T»-F* I1.* Sanibel Firemen train in realistic settings First day back at By GARY PHILLIPS [email protected] . •<• "Ain't nothing like the real thing, Baby," sang Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell in their hit song of the same name. Sanibel Fire & Rescue District Training Officer Tim Barrett couldn't agree more. The firefighters have been conducting training in actual Sanibel homes that are scheduled for demolition, providing a realism that no manufactured training facility can give. Barrett said some of the homes were damaged by Hurricane Charley and are being tom down in favor of new construction. Before the houses are demolished they are offered temporarily to the fire department by local realtors. "It's really invaluable. No home is the same no matter how it looks from the outside," he said. "The layout of the furniture will be different or even where the bed- rooms are. As a general rule people will have their bed- rooms upstairs in a two-story structure, but we have found that many people have their bedrooms on the lower floor." Barren said papers are signed which acknowledge the fire district takes responsibility for their own safety and that the realtors understand that substantial damage will * Photo by Gary Phillips "We had a fantastic first day of schooS," Sanibel School four years have been very hectic, with construction Principal Barbara Von Harten told the island Reporter. and trucks and furniture deliveries," Von Harten said. "It was probably one of the smoothest first days 1 can "We even had our AR-Star reading program up and ever recall. I believe part of that may be because we're running right away, which never happens, it was won- not under construction or renovation. The last three to derful yesterday—everything worked!" be done during the training. st "We're going to be doing everything from tearing down ceilings to breaking windows to spraying water," Charley^ 1 anniversary he said. "So all the carpet and everything in there is com- pletely ruined by the time we're done with it." By GARY PHILLIPS Barrett said the trainees receive no advance warning of [email protected] the training exercises, the call can come at anytime, fur- ther simulating a real emergency. They are also com- With the anniversary of Hurricane. Charley only days pletely unfamiliar with homes and their inferior layouts. away, the City of Sanibel has issued an updated report on "They don't go with lights and sirens, they drive there what has been done to return Sanibel to its pre-hurricane nice and easy but as soon as they get there they go into status. City Manager Judie Zimomra said the year has been 'go fast mode,'" he said. "Everybody throws their gear an unusual experience. on and a company officer comes to me and asks what j "It's been the most challenging, yet rewarding year as a kind of situation they have." • • i public administrator after 25 years of service," she said. "To Barrett then creates a scenario as to where in the home see the entire community conic together and respond, not just to the physical damage but the emotional and econom- the fire is and that residents are quite likely trapped j ic damage thai can come from a hurricane was very reward- inside. The firemen then gain entrance to the home just as | ing." they would in a real emergency, by breaking down doors, j The report, dated August 9, states that since August 13 Photo by Gary Phillips breaking windows, cutting holes in walls or roofs or any | last year, 543 renovation permits have been issued. That Sanibe! firefighters Ross Nagot, left, and Tim Barrett, other method necessary to get the job done. That kind of number may seem small until one considers that for condo- right, steady the ladder for John Griffith, on the roof, realism can only be accomplished at a real house, Barrett minium associations only one permit is issued for the entire during a recent training exercise at a Sanibei home. The building. For example, Sundial Phase One was issued one house is scheduled to be demolished so the Sanibel said. Other doors or windows are also opened so the fire- See TRAINING renovation permit which covered 85 units. Fire & Rescue District was allowed to use it to train in Post-storm cleanup was a major undertaking. The report a highly realistic setting. page 3 says more than 314,000 cubic yards of vegetative debris was hauled away and processed. More than 12,000 cubic yards of construction and demolition debris were removed INDEX from the island and the city operated a burn site for five months from September 2004 to February 2005, which • LETTERS page 6 Captiva's resort CROW profiles The city awards resulted in 13,7000 cubic yards of ash. 805 truck loads of • EDITORIAL page 7 "to open in )an. staff members first three ash were taken off the island. The waterways were also • LOOKING BACK page 8 filled with debris. The report states that seven miles of pub- • CROSSWORD ...... page 9 lic waterways have been cleared. • PERMITS &DEEDS .. .page 10 South Seas Resort will Two student externs from: ;The City of Sanibel has All this cleanup and recovery comes at a price. The total recovery cost for the City of Sanibel is $13.4 million, the • Vox POPULI page 11 unseil extensive renova-; Europe are here learning; (awarded the first $1,000 lions when they reopen. '• about wildlife medicine. i scholarships to kids of report said. The good news is a portion of that cost is recov- • DATELINE page 14 iemployees. erable through FEMA (Federal Emergency Management • TV LISTINGS page 17 Agency) and grants from several other agencies. Expenses • POLICE BEAT page 17 eligible for reimbursement from FEMA and the State of See page 2: See page 13 j • OBITUARIES page 18 - See page 23' See CHARLEY • CLASSIFIEDS page 21 page 5 2 • Week of August 11-17, 2005 • ISLAND REPORTER South Seas Resort looking forward to grand re-opening AMY FLEMING Unable to find just what they wanted from existing suppli- [email protected] ers, they created their own designs and turned directly to the manufacturers. It then turned out to be more economical to After being closed for more than a year, South Seas is manufacture the same top quality pieces for all of the units. preparing to unveil a brand new resort. The pool is undergoing major changes, from a functional, i Meristar, owners of South Seas Resort, commissioned if unexciting swim area, to a lush water playground, equal to the Orlando-based marketing communication firm of anything Esther Williams ever dipped her toes into. The Yesawich, Pepperdine, Brown & Russell to survey property 2,000 square-foot pool has been bulldozed to make way-for owners in the resort to find out what kind of changes they a new 6,000 square-footer, surrounded by 300 lounge chairs would like to see made. In June 2004, they issued their find- and an array of full service, luxury cabanas, available for rent ings, with the results that people wanted to see the entrance by the day. The kids will have their own pool and waterslide, beefed up, upgrades to accommodations and dining estab- while the grownups get to enjoy a swim-up tiki bar. lishments, and a bigger, better swimming pool. Meristar is Along with the new and improved amenities, South Seas seeing to it that they get what they want. Resort regulars said they wanted to see a higher quality of According to Earl Quenzel, regional director of market- service throughout the resort, a request that Meristar is tak- will attend weekly training sessions on the island's history ing and sales, they are remodeling more than 400 units, at an ing as a mandate. and ecology, becoming knowledgeable in everything from average cost of $85,000 each. "We have the opportunity to take the grade of service up shells, wildlife and native flora to the Calusa Indians who Meristar had originally looked at three levels of furniture an entire notch," Quenzel said. once lived on the island. upgrades for three different levels of accommodations. That means staff training, and lots of it. All resort staff "We'regrarigtoTocus on training like you've never seen before," added Quenzel. "Everyone's job is to make sure no guest is disappointed. Everyone takes ownership of the entire guest experience." Meristar has already begun advertising locally to fill 700 to 800 support staff positions, with no previous resort expe- rience necessary. "We can teach you the hotel business, but we can't teach attitude," Quenzel said. "The tropical island experience — that's the product." Putting together a $140 million construction project without a master plan, all in the wake of a category four hur- ricane, hasn't been a problem-free enterprise. The upgrades were originally planned to take place over three years, but Hurricane Charley condensed them into about half that time. Building plans for Mariner Hall ran headlong into FEMA regulations, costing about three months worth of work. Then there are the causeway weight restrictions that drive up the cost of bringing truckloads of materials onto the island. However, Quenzel characterized it all as "noth- ing that wasn't anticipated." One thing he is proud of is that the South Seas man- agement team has remained intact, even through the long closing. Sketches courtesy of Meristar "The management team is the best I've ever worked with. They can handle anything thrown at them," he said.