Florida National Guard in setting up a food and water point of
distribution center at Edison College. |
The
South Trail Fire Department was organized in 1966 by two prominent residents of
the District, J. Foster Pate and Oscar Holmberg. Prior to the construction
of the Department's first fire station, the Department operated out of a local
gas station and was staffed by an all-volunteer force commanded by Chief Oscar
Holmberg. The first fire apparatus was a 1000-gallon pumper donated by the
Florida Division of Forestry. The first fire station, built in 1968,
consisted of two bays, an office and sleeping quarters. Portions of this
original structure are still in use at the Crystal Drive fire station.