Cocoa Beach FL

[Guest]

Hi everyone,

 

I'm going to be travelling to Cocoa Beach, FL in a few days for a week long vacation.

 

Anyone have any input concerning which departments might be interesting ?

 

Any good/bad experiences around there trying to shoot some pictures of trucks ?

 

Is it worth taking the trip to tour the E\-One factory in Ocala ?

 

Thanks

 

Matt

Quebec, Canada

[karl4700]

Matt,

 

Cocoa Beach headquarters station is in a location where it is near impossible to shoot the rigs outside. The guys were nice there, but not able to accomodate outside rig shots to well.

 

If you head about 16 miles south on the A1A, you'll get to Indialantic Fire Dept. They took delivery of a sharp new 75' quint just last year.  Those guys were awesome for moving the rigs around for photos.  If your taking the A1A, you will pass a Brevard County station on the west side of the street (not sure of the number).

 

All the Brevard County stations I stopped at were also very accomodating to move rigs around for photos.  I would recommend making a few stops there if your time permits. If your looking for some of Brevards newer rigs or more unique rigs, hit up station 48 special ops house.

 

If your looking for some great food, check out River Rocks Dining & Drinks Dockside.  Its in Rockledge FL (Brevard station 80 is a few blocks away), about just west of Merritt Island, maybe 25 minutes away from Cocoa Beach.

 

As for making a trip to visit the E\-One plant, I can't answer that. Personally it is something I would like to see, but I do enjoy shooting department rigs better, more of a variety of apparatus that way.  I would recommend go to Tampa and shoot someof their newer fleet w/ the pewter over red color scheme.  Very sharp looking rigs.

 

Good luck,

Karl

[Richard_L_Dean_07405]

Is Cocoa Beach career, volunteer or mixed?  I know things have changed in the last 40 years but I do understand that back then it was volunteer or mostly volunteer as per a local police sergeant here in NJ who had grown up in Cocoa Beach, telling us how they'd do chicken bbq dinners to raise the money to support the fire company.  He had a badge and an id card.

 

Second, about E\-One.   Back in 1996 when my Butler FD had 2 EOne's on the line at Ocala, our then chief and the councilman who was head of the borough fire committee flew down to see the progress.    Upon arrival, they learned that another chief from our department had already been there about a week earlier.  The guy was vacationing in that area, so went to the plant, showed his assistant chief badge and got a tour.   Only thing is that he had been a one term assistant chief for only 2 years in the late 80's, not being re-elected -- and he tried to make some changes.

[karl4700]

Richard, I do believe they are a paid department now running out of 2 stations.  I'm not sure if they still use part time of volunteer members anymore though.