The Monroe County Board of County Commissioners recently honored and recognized the long-standing leadership and accomplishments made by retiring Fire Chief James “Jim” Callahan, who enabled Monroe County Fire Rescue to become the professional organization that it is today for the Florida Keys community.
Over the years, Callahan worked with the Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority to increase the number of fire hydrants for fire suppression, increased staffing levels to meet the state’s minimum standards and worked with project management to rebuild the fire stations in Conch Key, Stock Island, Big Pine and Cudjoe Key and make renovations to Tavernier, Layton and Sugarloaf.
In partnership with the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, Callahan included flight paramedics and flight nurses on the Trauma Star air ambulance service to assist with critical patient care during helicopter transports. He also consolidated airport fire services by giving Key West International Airport firefighters access to state-mandated training and logistics to handle medical calls and other emergencies better.
Callahan established a Fire Prevention Division with a dedicated fire marshal and added deputy fire marshals to handle building plan reviews, construction inspections, commercial fire inspections and public education. He has also enhanced the Training Division with additional personnel and facilitated a state-of-the-art training facility to develop Florida Keys individuals into licensed professional firefighters and emergency medical technicians in coordination with the College of the Florida Keys.
In addition, the ‘Hot Shots’ program, which has now graduated seven classes, is a program he launched.
During his recognition, with staff wearing his signature mustachio, he said these milestones were not accomplished only by him but by community support, the Board of County Commissioners, the county administrator, and his dedicated fire rescue staff.
