Last year the Reedy Creek Improvement District was dissolved and then recreated as the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District. The new district was similar to its previous iteration but now has a board of directors that were appointed by the Florida Governor.
Since the change over, there has been a new logo unveiled, a new website, and now the fire department has a new name. What was once the Reedy Creek Fire Department will now be the District Fire Department. While the change in name is already happening, changing logos and branding will take more time. Uniforms and the logo will be fairly easy and inexpensive. Rebranding the department’s vehicles will take a bit more.
The fire department was founded in the 1960s and started with just 12 firefighters and a handful of units. Today there are 220 first responders and many more vehicles. Eric Ferrari, the acting Fire Chief for the District Fire Department, shared “Through the years, we have evolved. After our initial name, we became Reedy Creek Emergency Services, then the Reedy Creek Fire Department.” He also stated that they recently hired 23 new people and now are fully staffed.
“This is a historic moment for us. You know, under the old leadership, under the Reedy Creek Improvement District, we really never had a real voice in any of these discussions. So the fact that, you know, Administrator Gil Zinn has included us through that throughout the entire process, I mean, this is this is huge for us as an organization,” said Jon Shirey, Fire Union President.
What do you think of this new name for the fire department? Share your thoughts and opinions in the comments below!
