Firefighters took their battle to the streets of Lehigh Acres Sunday with big signs and flyers in an effort to save their jobs and to save lives, they said, of Lehigh residents. They planned to keep it up all week, they said.

At 10:30 a.m., a couple dozen firefighters, some with children, others with their spouses, stood at the two main intersections coming into Lehigh – Gunnery Rd. and Lee Blvd., and Sunshine Blvd., and Lee Blvd.

The firefighters, many of those who have already been told they have lost their jobs last week and others facing layoffs, waved signs asking the public to help save their jobs. They passed out flyers they had printed on 8×11-inch yellow sheets with a title across the top: “Our Heros need your help.” The same title in Spanish was on the other side: Nuestro Heroes necesitan su ayuda.”

The cost of the signs and the flyers, amounting to around $500 so far are being paid for by the firefighters themselves through donations. Some 3,000 have been printed so far.

Dozens of cars honked their horns in support. Many holding signs were young children of firefighters.

Chief Don Adams announced last week that nine firefighters and two administrative office workers would not have job in four weeks. He also called in another 30 to tell them they would be facing layoffs next month, too. He has a list ready for the next 30. He said employees are being laid off according to the length of time they have been with the department.

There isn’t enough money to continuing staffing the fire department with about 111 firefighters because of the lack of tax income, Adams told a group of citizens and laid off firefighters last week, those who attended a rally at Microtel Inn and Suites.

Although that rally was called by two private citizens – Antonie Barrett and Robert Anderson – with no relationship to the firefighters, this battle to the streets this week is being sponsored by the firefighters themselves with the support of their unions. The firefighters said they appreciated the help last week, but they needed to get out themselves and let the public know what may happen to Lehigh if firefighters lose their jobs.

As firefighters left their shifts, many joined their fellow firefighters.

After a couple of hours at the two major intersections, they said they planned to take their signs to major shopping outlets in Lehigh this week like Wal-Mart.

Kelli Wilson, one of the 30 who was told she will lose her job next was among the firefighters at the intersection of Sunshine and Lee Blvds. Sunday.

“We have other firefighters helping us spread the word. Already we have Firefighters from Cape Coral are here and others are coming,” she said.

Brendan Fonock, a firefighter from Cape Coral, said others would be joining Lehigh firefighters to help and do as much as they can. He said he expected firefighters from all over Lee County to show up, and as far away as Estero.

That also means showing up in force to meetings over the next coming weeks to the Lee County Commission to ask for money from the Obama Stimulus Package that has been earmarked for Lee County or to borrow money from the unencumbered fund that is paying for a Boston Red Sox ball park site off of Daniels Parkway, which was not supported by Commissioner Frank Mann and Brian Bigelow, last week.

According to the flyer:

“Lee County has a reserve of $133 million that was designed for saving jobs, creating jobs and the economy.

“Please support your firefighters by attending the Lee County Commission meeting on June 23 at 5 p.m. to help them decide where to apply some of these funds. The address is 2120 Main St., Fort Myers at the Old Courthouse.”

Supporters were urged to wear red shirts to show their support for the local firefighters. The color red has become a tradition for the color of shirts worn when other Lehigh groups have appeared before the County Commission.

There is also a special meeting scheduled on the same date, June 23 at 6 p.m. at East Lee County High School, which is a block away from one of the two new fire stations on Milwaukee and Bell Blvds.

That meeting is a workshop, now being called a special meeting, and its mission is to come up with solutions to fund the fire department. All five commissioners of the Fire District – Jeff Berndt, Joel Guzman, Julia Barrett, David Adams and Ralph Hemingway, are expected to attend.

Firefighters were careful as they stood on islands in the middle of Lee Blvd., while others stood on sidewalks on either sides of the main artery into Lehigh.

They said they wanted to get the message out to people traveling that early and to church people. Some held signs and others passed out the yellow flyers.

The flyer also stated:

“Departments everywhere are facing cutbacks and jobs are being threatened by today’s economy. Lehigh Acres Fire and Rescue is laying off 30 to 60 firefighters in the next 30 to 60 days – therefore stations, ambulances and engines will be shut down.

“How important is the health and safety of your loved ones?”

Firefighters said this is just the beginning of their fight. They said some of them are also planning to go house to house in Lehigh to inform the citizens of what is about to happen to their fire department.

When the new budget is struck before the end of summer, fire commissioners are expected to increase the tax rate to 3 mills, the allowable cap for taxing in the special tax district. No money goes to the fire department from any other source. The department is financed through tax appraisals on land in Lehigh and County Tax Appraiser Kenneth Wilkinson announced several days earlier that in Lehigh the taxable valuation on property had dropped nearly 50 percent. This means a huge loss to the fire district. It was the lowest appraisal in the county and the fire board was expecting maybe 30 to 40 percent in lost income.

At the last meeting of the fire board in May, Commissioner Joel Guzman asked the public for help. He pleaded for anyone who had an idea of what to do to get in touch with them or the chief.

Early last week, Chief Don Adams began calling in the first 11 employees to be laid off.

In an interview with The Citizen, Adams said some hard the news on TV before he had an opportunity to talk to them.

“The TV stations were here banging on the doors before we even opened … and I was trying to call people in to tell them they were going to be terminated because there won’t be any money to pay them,” he said.

The chief admitted that someone in the department sends out correspondence from the department to local TV stations. He said the information is all public and accessible by the public, but he would have preferred to tell the affected firefighters and two administrative employees themselves before TV reporters told them.

The chief said he and the union have spoken, but so far there has been no concessions offered by the union.

One of the firefighters at one of the intersections Sunday said all the firefighters were given a survey or a from to list what could be done in their opinion to save jobs.

One of the firefighters said the union was expected to address the situation at The next meeting, whether it be the upcoming regular fire commission meeting or more likely, the special meeting on June 23 at the high school, the union representing the firefighter are expected to offer concessions.

Meanwhile, firefighters said they have called everyone they know who may be helpful. They have tried to get through to President Obama, to the Legislature, to the local Lee County Commission and others.

One said they thought Commissioner Frank Mann, who represents this area of the county, had received dozens of calls already.

They are urging local residents to call their elected county commissioners this week.

“They have money they could lend us or give us,” one of the firefighters said.

“If they don’t help us save our jobs and if we don’t get help from somewhere, Lehigh’s fire department will be devastated. And if there are multiple calls for fires or for ambulance calls, it may take a lot longer for those left to get there.

“It’s about your lives,” the firefighters said.

These first responders to an emergency are not alone. The same thing is happening fire departments in other areas of the state.

“It’s nobody’s fault,” Chief Adams told a crowd at the rally last week at the Microtel Inn and Suites.

“It’s the economy. Our houses here are worth almost 50 percent less and that means the taxes will be that much less, too. We can’t survive on the income from the taxes in Lehigh. We may have to close stations and lay off more firefighters and administrative staffers,” he said.

He also said ambulance service may have to be cut back and those who call for help may have to wait for ambulances from Fort Myers.

The current tax rate on Lehigh Acres homes is 2.79 mills. The fire board commissioners can raise it to 3 mills but to go higher, it would take a special referendum of local voters. At the meeting last week, Chief Adams was asked how many mills would it take to make the budget work and he replied “six or seven mills.”

Frank LaRosa, the only local civic leader in Lehigh who attended the meeting, said Lehigh residents never vote for tax increases. Besides that, it would take more than $100,000 to pay for a special election to raise the millage rage, Adams said.

Local organizations such as the Chamber of Commerce and others are being asked to join the fight.

Some of the firefighters noted that homeowners will face much more in the cost of insurance than they would if taxes are raised to support the budget.