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Two get plaques for putting out fire

By Staff | Apr 22, 2009

Two honored by fire department: Steve Schrader, left, and Jim Ball, center, were honored for putting out a fire at a Lehigh Acres apartment complex which may have saved the life of a young man. At right is Fire Chief Donald Adams, who made the presentations at the fire board meeting last week. Photo by Mel Toadvine

Two maintenance employees of a Lehigh housing complex were special guests of the Lee County Fire and Rescue District at its meeting last week. They were there to be be honored by the fire department for putting out a fire and likely saving the life of a teenaged boy.

The fire occurred on March 9 at Vista Palms, formerly known as Andros Isles Apartments, off of Alabama Rd.

Steve Schrader, the maintenance manager, and his assistant, Jim Ball were working near a unit at 10362 Stafford Creek Blvd., when they discovered smoke pouring out of the unit. They shouted to see if anyone was inside, but there was no answer.

Schrader immediately reported the incident to his supervisors in the office and they called the fire department which dispatched fire trucks and an ambulance.

But the fire was extinguished by the maintenance personnel who used a dry chemical extinguisher. They also had pulled the smoke detectors and flipped all the unit’s electric circuit breakers.

Schrader had a master key and was able to get into the unit, he told members of the board last week.

He and Ball saw smoke coming from one of the rooms inside but it was locked. The men broke the lock to get into the room, which was the master bedroom of the unit.

Once they had put the fire out, they discovered a young man inside his bedroom and asleep. He had not been awakened by the sounds of the smoke detector.

The two men woke him up and taken outside to fresh air.

Fire Marshal Kenneth Bennett said the two men likely saved the life of the young man they found asleep in a nearby room.

Because the two maintenance men had put out the fire, damage was minimal and the sprinkler system did not reach temperature to discharge and cause water damage.

Bennett conducted an investigation into the cause of the fire and determined that it came from a short in a portable DVD player. The fire destroyed its external power supply, Bennett said.

The men were presented plaques expressing the appreciation of the fire department.

Also at the meeting, board attorney Richard Pringle said that Verizon, which wants to lease land for a tower from the fire district, has a letter of authorization which means they can ask for an exception so that the fire department can also install a communications antenna to the tower.

It was also announced that District 6 and District 19 union negotiations would start soon. The board authorized a team composed of the chief, the assistant chiefs, board counsel representatives and labor counsel representatives.

Later, Fire Marshal Bennett said that type of fire was rare but admitted that if people are to leave their homes or apartments for a week or more, they should unplug such devices.

“It’s always smart to unplug your TVs, computer, and other appliances. It’s probably smart to unplug any power supplies you have plugged into an extension chord or the wall.