In an action it has taken only twice before in the past 10 years, the Florida Professional Firefighters association is asking its 25,000 members not to have anything to do with a municipality whose firefighters, it says, are being treated poorly. ...more

June 23, 2008

CLEARWATER -- In an action it has taken only twice before over the past ten years, the Florida Professional Firefighters association is asking its 25,000 members not to have anything to do with a municipality whose firefighters, it says, are being treated poorly. This time, the city is Clearwater. ...more

June 19, 2008

PORT RICHEY - The lights were off in City Manager Richard Reade's office, but he was in there, working away. Reade finds himself with an unexpected personnel issue, as Public Safety Director Mathias Brewi turned in his resignation May 15, about a year after taking the then-newly created position that put him in charge of both the police and fire departments. ...more

June 4, 2008

Port Richey, following the surprise announcement last week that Matt Brewi was resigning as the city's public safety director after little more than one year on the job, is faced with a couple of options, according to City Manager Richard Reade. Since this is Port Richey neither make much sense. One or the other, however, will be chosen. ...more

May 21, 2008

The city has a new fire chief - for now. Capt. Tim Sirois was tapped Tuesday to run the fire department after last week's sudden resignation of public safety director Matt Brewi. ...more

May 21, 2008

A two-alarm fire was under control in less than hour today and did not threaten a nearby Eagle Lake elementary school, Polk County Fire Rescue officials said. ...more

May 5, 2008

Almost every day, the sounds of screeching tires and crunching metal can be heard near the traffic-choked crossroads of U.S. 19 and Ridge Road. ...more

February 26, 2008

Residents of Leisure Lakes had a frightening reminder this past week of what can happen with a brush fire. Nearly 400 acres of land were burned, homes and other structures were threatened. People had to evacuate and resources were expended by several fire departments. Fortunately nobody was injured. Although it was said to be an accident, the fire really never should have started. Apparently a resident was burning yard trash and red-hot material escaped. ...more

February 17, 2008

AVON PARK — Even though the Avon Park City Council voted 4-1 to continue its police chief search, a budget crunch anticipated after Amendment 1 passed last month has prompted city officials to consider merging the police and fire chief positions. ...more

February 13, 2008

SEBRING – The Highlands County Agri-Civic Center was opened as an emergency shelter at about 6:30 p.m. Monday to shelter people who had to evacuate the Henscratch Road area due to a wildfire. Gloria Rybinsky, county public information officer, said she did not have a count of how many families came to the shelter. "We do not know how many people will use this shelter," Rybinski said. "It was not a mandatory evacuation. It was a voluntary evacuation and we opened the Agri-Civic Center for people who might need this option." ...more

February 11, 2008