By Kyle Martin
Hernando Today
Copyright 2007 Hernando Today
SPRING HILL, Fla. — Frank Byrne knows the drill.
It’s 2 a.m. when he’s startled awake by the tones sounding on his radio, alerting him of an emergency somewhere in Spring Hill.
His clothes are already laid out before he goes to bed. “It’s pants, socks, shirt and shoes, then out the door,” said Byrne, 59.
Byrne’s car has a remote ignition, so it’s already idling when he steps into the garage. Total time from tones to road: “I’d say a few minutes.”
Byrne is one of 14 volunteer fire police with Spring Hill Fire Rescue who keep first responders safe by directing traffic around accidents. Their presence also frees up deputies or Florida Highway Patrol troopers to document the crash and interview witnesses.
Spring Hill Fire Chief J.J. Morrison calls them “Spring Hill’s angels.” “It’s fun to volunteer until 4 a.m. on a January morning when you’re standing by the road for four hours,” he said.
A majority of the current roster of fire police consists of retired volunteer firemen from New Jersey and New York. While the work is tedious and often dangerous, most have been working so long that an idle retirement playing shuffleboard doesn’t have any appeal.
The men are on call 24/7 and prepared to respond in any weather. “Except for snow, of course,” said Joe Sacco, a volunteer for the past four years. “I don’t miss that at all.”
At 70-years-old, Sacco shares the title of oldest volunteer with his longtime friend Lt. Joe Anthony. Sacco bought a Spring Hill winter home in 1985, which he would use as a break from overseeing 27 fire departments in New Jersey.
After 43 years of rolling hose and paperwork, Sacco decided to hang up his hat three years ago. His principle pleasure now is watching young paramedics and firefighters learn the ropes and progress in their careers.
Unfortunately, Sacco’s body and his willpower aren’t always compatible. The other volunteers tease him because once he stopped at his chiropractor’s office on the way to a wreck.
“I said ‘This has got to be a quick adjustment, I got a wreck on Deltona,’” Sacco laughs.
Deltona Boulevard is a popular spot to see fire police in action, but they can list several other intersections in the district where they regularly respond. Typically they know by the location what type of accident to expect. “If it’s Elgin and Sterling Hill Drive they’ll need a helicopter,” said Jim Lowery, 68.
Lowery is a retired lieutenant from the New York City Police, which “makes me the outcast” in a group of firefighters, he joked. Lowery knows Hernando County’s streets the best of the volunteers because he drove a school bus for 16 years.
“When in doubt call Jim,” said Byrne, who got his start with the fire police three years ago. He hails from Long Island, where he served 30 years as a volunteer fireman.
Soon after coming to Spring Hill, Byrne’s wife saw the fire police pickup on the side of the road. She recommended Byrne give it a try, so he did.
While his wife sometimes resents the late night calls, she also appreciates and supports his passion. “She knew what I was getting involved in,” Byrne said. “I really enjoy what I do.”
It’s not uncommon for delayed motorists to take their frustration out on their fire police. Robert Mokros, 63, guesses 75 to 80 percent of drivers are patient, but there’s a few bad apples on every call, he said. “Their chief concern is to make it from point A to point B,” he said, “and you’re standing in their way.” If anyone gives them too much grief, there’s always a deputy nearby.
Fire police are not allowed to speed to an accident, so police and ambulances usually beat them to the scene. But the volunteers are typically the last to clear the scene, which might mean hours standing by the road.
Chief Bill Harmon has led the fire police for the past 10 years and like most of his colleagues he got his start as a volunteer firefighter. He picked volunteering again because of “the enjoyment of being able to help somebody.”
An employee of ATT, Mark Hopkins is one of four volunteers who still work by day. As a former Connecticut state police officer and volunteer for the past six years, Hopkins, 55, has seen his share of bad accidents.
But the sight of mangled wrecks with a lifeless body inside still tugs at him inside. “The worst are the children,” he said.
He helps when he can. For example, Hopkins remembers when a mother taking her children to school had a wreck. He volunteered to take the children to school himself while the mother waited for the tow truck. “You do what you can,” he said.
Move over -- it’s the law
Most folks know to pull to the side of the road when a police car or ambulance is coming from behind with flashing lights and wailing siren.
But it’s also the law to change lanes if you can do so safely when approaching a traffic stop or vehicle accident. Motorists must also slow to 20 mph below the existing speed limit when passing the accident, or 5 mph if the speed limit is 20 mph or below, Florida law states.
Fire police who daily work accidents on the side of the road say scofflaws abound -- and it’s dangerous. “The more vests and flashlights the better we feel,” said Ben Edwards, who works by day as a fire inspector in Hillsborough County. “It’s scary out there.”
The reason for his fear is the motorists that blatantly disregard the wash of flashing lights and zoom past accidents. Robert Mokros, 63, remembers one accident where both directions of traffic were taking turns traveling through one lane. One young lady didn’t even hit her brakes as she flew by, Mokros said.
According to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, 15 officers were killed during traffic stops last year.
Steven Diez, transportation planner in Hernando County, said that was a principal reason for the passage of the Move Over Act in 2001. “It increases officer safety,” he said.