BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. -- Imagine living in a place with no fire protection.
- Bimini, Bahamas affected by fires after Hurricane Irma
- Brevard County firefighters donate firetruck
- Funds being raised for firetruck equipment
That's what one island community is dealing with. But an effort out of Brevard County is aiming to change that.
It's the tiny island town of Bimini, Bahamas -- population 1,200.
"They've had a rash of fires after Irma," said local firefighter Tom Neidert.
During Fall 2017, Hurricane Irma induced a tornado that destroyed homes.
That rash of fires include a big boat fire in June that destroyed a boat that delivers mail to the area.
Additionally, a 2013 fire in the police garage torched the town's only pickup truck used to fight fires.
"He was trying to find out if we could get him a fire engine," Neidert said.
'He' is Joe Deabi, a former firefighter from the Kissimmee Heights fire department.
He and his wife retired to Bimini, and when he saw the mail-boat burning, knew something had to be done.
With the backing of the Brevard County Firefighters Benevolent, this firetruck was donated, and now they are raising funds to get it equipped and shipped to the island.
Local departments are donating gear, hoses and radios. But more funds are needed.
"It's a smaller island, but we all want to do our part to give back," Neidert says about the effort.
A GoFundMe page was created to assist in getting Bimini a firetruck. If you'd like to assist, click here.
GoFundMe.com sites are not managed by Spectrum Bay News 9 or Spectrum News 13. For more information on how the site works and the rules, visit http://www.gofundme.com/safety.