Prescribed Fire Planned in Valkaria for 10/1/2013

(Brevard County, Fla.) - A 100-acre prescribed fire in Valkaria (south of the airport) is planned for Tuesday, October 1, 2013 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.

Prescribed Fire involves the careful application of fire by professionals under specific weather and fuel conditions in hopes of achieving environmental resource management goals.  Benefits include reduction of wildfire risk, habitat restoration and the recycling of nutrients back into the soil.

By: Lieutenant Don Slayman

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Working Commercial Struture Fire in Mims Meat Market

 (Brevard County, Fla.) - A local Mims meat market and grocery store sustained damage today as a result of a fire in the rear of the store.  Brevard County Fire Rescue (BCFR) received notification shortly after 3:50 p.m. that the grocery store on Main Street (S.R. 46) and Taylor Ave was on fire.  

Upon arrival of BCFR firefighters, smoke was visible on the "Charlie side" (rear) of the building.  Crews quickly determined the fire was in a storage area, near a smoker / grill.  E22 deployed a hoseline and went into an offensive strategy, meaning they attacked the fire from inside the structure, in hopes of saving the rest of the building.

E21 established a water supply via a fire hydrant, which closed Taylor Ave from S.R. 46 to Church Street.  The rest of E21's crew conducted a primary search to ensure no employees or customers were inside the store.  Their search was successful and they quickly had an "all clear" on the building, meaning no one was inside.

Additional crews provided the much needed manpower since a significant amount of smoke was in the attic and other void spaces.  Anytime large void spaces (such as "roof overs", attics, or behind walls) exist, the chance for hidden fire lurks.  These additional crews exposed any void spaces to ensure no hidden fire existed.

An additional hoseline was deployed from E22 to provide backup to the fire attack crew.  The fire attack crew was able to knock down the main body of fire within 20 minutes of receiving the 911 call and did an excellent job of saving the rest of the building.

A BCFR fire inspector was called to the scene to aid in determining the cause of the fire, but there were no indications of suspicion.

Members of the Mims Volunteer Fire Department were also on scene to provide additional manpower; the Brevard County Sheriff Office had deputies on scene to assist in traffic control.

By: Lieutenant Don Slayman

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Prescribed Burn in Scottsmoor Scheduled for 09/11/2013

(Brevard County, Fla) - A 65-acre prescribed fire within the Scottsmoor Flatwoods Sanctuary is planned for Wednesday, September 11th between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.  The Scottsmoor Flatwoods Sanctuary is located south of SR5A between US1 and I-95 in Scottsmoor.

Prescribed Fire involves the careful application of fire by professionals under specific weather and fuel conditions in hopes of achieving environmental resource management goals.  Benefits include reduction of wildfire risk, habitat restoration and the recycling of nutrients back into the soil

By: Lieutenant Don Slayman

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Barefoot Bay Brush Fire

(Barefoot Bay, Fla) - Brevard County Fire Rescue (BCFR) responded to the area of Honeysuckle Drive in Barefoot Bay for a brush fire.  Upon arrival, crews found a vehicle fire has apparently started a significant brush fire.  The vehicle fire started near the north end of Honeysuckle Dr and caused the 500-foot-wide brush fire to move southwest, towards Wagon Master Trail.  It quickly grew to an estimated 40+ acres, but that was only an initial estimate.

Additional resources were called because of the possibility of structural endangerment.  If the fire continued southwest, 3 homes and 4 occupied stables would have been threatened.  At 6:01 p.m., however, only one structure was endangered.

Because of the size of the fire and limited access, assistance was requested from the Florida Forest Service (FFS).

A resource staging area has been established at Wagon Master Trail and Fleming Grant Road.  The resources were as follows: 9 engines, 3 District Chiefs, 4 water tenders, 11 brush trucks, 2 "dozers" from Florida Forest Service, Brevard County Sheriff Office and several Command Staff Chiefs.

Mutual aid was requested from the following agencies: Palm Bay, Malabar Volunteer Fire, Melbourne, Indian River County, Four Communities Volunteer Fire and Mims Volunteer Fire.

The weather extended its hand in assistance shortly before 7:30 p.m. and allowed the Incident Commander to release most of the resources.

Expect smoldering spots and smoke to remain in the area, but the immediate threat has subsided (7:29 p.m.).

By: Lieutenant Don Slayman

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Lieutenant Slayman Returns to Fire Suppression Duties

(Brevard County, Fla.) - Lieutenant Don Slayman, the previous Public Information Officer for Brevard County Fire Rescue, has returned to normal fire suppression / EMS duties.  Lieutenant Slayman rotated back to the field last month.  BCFR is in the process of finalizing the details in regards to the new Public Information Officer and those details will be shared as soon as they are confirmed.

In the interim, the media may contact Lt. Slayman via email or twitter for any updates, questions, etc.  He may be reached at donald.slayman@BrevardCounty.us

We apologize for any inconveniences during this transition period.

By: Lieutenant Don Slayman

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Prescribed Burn in Valkaria for Tuesday, August 13, 2013.

(Brevard County, Fla.) - A 100-acre prescribed fire in Valkaria, south of the airport, is planned for Tuesday, August 13th between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.

Prescribed fire involves the careful application of fire by professionals under specific weather and fuel conditions to achieve environmental resource management goals.  Benefits include reduction of wildfire risk, habitat restoration and the recycling of nutrients back into the soil.

By: Lieutenant Don Slayman

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Home Sustains Serious Fire Damage in Mims

(Brevard County, Fla.) - A Mims home sustained serious damage this morning as a result of fire.  Brevard County Fire Rescue (BCFR) received a phone call around 11:00 p.m. from a resident who said flames were visible inside the home, on the 5100 block of Blounts Ridge Road in Mims.

Upon arrival of firefighters, flames were visible through the roof.  Because everyone was safely out of the home, Brevard County firefighters quickly enacted a defensive attack, meaning they knocked down the flames from outside the structure. 

Once the bulk of the flames were extinguished from the outside, crews were able to safely make entry and put out the rest of the fire.  Extensive overhaul work was needed as the fire was in the attic space.  This called for the need to pull down the ceiling to expose any hidden fire, and ensure there would be no rekindles.

Although much of the home was destroyed, firefighters took special precautions to minimize damage to the owners' memorables.  Firefighters placed some of the salvagable contents under tarps, protecting them from further damage.
 
The incident took more than 25 firefighters approximately 30 minutes to knock down the majority of the flames, and several hours to extinguish the hotspots.

Members of the Mims Volunteer Fire Department and Four Communities Fire Department were also on scene to assist.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.  A BCFR fire inspector, along with a representative from the State Fire Marshal's Office were on scene to investigate the cause.

By: Lieutenant Don Slayman

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