Bonita Springs Fire Department Donates Rescue Truck to Ida S. Baker High School

There’s something about a fire truck that just draws people near. Kids want to see it, sit in it and imagine what it would be like to work from it. Adults too. So, when the Bonita Springs Fire Department drove one of their trucks onto the Ida Baker High School campus to donate it to the school, the students in the Firefighting Academy were there to greet it.

“I feel like a firefighter,” said junior Chase Barnhill. “Walking around my own engine, getting my hands on the steering wheel, you feel like the real thing. This is going to give us crazy opportunities to be hands on and step ahead of everyone else.”

The fully functional truck is the first of its kind donation to the School District’s firefighting academies. The 2004 Pierce Quantum Rescue Pumper is worth about $30,000 but the Bonita Springs Fire Department felt donating it would be better than selling it.

“About six months ago we put a new truck in service so we asked what are we going to do with this one,” said Bonita Springs Fire Chief Greg DeWitt.

“Ida Baker heard about it and asked about donating it so I went to my board and asked if they’d consider it. They said sure, anything we can do to help the community.”

Students in the Firefighting Academy earn their Fire Fighting 1 certificate at the end of the program. They must then continue their training to earning the Fire Fighting 2 certificate before they can be hired by a fire department. Having their own truck on campus means the students at Ida Baker will save about $1,500 and six weeks of training.

“This is awesome for us. This is huge,” said Ida Baker firefighting instructor Brandon Monahan. “This will help us a lot because we can provide better training with real equipment rather than what we just have around the school.”

Along with the Firefighting Academy at Ida S. Baker High School, the program is also offered at South Fort Myers High School and East Lee County High School. Students take the required classes in 10th, 11th and 12th grade. With a local and nationwide need for firefighters, interested students can learn more on the school's website.