Fire Destroys Home Near Pollard; Several Dogs Die In Blaze
September 20, 2008
Fire destroyed a home near Pollard, Alabama, Friday afternoon, killing several dogs.
Fire departments from North Escambia and Escambia County, Alabama, responded to the blaze on Old Highway 31 just west of Pollard. It was reported than an elderly woman might be inside the fully involved structure, but she was not. There were no injuries in the blaze.
Flomaton Police Chief Mike Lambeth, one of the first on the scene, reported that the structure was fully involve before the first fire units arrived on scene.
There were several dogs inside the home at the time of the blaze; some escaped, it is believed that four dogs may have died in the fire.
The Flomaton Volunteer Fire Department, Lambeth Volunteer Fire Department, Friendship Volunteer Fire Department, the Century Volunteer Fire Department, Flomaton Police Department and Escambia County EMS all responded to the call.
The American Red Cross was called into to help the family that lived in the home. They did not have insurance.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
Pictured above and below: Fire destroyed a home near Pollard, Alabama, Friday afternoon. Alisa Hart photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Youth Awakening Held At Christian Home Freewill Baptist
September 20, 2008
Saturday night was the final night of Youth Awakening 2008 at Christian Home Freewill Baptist Church.
The youth pastor on the final night of the three night event was Bro. Eric Bryan from the Bagdad Assembly of God.
“Allowing God to awaken this generation,” was the event’s theme. .
Christian Home Freewill Baptist Church is in the Christian Home community on North Pine Barren Road.
Pictured above and below: Photos from Youth Awakening 2008 Friday night at Christian Home Freewill Baptist Church. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Thanking Robert Stewart For Her Life
September 19, 2008
Valerie (Baker) Brock knows that she owes her life to Chief Robert Stewart, the Walnut Hill Volunteer Fire Department and the rest of the emergency workers that worked to remove her from a wrecked car that was literally cut in half.
It’s the call that Stewart said was the most memorable of his 30 year career as a volunteer fireman, because of its severity and because the victim returned to say “thank you”.
Valerie was just 16 on March 9, 2001. She was at the wheel of a friends car, the friend in the passenger seat, as she drove on Highway 99 in Bratt near Oakshade Road. She lost control of the car and hit a tree. The force of the impact was so severe that the car was sliced into two pieces and Valerie’s seatbelt broke, sending her in the dash. The friend was not seriously injured.
“She ran off the road when she went to pass a truck,” Judy Baker, her mother, said. “She hit some potholes. The car flipped three or four times before hitting the tree, splitting in half and landing upside down.”
When Stewart arrived on the scene, which was just a short distance from his home, he found Valerie severely injured. Her leg was partial severed, a major artery cut. A lung was collapsed, and she had a tear in her spleen. She was at death’s door.
“She was talking to the firemen,” her older sister, Somer (Baker) Bridges, said. “She could even tell them her phone number.”
“When I got the call, we went there,” Judy Baker said. “Sam Stewart (Robert’s son) and the other volunteer firemen were already there. Randy (Valerie’s dad) and I were both in shock.”
“Robert came over to us,” she said. “He kept us calm. If he had not been there, I don’t know what we would have done. He worked so hard.”
Valerie “coded” — went into cardiac arrest — twice on LifeFlight on the way to Pensacola.
The road to recovery was a long one for Valerie. Doctors tried to save her leg, but in the end it was amputated.
During her long ordeal in the hospital, Robert Stewart and his wife Diann visited Valerie in the hospital.
“He’s not just a good person, but he’s a hero,” Judy Baker said, “because he put himself out there to help others like Valerie. He came to the hospital to check on her. It meant a lot to me; he and the others saved her life.”
“If it were not for the firemen making the decisions that they did to put her on LifeFlight, she would not have survived,” Bridges said. “They saved her life, and they cared enough to come back.”
“I don’t remember anything right after the wreck,” Valerie said. “I remember being in the hospital, and I remember him (Robert) coming to check on me. It is rare to find people like that who care enough to check on you.
“Because of them, I was able to live. They saved my life. I think of them as heroes.
“I don’t have words to say how much it means to me. I just want to thank them for saving my life,” Valerie said. Valerie was recently married to Nathan Brock (pictured left), a marriage she owes to her survival, Robert Stewart and the Walnut Hill VFD.
“Robert is a special person,” Judy Baker said. “He was a good fireman. But more important, he is a good man.”
Chief Robert Stewart has retired after 30 years as a volunteer fireman.
Pictured top: The front half of the car Valerie Baker was driving when she nearly lost her life in March, 2001. Pictured below: The back half of the car. Pictured bottom: More photos of the car in a junkyard. Courtesy photos.
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Retiring Fire Chief Robert Stewart Honored By Escambia Commission
September 19, 2008
The Escambia County Commission issued a proclamation Thursday night honoring Chief Robert Stewart on his retirement from the Walnut Hill Volunteer Fire Department.
“He has definitely been an asset to the Walnut Hill Community,” Commissioner Kevin White said. “He’s done a great job.”
“Escambia County and its citizens are extremely fortunate to have someone of Chief Stewart’s character and fortitude, volunteering his services to make this community a better place in which to live,” White read from the proclamation. “The Board of County Commissioners of Escambia County, Florida, on behalf of the citizens of Escambia County, commends and congratulates Chief Robert Stewart on this retirement from the Walnut Hill Volunteer Fire Department.”
Stewart received a standing ovation when he was presented a framed copy of the proclamation.
Stewart was a member of the Bratt Volunteer Fire Department from 1967 to 1977 and joined the Walnut Hill Volunteer Fire Department in 1988. He became chief of the Walnut Hill Volunteer Fire Department in 1988 and served in that position for 20 years before retiring recently.
Ernest Ward Holds Open House
September 19, 2008
Ernest Ward Middle School held its annual Open House Thursday night.
Parents had the opportunity to meet each of their child’s teachers by changing classes and following their daily child’s schedule.
Pictured above and below: Parents had the chance to meet their child’s teachers during an Open House Thursday night at Ernest Ward Middle School. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
West Florida Over Northview JV
September 19, 2008
West Florida High downed the Northview High School JV team Thursday evening 36-0 in Pensacola.
The Jaguars put 20 points on the board in the first quarter. The Chiefs held them scoreless until the fourth.
The JV Chiefs have an open week next week.
Click here for a photo gallery from the game.
Pictured above: Northview JV versus West Florida High in Pensacola Thursday evening. Heather Leonard photo for NorthEscambia.com. Click to enlarge.
Clowning Around: Fun Day At The Century Library
September 19, 2008
The Century Branch Library held a Fun Day at the library Thursday afternoon.
About 60 kids of all ages enjoyed an afternoon of activities. Children had the opportunity to play games, have a balloon animal made, get a temporary tatoo and clown around with the library’s clown.
There were also several animals on hand for the children to get up close and personal with, including an iguana, a python snake, birds, a dog, a pony and a goat.
The children also had the chance to win prizes and enjoyed free popcorn and balloons.
Click here for a photo gallery from Fun Day at the Library.
Pictured above and below: Scenes from Fun Day at the Century Branch Library. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Escambia Commission Reduces Taxes, Approves County Budget, Sheriff’s Budget
September 19, 2008
Your Escambia County property taxes are headed down with the budget approved Thursday night by the Escambia County Commission.
Commissioners approved the county’s $391.6 million budget with a millage rate at 6.9755 mils. That’s a decrease from 8.017 mils. That equates to about $104 on a $100,000 piece of property without an exemptions.
Commissioners Kevin White and Mike Whitehead pushed for greater cuts, but a Whitehead motion to cut the budget even more failed 3-2.
The commission also approved the sheriff’s annual budget at $79 million, with White voting against it in favor of more cuts.
The millage rate set for the county’s law enforcement was reduced from 0.719 mils to 0.685, or about $34 on a $100,000 home with no exemptions.
Volleyball: Walton Over Northview
September 19, 2008
The Walton High Raiders were victorious over Nothview’s varsity and junior varsity volleyball teams in district play Thursday.
The Northview varsity girls lost to Walton 12-25, 15-25, 9-25.
Ashley Digmon had seven digs for the Chiefs. Brittney Thompson had three block and four kills. Angela Rodriguez, a junior, had a couple of blocks, two kills and two aces. And Caitlin Hall, also a junior, had four blocks and eight assists.
The JV girls also lost to Walton on the road, 9-25, 13-25.
Shaniqua Jones, a sophomore, had one kill and four digs on the night. Freshman Raylin Spence had two digs, and freshman Kayla Miles had seven aces.
The varsity Northview volleyball team will be on the road Saturday in the Spanish Fort Tournament in Spanish Fort, Alabama. Both the varisty and JV will be in action on the road next Thursday against South Walton.
FHP Roadside Sobriety Checkpoint Tonight
September 19, 2008
The Florida Highway Patrol will be holding a roadside “Sobriety Safety Checkpoint” between 11:00 tonight and 3:00 Saturday morning on Nine Mile Road in Pensacola.
There will be approximately 25 uniformed officers participating, as well as support personnel from the Emerald Coast MADD Chapter. Other participating agencies include the Escambia County Sheriffs Office, Pensacola Police Department, University of West Florida Police Department, Gulf Breeze Police Department, Milton Police Department, and the Santa Rosa County Sheriffs Office.
During the operation, vehicles will be stopped to check for driver impairment. Should impairment be detected, roadside sobriety testing will be performed on site. Warning devices will be
placed in strategic locations for the safety and protection of the public.
Reducing the deaths and injuries associated with impaired drivers is of the utmost importance to the Florida Highway Patrol. The checkpoints have been very successful in removing impaired drivers from our public streets and highways.
The FHP says available traffic crash and DUI arrests statistics clearly reveal the need for enforcement of alcohol related laws in this area of Escambia County. Through the use of Roadside Sobriety Safety Checkpoints, troopers hope to merge public education and enforcement to achieve a reduction in the deaths and injuries associated with impaired drivers.
Drivers call call *FHP (*347) if they come in contact with what they believe is an impaired driver to reach the highway patrol.