By LAURA FIGUEROA
Bradenton Herald
When Manatee County firefighters traveled to areas of Mississippi and South Florida to provide relief after Hurricanes Katrina and Wilma, they too felt the burn from gas shortages.
Chief Brett Pollock, with the West Manatee Fire District, was part of a state deployment team sent to Palm Beach County after Wilma hit. He said tankers had to go as far as Tampa and Orlando to find fuel for rescue vehicles gathered at the South Florida Fairgrounds.
At a Thursday morning monthly fire chiefs’ meeting, the chiefs discussed the goal of providing enough gasoline for fire engines during the hurricane season.
“The goal here is to come up with some solution so Manatee County fire services can be as self-sufficient as possible,” division Chief Dan Center, with the Cedar Hammock Fire District, told the group.
Several chiefs made recommendations to solve the gas shortages. Chief Randall Stulce, with the Cedar Hammock Fire District, said the county departments should consider partnering up with a gasoline vendor to deploy a fuel truck along with the fire engines on longer missions.
Pollock said he would like to see a system in place like the one in Pasco County. When Manatee firefighters traveled to Mississippi to provide relief, Pollock said Pasco joined the group and provided a fuel truck to join the mission.
Myakka City Fire Chief Danny Cacchiotti said his department uses a skid-truck, which is equipped with two 250-gallon fuel tanks.
The group set a tentative meeting date for Jan. 11 to revisit the problem. Pollock said the meeting should include the sheriff’s office and emergency management officials.
“We all need to sit down and talk,” Pollock said. “What affects one of us will effect the others as well.”
The goal is to formulate a game plan by March 2006, Center said at the meeting.