Firefighter Brings Italian Cooking to Largo Fire Station

Largo firefighters bring a team approach to cooking their own meals.

Firefighters are well-known for their hearty, delicious home-cooked dishes.  Fire Station 41, 180 4th St. SW, in Largo has a professionally trained Italian chef who cooks many of the meals for his shift. Largo Firefighters generally work 24-hour shifts with 48 hours off in between. During their 24-hour shifts, Largo firefighters pool their personal money and cook lunches and suppers together. As with many families, the workload is spread out, with the usual scenario of the crew on the ladder truck doing the grocery shopping, a couple team members doing the food preparation and other team members cleaning the dishes. Meet the Chef A native of Naples (the one in Italy), Luca Petrone joined Station 41 as a full-time firefighter/EMT in late …

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Commission Candidates Squabble Over Firefighters' Support

Largo City Commission Candidate Robert Hunsicker's stumping with two men wearing some firefighter gear caused different interpretations from his opponent, who has been endorsed by the local firefighters' union.

Largo City Commission candidate Robert Hunsicker's decision to hit the campaign trail along with two men wearing firefighter gear has sparked some criticism from his opponent, who says it's misleading because Hunsicker has not been endorsed by Largo's firefighters' union. Hunsicker campaigned outside of the Supervisor of Elections Office on Starkey Road on Monday along with his son and a friend who were wearing the gear in what they said was a show of Hunsicker's support for firefighters. But Hunsicker's opponent, James Robinson, who is endorsed by the state and Largo Professional Firefighters Association, expressed concerned that the men wearing fire gear could be confusing to voters.  Macho Liberti of the Largo Professional Firefighters …

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Largo Firefighters Practice Breaking Down Doors to Save Lives

A new practice door provides firefighters with a new tool for forcible entry training.

The Largo Fire Department has a new door that it's using to practice gaining access quickly and professionally to businesses and homes in the event of a fire. Getting through a real door at the scene of a fire allows firefighters to rescue victims faster and get to the source or seat of the fire, officials said.  This week, all of Largo's firefighters are practicing on the new door by Firehouse Innovations, which was designed by a firefighter in New York City. The instructors are Largo's Lt. Sands, Firefighter Trese, and Firefighter McCartney. The anatomy of a door is mostly review for Largo's firefighters. But the new practice door allows firefighters to simulate getting through steel doors in steel frames, which is the toughest place to …

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Fire Department Investigates Alleged Cheating on Driving Tests

Five firefighters were disciplined after an internal investigation found some of the men preparing for a special driving test, had actual squad certification written tests in their possession.

The Largo Fire Department conducted an internal affairs investigation into potential cheating by five firefighters preparing for a written test for certification as a squad driver. The squad driver certification allows firefighters to drive and operate specialized equipment and receive extra compensation when they drive the heavy rescue vehicles. The 2012 written test was reviewed and compared to previous written tests for the special driver's certification. The current test had many exact questions from the earlier written tests, which some firefighters had in their possession, according to the investigation. The testing process was stopped by the fire department once the written tests were discovered. The five firefighters were suspended…

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Largo Fire Rescue Raises Over $10,000 for Muscular Dystrophy

Largo firefighters banned together to raise $10,915 for the Muscular Dystrophy Association's "Fill the Boot" campaign. In this tough economy the city's firefghters were still able to raise $2000 more than last year, said Erin Authier, executive director of MDA St. Petersburg, who presented a certificate of appreciation to Largo Fire Rescue during the Sept. 6 city commission meeting.  "We are proud of our firefighters," said Mayor Pat Gerard. Statewide, firefighters collected $1,996,337 in over 300 communities in the 2010 campaign. They are MDA's largest source of funding. MDA sponsored Firefighter Appreciation Month in September 2011 to show their appreciation to the department.

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