Coming Soon to Lakeland

Have you ever driven by a new structure under construction and thought “Wonder what that’s going to be?”. To help put your mind at ease we have asked our always helpful Fire Inspectors for information on new construction coming to an area near you.

Inspector Riley told us about an exciting new recreational business coming to downtown in the Heritage Plaza, called Ax Caliber. In Ax Caliber, you can enjoy an atmosphere similar to Top Golf, but with axes instead of golf clubs. With 14 lanes of ax throwing, pool tables, and flat screen TV’s, the residents of Lakeland are in for a unique experience. Ax Caliber will also offer a bar style menu and an in-house coffee shop so you and a group of your friends can enjoy a meal and a cold beverage to alleviate your appetite.

In Inspector Scripter’s area off of Lakeland Hills Blvd. There’s a new structure being put into Lake Crago Park. Along with the beautiful new dog park, several recreational activities on the water such as canoeing, kayaking, and sailing, a new building has been constructed along the water front to be used as a venue rental. This exciting addition will be Lakeland’s first water based recreational center. With modern architecture and features like large bay doors that give open air access to the inside, it’s sure to be a popular event spot!

Inspector Baldwin disclosed that on the north end of City limits on N Highway 33, there’s a new Amazon delivery center being constructed. These centers are used to house and prepare customer orders for final delivery. Amazon set foot in the Lakeland area in 2015 with its fulfilment center on County Line Road and in July they opened an air cargo facility. With Amazon expanding in the area, you may not even have to wait two days for delivery anymore! There is no known completion date for this project.

On the far south end of town, Inspector Sutherland announced that the Starbucks in Lakeside Village is getting a brand new look! They’re moving in with a jeweller a few doors down from their current location, between Moe’s and Olive Garden, and will now have a full service drive thru!

World Suicide Prevention Day (WSPD) has been a day of observance on September 10th since 2003. Take a minute to learn about this day of observance.

History of World Suicide Prevention Day (WSPD)

Each year, the International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP) and the World Health Organization (WHO) work together to promote worldwide awareness about not only suicide, but also mental illnesses associated with suicide and suicide prevention. Events and activities include the launch of new government initiatives, conferences, educational seminars, media programs promoting awareness, memorial services of remembrance, cultural fairs or exhibitions, publications, and training courses about suicide and depression awareness. Nearly 3000 people on average die by suicide daily, according to the World Health Organization. Suicide is a major preventable cause of premature death which is influenced by psychosocial, cultural, and environmental risk factors that can be prevented through worldwide responses. WHO and IASP work with governments, communities, and other partners to ensure that suicide is no longer stigmatized, criminalized, or penalized. The role of these organizations is also to build action and leadership to develop national responses to prevent suicide, strengthen national building blocks and planning, and to then encourage them to implement the responses. In past years, over 300 activities in over 70 countries were documented to IASP occurring on this day worldwide. Here for you

Repeated exposure to traumatic events can be hard on anyone, especially being a first responder. This is a huge reason why LFD prioritizes addressing the risks of depression and increased rates of suicides. The rates of firefighters compared to the average population in the United States are increasing each day, so much so, that suicides are outpacing line-of-duty deaths. The department acknowledges this and adopted the peer support model. There has also been a poster, displayed at each station, created to inform you of the resources offered to you. The department recognizes that firefighters trust each other because of shared experiences. The hopes for this initiative is to provide a path to mental and emotional well-being for the department’s firefighters, who may be shedding the stigma of mental illness and not recognizing that it is as much of a health concern as cancer and heart failure. The Health and Safety: It’s Personal Campaign, that features fellow firefighters, was also launched to help generate awareness and serves as constant reminders of the importance of the health initiatives in place. Your mental and emotional health is a priority. If you, or someone you know (whether at work or at home) may be struggling, please do not hesitate to reach out for help.

WELCOMING FALL

September 22 marks the first day of fall, this means the day and night will be almost equal in most locations. Even though Florida doesn’t experience much of a fall, here are 10 things to get you in the spirit.

1. Visit a corn maze

2. Visit a pumpkin patch and pick one to take home to carve

3. Bake an apple or pumpkin pie

4. Drink hot spiced apple cider

5. Make your kid’s Halloween costume

6. Watch your favorite scary movie on Halloween

7. Give out candy to trick or treaters

8. Host a Thanksgiving dinner

9. Have a barbecue

10. Decorate the house

The Colors of Fall

If you’re really wanting to get into the fall spirit and experience it first hand, head up to Georgia or even the Carolinas to see some beautiful fall foliage. Whether you decide to travel to the beautiful Cloudland Canyon State Park or the historic city of Savannah, Georgia you will not be disappointed. If you are willing to travel a little further, Charleston, SC, Asheville, NC and the beautiful Smoky Mountains are only an eight to tenhour car ride away and have some of the most gorgeous views of foliage change in the fall months. Regardless of your destination, even if you end up celebrating in your backyard, there are numerous ways to make this time of the year special and memorable for you and your family.