VOLUME 5 ISSUE 19
Mother’ $2 y p p a H s Day MAY 10 - MAY 16, 2024
Twenty-four hours with Marion County’s busiest fire station.
Tourists to continue getting taste of Florida By Jim Turner Florida News Service
F Firefighters from four different Marion County Fire Rescue stations attack a structure fire that engulfed a detached garage in a single-family neighborhood in flames. [Caroline Brauchler/Ocala Gazette]
By Caroline Brauchler caroline@ocalagazette.com
I
f you have to put your life in the hands of others, the firefighters at Marion County Fire Rescue Station 21 are worthy of your trust. I can say this without hesitation after spending a full 24hour shift with the crew at the busiest fire station in Marion County. The A Shift at Station 21, which began at 7:30 a.m. Monday and ended at 7:30 a.m. Tuesday, was led by two officers who clearly did not need to ask for respect from everyone else in the station. Their authority was evident and hard-earned. Lt. Victoria Barreras is just as informative and kind as she is formidable and strong. For my shift, I would be riding in Engine 21 with Lt. Brad Goode, who has the kind of expertise and skill only acquired through years of service. Joining us on the engine were Driver Engineer Michael Poole and Firefighter
Firefighter Paramedic Riley Penagos is suited up and ready to arrive on the scene of a structure fire. [Caroline Brauchler/ Ocala Gazette]
Paramedic Riley Penagos. The three of them worked in unison as a highly skilled team as they patiently answered my questions, assured my safety and explained the logistics to me—all while bantering and joking with each other. The “Gazette” requested the opportunity to ride along with the firefighters at Station 21 to see how those who handle more emergency calls than any other firehouse in our rapidly growing county keep answering the call day after day. The morning started off slow, with a first call just before 8:30 a.m., when we responded to a fire alarm going off in a residential neighborhood, which turned out to be a false alarm—not an emergency. Calls came in quick succession for the rest of the morning, the majority of which were medical emergencies for elderly residents. These calls are common for Station 21, which at 7884 SW 90th St. is in the heart of the On Top
of the World communities. The station is called “Friendship Station” after the name of their area of jurisdiction, but the crew lived up to the true meaning of the word. They treated each patient with the same concern and care as they did for the frightened, crying 6-year-old they responded to later in the evening. On the way to a call at an assisted living facility, Penagos noticed a familiar name, someone he had cared for the day before. As he entered the elderly patient’s room, he smiled and said, “Remember me?” Even while being loaded onto a stretcher, the woman was instantly put at ease and responded with a slight smile, “Of course I do, sweetheart.”
Busiest station in the county
According to the MCFR website, it is the second-largest fire rescue department north of Orlando, with more than 500 See 24 hours, page A4
ree orange juice will continue to flow at Florida interstate welcome centers while state citrus officials adjust to a pending 10 percent legislative budget cut for their promotional efforts. The Florida Citrus Commission on Thursday will be asked to approve a $225,000 contract with Visit Florida about the welcomecenter refreshment, a reduction of $25,000 from the past. John Fuller, director of global marketing for the Florida Department of Citrus, said the reduction reflects issues including fewer welcome centers. “When this was originally set up, there were four official welcome centers,” Fuller said. “So, it just didn’t make sense to keep using that same number.” Visit Florida, the state’s tourismmarketing agency, has been operating three highway welcome centers since closing its facility on Highway 231 in Jackson County in 2019. At the time, the Department of Citrus also ended the contract for free juice at welcome centers on Interstate 10 west of Pensacola, Interstate 75 at the Hamilton County community of Jennings and Interstate 95 north of the Nassau County community of Yulee to address a $4.1 million cut in state promotional funding. Free cups of juice had been a staple of welcome centers since 1949, according to Visit Florida, and an outcry brought back funding for the promotional effort in 2020. As they ended this year’s See Free, page A2
McKenzie’s Moment golf tournament delivers big, again! By Jennifer Hunt Murty jennifer@ocalagazette.com
R
yan and Kait Gray recently announced $400,000 in donations to local causes following the local couple’s sixth annual golf tournament in honor of their deceased infant daughter McKenzie. McKenzie only lived three days after being born 11 weeks premature due to Kait’s placenta separating from the inner wall of her uterus. When McKenzie was born, she was transferred to UF Health Shands Hospital in Gainesville while Kait remained in a hospital in Ocala. To honor their late daughter and bring additional resources to families who may find themselves dealing with tragic circumstances, the Grays have hosted the McKenzie’s Moment Golf Tournament for six years. The event is a natural fit for Ryan, a former golf pro who is now the director of golf at Golden
Ocala Golf & Equestrian Club. Organizers say $200,000 from money raised during the April 30 tournament at Golden Ocala Golf & Equestrian Club went to the AdventHealth Ocala Foundation to support the McKenzie Ryan Kearney Gray Maternal Fetal Medicine program, which helps identify and care for women having high-risk pregnancies. AdventHealth is the only hospital in Marion County that delivers babies. “We are thrilled with the continued partnership of McKenzie’s Moment and AdventHealth Ocala. Kait and Ryan are to be commended for their steadfast commitment to the well-being of our youngest and most vulnerable,” wrote Amy Mangan, executive director for the AdventHealth Ocala Foundation. The contribution will also support AdventHealth Ocala’s “Remember the Mama,” a mother and child health initiative focused on customized postpartum care. The need is based See McKenzie’s, page A2
Ryan and Kait Gray welcome golfers to the 6th-annual McKenzie’s Moment Golf Tournament at the Golden Ocala Golf & Equestrian Club in Ocala on Monday, April 29, 2024. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2024.
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K-9 First Aid.................................. A3 Honorable Mentions.................... A6 Travis Mills Day............................ A8 Calendar......................................... B5 OPD Bike Unit.............................. B6
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