Trainers and students trusted their gear from five-story heights on May 28, as the iconic lighthouse at Faro Blanco Marina served as a rappel point for firefighter training with VooDoo Rescue. The advanced training for elite and specialty rescuers challenged trainees to collaborate on a simulated rescue mission, securing rigging to two sides of the lighthouse over the water at Faro Blanco.
VooDoo Rescue’s founder, William Wagner IV, has his own special connection to the Keys community; his father, a former fire chief, helped in establishing the first career fire department in the Middle Keys, and his grandfather William Jr. served as Monroe County’s emergency management director for 25 years — a role that earned him a state Lifetime Achievement Award in 2025.
“I was honored the lighthouse was asked to be a part of this training exercise,” said Faro Blanco Marina general manager Annie Wilson. “It was thrilling to watch this amazing program.”
