From the desk of the fire chief, this is The Chief's Corner.  The personal blog of Fire Chief Charles Long:

I was born in Jackson Mi. in 1962. I moved to Bonita Springs Fl. in the mid-late 70’s. I am married to the love of my life Teresa. I have 4 children. 3 boys and 1 girl in this order - boy, girl, boy, boy. They range in age from 26, 23, 18, 15. I have two sisters and both my parents are alive and well. In 1985 I joined the Bonita Springs Fire Dept. as a volunteer firefighter. In 1986 I was hired as a career firefighter with Bonita Springs. In 1989 I was promoted to Lieutenant. I worked there over 23 years. Over the years I obtained a few credentials and had the opportunity to experience many things.

To be a well rounded Fire Officer, I wanted to obtain as much Training in as many areas as possible. I became certified as a Firefighter I, Firefighter II, Fire Inspector I/II, Fire Instructor I, Fire Officer I, Smoke Diver, Water Rescue Technician, Advanced Open Water Scuba Diver, Lee County Florida Incident Management Team as Wildfire Strike Team / Task Force Leader, Arson / Fire Investigator II, Emergency Medical Technician, Pump Operator, Hazardous Materials Technician, Vehicle Extrication Technician, FEMA /ICS trained, and experienced quite a few tropical storms. When you live on a finger that sticks out into the ocean, you’re bound to get hit by a storm or two. I was fortunate enough to be awarded (2) Phoenix (life-saving) Awards. I consider this job to be the best job in the world!  In 1990, I obtained a United States Patent on a Wing Extension to a Firefighting Roof Ladder. It spreads the weight of firefighters over the roof while they are venting the smoke from a building. It is designed to keep them safe. That took a lot of patience and hard work.

I applied for the Bayou Cane Fire Chief position in early 2008. I interviewed for the Fire Chief position here at Bayou Cane in July, 2008. I accepted the job offer for Bayou Cane Fire Chief and started here on September 15, 2008. Coming in just after 2 storms raked this area was a challenge by itself. My staff and I got right to work on priorities. We worked to complete the changeover to Civil Service, the Safer Grant that allowed us to hire 14 new employees, completing the Fire Engine deal that was entered into 6 months earlier, fixing the storm damage, and many, many, more issues. The Fire Board, the Staff, neighboring Fire Districts, Parish Government Officials, and the citizens that live here, all gave me their encouragement and support. For this, I cannot thank all of you enough! I look forward to many years of serving you.

Yours in service,

Charles Long

Fire Chief