IMMOKALEE — Ever since Fire Rescue Chief Donald DiPetrillo became a Seminole Tribe employee eight years ago, one of his objectives was to open a fire station in Immokalee. That goal was realized with the opening of the Tribe’s Immokalee Fire Station at 12:01 a.m. Dec. 2, one minute after Tribe contracts with the Collier County and Immokalee fire departments expired.

“We were here in Immokalee providing special event coverage, but we felt there was a gap in the continuity of services,” DiPetrillo said. “Eliminating those contracts saves money for the Tribe and at the same time it upgrades the service for residents.”

Advantages of having Seminole Fire Rescue on the reservation include faster response times, more privacy for patients and the ability to control the environment to protect the Tribe. Fire Rescue’s coverage area also includes the Seminole Casino Hotel in Immokalee.
Based on call volume, DiPetrillo believes it is necessary to be physically present on the reservation. In the past, response times were sometimes delayed because Collier County and Immokalee departments were overwhelmed serving the larger community.

“It was an underserved community,” he said. “This service is important to ensure the safety of Tribal members instead of relying on other entities to do that for us.”

Four shifts of six firefighter/paramedics man the fire station on 24-hour shifts. The facility is equipped with two fire rescue trucks, a fire engine and a battalion chief vehicle. Although Fire Rescue is confident it can handle anything that occurs on the reservation, mutual agreements for larger emergencies are in place with the other fire departments in the area, just as at every other reservation.

“We are happy to be part of making history by establishing fire services on the Immokalee Reservation,” said Lt. Mark LaMadeleine.

Housed in the former Seminole Police Department trailer, the firefighters have reconfigured the space to suit their needs. Beds occupy an area that used to be offices. A common room has been furnished with recliners and a television.

“The transition is going exceptionally well and the community is giving us a warm reception,” said Battalion Commander Jason Allis. “We offer service that is second to none, tailor it to their exact needs and provide them with more personalized service.”

Days before Fire Rescue was scheduled to take over service on the reservation, a small fire in an air handler inside the Immokalee field office gave crews a chance to get their feet wet. As it turned out, it was mostly smoke and didn’t require the use of fire hoses.
Immokalee firefighters hope every call goes as smoothly and the transformation continues to be a seamless one.

“It is like an early Christmas present to get this done,” DiPetrillo said. “It’s been on my to-do list since I got here but there were other considerations that were done prior to this. I was just waiting for the opportunity and it finally showed up.”