- June 15, 2025
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Christmas in…May?
It’s not quite Christmas yet, but the Rotary Club of Longboat Key was in the giving mood to thank Longboat Key’s first responders.
Personnel from both departments joined Longboat Rotarians for breakfast at The Lazy Lobster on May 13. During the breakfast, the Rotary Club gifted the departments with about $5,500 worth of items to help make their jobs easier.
Nancy Rozance, who usually steps in as Santa Claus during Christmas events, metaphorically put on her Santa hat a little earlier than usual and asked the departments each for a wish list — things that weren’t on their town budgets but would help their service.
The police department asked for various emergency medical kits, including a shooter response “stop the bleed” kit and a similar medical kit for marine environments.
The kits contain with emergency medical equipment capable of lifesaving interventions, including tourniquets and pressure dressings that are made easy to deploy in emergency incidents.
The marine kits have similar equipment but are in waterproof packs, which the departments’ marine patrol officers will carry.
“If someone gets hit with a propeller 10 miles offshore, (the officer) is able to stop the bleeding until the paramedics get there,” Rubino said.
The fire rescue department received their request for a handful of “Float Coats," a jacket that’s a combination of a life preserver, safety vest and flotation device. The jackets cost about $300 each.
Tina Adams, a spokeswoman for the department, said the crew recently acquired a few of the same jackets and liked the versatility of them, so they requested to have more to outfit the crew.
Also gifted to the fire rescue department was a new computer monitor for Fire Marshal Jane Herrin.
Fire Rescue Chief Paul Dezzi said, with the town’s new online planning software, Herrin often has to look at blueprints on a computer. Now, with her own monitor, she won’t have to take the trip to town hall every time she has to look at a plan.
Rubino and Dezzi both expressed their gratitude to the Rotarians for their continued support.
“Every year since I’ve been here, the Rotarians have been supportive of the police and fire departments,” Rubino said. “We can’t thank them enough.”
The tradition of Longboat Rotarians thanking the first responders spans many years and has evolved from a beach party to a Bayfront Park picnic and, now, a breakfast at The Lazy Lobster.
Rozance said another gift, fresh paella to feed the crews, will be sent to the departments in mid-June.
Also at the breakfast was Jason Berzowski, a firefighter paramedic with Longboat Key and the president of Suncoast Professional Firefighters & Paramedics International Association of Fire Fighters. The organization acts as the union to represent 16 fire departments in the area.
“You guys have all been great to us for years,” Berzowski said, citing how the Rotarians continued this event and also supplied meals to the departments during the COVID-19 pandemic.
To end the breakfast, Berzowski presented a $1,000 check to the Rotary Club of Longboat Key as a “thank you” from the Suncoast Professional Firefighters & Paramedics IAFF.
