Israeli firefighters on equipment: Lehigh Firefigher and Paramedic Jay Debow, left, shows two Israeli firefighters some of the equipment at the fire station on Homestead Rd. last week. Photo by Mel Toadvine

Two Israeli firefighters spent a day in Lehigh Acres touring the area with Chief Don Adams. Seeing Lehigh and how the department works, they said, was a valuable education.

The two firefighters, Ofer Izhak, a deputy firefighter for 23 years, and Oz Shoval, a deputy firefighter for 11 years in Hadera, Israel were in the United States on a mission – to visit several fire departments, to see how American firefighters do their job here.

“Lehigh is much like the area around Hadera in Israel,” Shoval said. “We have hilly regions with lots of the same type of brush or wooded areas. We are no strangers to brush fires there as things are here in Lehigh.”

Hadera is a city located in the Haifa District of Israel approximately 28 miles from the major cities of Tel Aviv and Haifa. The city is located along seven 4 miles off the Israeli Mediterranean Coastal Plain. The city has a population of 80,200 which includes a high proportion of immigrants since 1990, notably from Ethiopia and the Soviet Union.

Shoval said in Israel when there is a major brush fire, they tend to use long lines of hose up to 300 meters to deliver water to the blaze. It requires a lot of manpower.“

Reflections of firefighters: Two Israeli firefighters spend a day in Lehigh last week visiting fire stations and looking at equipment plus being given a tour of the brush areas of Lehigh that are dry. The men are talking to Chief Don Adams, partially shown at left. Photo by Mel Toadvine

Chief Don Adams in Lehigh related that here whenever there is a brush fire, he send out nearly “all the equipment” to fight it hard at first.

“That way, we are often able to get a hold of the fire before it gets out of control,” he told the two Israeli firefighters.

While here, Adams took them out to the brush areas and to some of the fire stations to show them two men equipment used by the Lehigh Acres Fire and Rescue Dept.

The two Israelis climbed aboard the engines, looked closely at the equipment, and put their hands to use a large hose from a tanker.

They spent most of the day in Lehigh and left to fly to Atlanta where they planned to spend a day and then a rental car drive to Nashville where they planned to visit that city’s fire department.

Chief with Israeli firefighters: Lehigh Fire Chief Don Adams, right, gives a tour at one of Lehigh’s fire stations last week to two firefighters from Israel who are touring American fire stations. Photo by Mel Toadvine

Prior to their trip to the U.S., Shoval said a package tour had been planned and Lee County, Fla., was one of the destinations.

Chief Adams said when he heard they were coming to Lee County, he volunteered to show them around Lehigh because the area resembled their own fire coverage area. The two firefighters also spent the day before in Bonita visiting that city’s fire department.

“Yes we have had a great trip and have seen a lot,” Shoval, who spoke better English than his friend. “We are glad we came to Lehigh because of all the brush your department faces here with fires.

“Back in Israel, we have many brush fires, just like you do here; many are started b arsonists and others may have been started accidentally by someone throwing out a cigarette.

“But we do fight a brush fire a little differently. I like the chief’s idea of putting as much equipment as he can when a brush fire has been called in. The difference is that back in Israel in our area, the hills and thick brush may prevent that type of attacking a fire.“

“We have people who don’t take good care in putting out barbeques and sometimes that spreads and can cause a large brush fire. We have seen a lot in Lehigh and will take back home those things we think can help us in our department.“