December Incidents 2016

A national, 'breaking news' event involving the JFRD kicked the month of December off with quite a bit of fanfare on Thursday, 1 December. An 'active shooter' event incorporating a gunman in a bank, complete with hostages, occurred in the morning hours at a branch of the 'Community First' bank near Edgewood and Fernandina. All of the associated details of this event can be found at the various websites affiliated with Jacksonville's local media, but from the viewpoint of the JFRD the incident delivered an opportunity to activate the interagency protocols for just such an emergency and observe the efficacy of same in an actual, 'real' event.

Wednesday and Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day (7 December) brought about at least two structure fires in the span of just a few hours that promptly received the classification of 'arson.' The fires, occurring in the Springfield area of the city (East 3rd Street), thankfully did not result in any injuries to the responding firefighters and involved unoccupied houses, but nevertheless managed to bring back uneasy and unpleasant memories from several years ago when a 'firebug' made the rounds in virtually the same area before being apprehended. The State Fire Marshal has launched an investigation and posted a reward for any information that may lead to an arrest in this case.