Today Fort Myers Beach on Estero Island is known as the world's safest beach and a celebrated vacation paradise. The enjoyment of swimming, and shelling on the 7 mile silver sand beach, or fishing and boating in the beautiful Gulf of Mexico, is purely all many people experience. Behind the lines of this natural beauty there is a cluster of people, sometimes unknown, but always ready to assist the community in periods of unexpected emergencies. To the public they are simply referred to as the Fort Myers Beach Firefighters, but to an ill or injured persons, they are life savers. A house fire, a heart attack, or broken water main are within the range of routine business for this proud organization.
Every day, the Fort Myers Beach Fire apparatus thunder out of their homes on Estero and San Carlos Boulevard, sirens roaring, horns bellowing, in response to a summons for help, consistently more often, approximately a half dozen times a day, the rescue squad and ambulance answer a call for assistance. Arriving within 3 to 6 life saving minutes anywhere along Estero, Black, or San Carlos Islands, and continuing up San Carlos Boulevard to just south of Pine Ridge Road, this act of mercy occurred about 2100 times last year. The entire fire and rescue apparatus is staffed by professional technicians. All the firefighting/rescue personnel work 24 hours a day then have 48 hours off-duty, which translates into a 56 hour work week.
Throughout the 1940s an established fire department was nonexistent on the island, and the
closest fire apparatus was essentially the City of Fort Myers, approximately 20 miles away. Consequently on Wednesday, June 22, 1949 at 7:30 p.m. at "Jenk's Bar" located on San Carlos Island, the Beach Volunteer Fire Department was bom under the auspices of the Beach Improvement Association, Incorporated. Twenty-two (22) men were present at this banquet conference, and Col. T. J. O'Brian, Ret. was appointed Chairman by T. Bergan Van Brunt. The fraternity also elected Earl Howie the first Fire Chief and J. Travis Cowart, Fire Captain. A voluntary contributions fund raiser was launched, in order to acquire miscellaneous fire fighting equipment. The first equipment purchased was a small two wheel tree spray pump, tank and trailer, which was pulled by a borrowed jeep. These outmoded appliances were housed at Red Coconut Trailer Park and mustered by dialing "2541" on the telephone, a prelude to "911." In April of 1950, an old international war surplus, fire/crush rescue truck was purchased from Miami. This truck with 550 gallons of water storage tank, hi-pressure pump and ladder was the first genuine fire apparatus retained by the Department. The Department maintained this vehicle until May of 1964, when it was sold to the Lehigh Acres Volunteer Fire Department.
