BY MARK J. CRAWFORD
Telegraph Editor
STARKE — Ben Carter said he is humbled to be named chief of Bradford County Fire Rescue, an agency he said is recognized statewide because of the foundation laid by former Director Allen Parrish and the late Dr. Peter Gianas, who served as medical director.
“I definitely want to keep that legacy going with Dr. (Matthew) Odom,” he said. “I think Dr. Odom and I are on the same page as far as keeping Bradford County on the map when it comes to being at the forefront of medicine.”
The young group of men and women working for fire rescue likewise want to be at the top of their game, he said. He wants the least tenured among them to feel empowered and know they can affect change within the department.
Carter said he also wants them to feel supported, which is why a peer support team is in training. The course teaches how to recognize when someone is struggling with the mental health stress of being a first responder and how to support and connect that person with resources. The chief wants to take that knowledge and draft an Employee Assistance Plan that could serve his department and all county employees.
First responders and law enforcement officers in particular are expected to be strong enough to deal with everything they see and experience, but those experiences take a toll. If someone comes to him seeking help, Carter wants to be able to get them treatment immediately and skip the search for professionals who work with first responders. That information will be at the ready.
Carter also wants to introduce a cadet program for youth ages 14 to 20. The Florida Fire Chiefs Association has a cadet program that can be tailored to Bradford County. Among other things, it would allow students in the fire program and North Florida Technical College to participate in ride alongs and spend time at the stations. He compared it to the learning and disciplinary opportunity he experienced as a young volunteer.
“It’s a big part of why I’m here today. I’ve been on the receiving end of the benefits of programs similar to the cadet program, so it’s definitely something I’m passionate about,” he said.
He also looks forward to getting fire rescue even more involved in the community, so people know them by face and name. Showing up at ball games, volunteering in concessions, helping establish a community garden — anything that supports the youth and missions of the community.
“I want to make Bradford County Fire Rescue a staple in this community,” he said. The public shouldn’t only feel their presence when it’s time to call 911. “That is really one of my biggest goals — to strengthen our presence and our relationship within the community, even when there’s not an emergency.”
The public knows it can rely on the agency’s service, but Carter said he wants the public to realize its full investment in the men and women who serve them.
Fire rescue does get a lot of attention because its funding needs. The lack of a dedicated funding source for the fire department and proposals for how to raise that money have been controversial, with some saying a county this size and this poor cannot afford a full-time paid fire department. Criticism has been brought upon salaries and the presence of an employee union. Some question the need for the fire department at all, but Carter said the fire and medical divisions each have a purpose and support one another. Lifesaving medical care isn’t possible if you cannot extricate the patient from the wreckage of a vehicle or building.
Earlier this year, rumors were circulating about Carter’s qualifications to serve as chief of the fire division. Carter met with the safety program manager for the Bureau of Fire Standards and Training within the Division of State Fire Marshal to verify what he and Parrish already knew.
“While Director Parrish and I were already well aware of the statutory requirements, I wanted to dispel any rumors and get the facts directly from the source,” Carter wrote in an April letter to county commissioners. Commissioners got the message but talk in the community persists since the commission promoted Carter to agency chief.
Statute sets two requirements for supervisory positions: that the individual be a certified firefighter through completion of fire school, and that the supervisor receive more comprehensive training and education than that provided to general firefighters.
Carter became a volunteer firefighter in 2005, and in 2009 he completed Fire I and Fire II courses, providing him with his certificate of compliance. He received an Associate of Science degree in emergency medical services from Santa Fe College and was certified in EMS education at Florida Gateway College in 2017.
Over the years, he has completed 11 courses through the FEMA Emergency Management Institute’s Independent Study Program, including courses in incident command and multiagency coordination. He recently received a certificate for completing a FEMA National Fire School incident command training. Carter’s training continues through fire officer courses he intends to complete by the end of the year.
In addition to working with the commission on funding, Carter has bigger questions to answer than those about his resume. Bradford County Fire Rescue is minimally staffed, he said, and that means that during peak call times all units are too taxed to respond. One shift may receive 16 calls, but the next could have 30.
They are learning to navigate the demand as they go because of the department’s dedicated employees, he said. It’s a young group whose possibilities are only limited by financial resources. With the support of its medical director, the commission and the community, Carter said he is excited to see where the department is headed.
Change and transition can lead to uncertainty, but the amount of support has been wonderful.
“The outpouring of support I’ve seen from the community has been the biggest encouragement for me,” Carter said. “Alan, he always told me that if you take care of the people, the people will take care of you. And so, everything we do is going to be focused around providing the best care and the best fire response that we can for the people in this county.”
