The Rotary Club of Coronado presented its 2024-2025 Peacemaker Award to Fire Chief Jayson Summers and the Coronado Fire Department Team. The award recognizes those who truly make a difference by demonstrating outstanding results that make a positive impact on others, and in doing so become role models for others.
“This year Coronado Rotary is honored to recognize the leadership and outstanding service of these unsung local heroes whose dedication, caring, and compassion help make our City special,” said Rotarian Sharon Raffer, Peace Projects Committee Chair. “We are very fortunate that the message of caring and compassion is right at the foundation of Coronado’s program, right in the mission and goal statements from the City of Coronado.”
The mission of the Coronado Fire Department is to maintain a highly trained, professional organization providing excellent service to our community, region, state and each other through Duty, Honor, Respect, and Family. These four powerful words are at the core of the Coronado Fire Department’s Mission Statement.
Fire Chief Summers said, “Our Mission Statement is more than just words; it defines our identity and purpose. We designed it ourselves over 15 years ago, and it remains a guiding force for us. Our core values — professionalism, excellence, duty, honor, respect, and family — are not just ideals; they are principles we live by daily. The value of family is particularly dear to us, as it underscores our commitment to treating every resident as part of our family during emergencies.”
Coronado’s Fire Department Team coordinates emergency transport and medical emergency care with Sharp Coronado Hospital. They were indispensable during COVID-19 vaccination clinics and in giving vaccines to homebound community residents. Teaming with other First Responders they have helped save lives on the San Diego-Coronado Bridge. Always on the alert for emergencies, and with many up-to-date hours of training and expertise, they are often deployed to help fire teams in San Diego County, including in Palisades, California and recently in Murphy Canyon and Poway. Communications across agencies are always a priority, and the team works well with the North Island Navy Fire Department.
Coronado Rotary programs are examples of the many community programs that benefit from the Department’s help including with Flags on the Avenue, 9/11 Remembrances, and the very special Santa Program on Christmas Eve.
The Fire Department Team of 43 also includes Coronado’s beach lifeguards.
Many people have special stories filled with smiles and gratitude for the Fire Department’s responses.
Just a few of those:
- The story of Linda Wheeler who fell on the steps inside her Coronado apartment building going down from the third floor and lost consciousness. When she woke up in the fire emergency transport truck, she opened her eyes, looked at the face of the Emergency Medical Technician and thought, “Oh this is what heaven is like.”
- The beach was packed with about 30,000 people on July 4, 2024 when a seven-year old went missing. Coronado’s lifeguards quickly used their skills and training and within 15 minutes found the girl almost a mile away from her family.
- The fireman who stayed behind to help a spouse when her husband was taken as quickly as possible to the hospital by his colleagues.
Fire Chief Summers spoke at a Rotary meeting in May. He proudly described community engagement initiatives that are making the Coronado community safer. The compression-only (CPR) program has empowered more than 700 citizens with essential first-aid skills. Classes for the Community Casualty Awareness Training Program (CCAT) will resume next month. More than 400 community members already have participated in the program, including teachers, members of city business, organizations, churches, and residents. Spearheaded by Rotary Past President Luann Miller with Rotary volunteers, physicians, police and fire personnel, the training provides participants with tools and information needed to respond and potentially save a life. Its impact is huge, making our community more prepared and safer. For more information or to register for a free CCAT class given several times again each month, please contact LuAnn Miller at [email protected].
“They call us the First Responders,” said Chief Summers. “But the reality is we are not the First Responders. You are the first responders because you’re there. … To make a real difference, if you can engage in helping somebody, you can use these skills when you’re camping, at home, it’s basic bleeding control. If you haven’t taken the class, I encourage you to do so.”
Chief Summers’ presentation to Rotarians gave further details and information about the fire department, summarized below:
“We take immense pride in our team of 43 incredibly talented and dedicated individuals,” Chief Summers said. The Department’s deployment model includes two fire stations, a fleet of vehicles, and around-the-clock coverage to ensure rapid response times. This includes fire engines, ambulances, aerial trucks, and specialized vehicles like our green OES engine and rescue vessel. With their commitment to constant training and development, the team works to be ready for any emergency that may arise. More than 7,595 hours of training were conducted last year, keeping skills sharp and up-to-date with the latest technologies and industry standards.
The Fire Department team responded to just over 2,800 calls last year, with about 2000 of them being medical emergencies – 70-80% is the national standard. Of the 107 fire responses, 15 were residential fire calls. Their swift response significantly helped keep incidents from escalating.
On the lifeguard side, the beach patrol saw over three million visitors. The new rescue vessel enhanced our capabilities, leading to 195 vessels interventions. Also, 112 individuals were successfully rescued from potential drowning incidents, highlighting the critical role of the Coronado lifeguards in preventing tragedies.
Our focus on community risk reduction is crucial. We continuously evaluate and prepare for various threats, ensuring the safety of our community amidst potential hazards such as tsunamis, earthquakes, and floods. Our goal is to be ready for any emergency that comes our way.
We have two fire stations—one uptown and one down in the city—and operate various specialized apparatus, including aerial trucks. Our infrastructure supports our mission to deliver exceptional fire and safety services.
As we look to the future, we anticipate challenges related to increased natural disasters, evolving emergencies, changing regulations, and economic impacts. We are also dedicated to addressing the health and wellness of our team, emphasizing cancer prevention and mental health support. Our strategic goals include fire station placement optimization, comprehensive community risk assessment, and enhancing our service delivery to achieve the highest possible safety ratings.
The dedication to excellence and community safety of this exceptional team shines in the delivery of exemplary service to Coronado. Thank you for all you do for our community.
