Longboat Key Firefighters Association hosts fourth annual golf classic

By 8:30 a.m. on Nov. 14, a fleet of golf carts carrying Longboat Key’s firefighters, along with their families and supporters, took to the Harbourside Golf Course. 

This was the fourth year of the Longboat Key Firefighter’s Association (LBKFA) golf tournament, and it was able to go off mostly as normal despite the pandemic — social distancing is easier on a golf course. Over a hundred came to play, bid on auction items to benefit the firefighters and grab a coffee or beer. All money raised will benefit the firefighter’s association. 

“We have a 501C3, and it’s kind of like our benevolent fund for any injured or sick firefighter,” association President Jose Rivera said. “We adopt a family every year, and provide scholarships for (local) technical schools.” 

This year, however, much of the fund will go towards cancer prevention for Longboat’s firefighters, Rivera said. Firefighters face rates of cancer 60% higher than public citizens because fire contaminants can contain carcinogens, and cancer prevention has been a goal of the association for years. This year, Rivera said, they’re buying an extractor washer for their bunker gear to put in one of the stations. 

The golfers got a peek at the in-progress south fire station, as well. Partway through the course, a food station and bar was set up behind the construction site to refuel the golfers.