Latest news with #JoeSekula
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
With a busy hurricane season expected, Palm Beach encourages residents to prepare early
With the 2025 hurricane season set to begin June 1, the town is advising residents and businesses to prepare now. Assistant Chief Joe Sekula, Fire-Rescue spokesman, told the Daily News that knowing evacuation routes, shelter options, and re-entry procedures is critical for storm preparedness. "With hurricane season running from June 1 to November 30, the Town of Palm Beach — situated on a vulnerable barrier island — is urging residents, property owners, and visitors to prepare early," Sekula said. "Hurricanes can bring destructive winds, heavy rain, storm surge, and flooding, so advance planning is essential." The 2025 hurricane season is expected to be another busy one. In its forecast released May 22, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted a 60% chance of an above-average season. The agency called for 13 to 19 named storms, with winds of 39 mph or higher. Of those, six to 10 are forecast to become hurricanes, with winds of 74 mph or higher. They include three to five major hurricanes — Category 3, 4 or 5 — with winds of 111 mph or higher. Experts from Colorado State University — among the nation's top seasonal hurricane forecasters — predict 17 named tropical storms will form in 2025, of which nine will become hurricanes. Based on records from 1991 to 2020, a typical hurricane season brings roughly 14 tropical storms, with seven reaching hurricane strength. More: The other season — hurricane — has arrived; being prepared is key | Editorial Last year, 18 storms formed, including destructive Hurricanes Helene and Milton. The busy forecast stems from warmer-than-usual Atlantic Ocean temperatures and the expected absence of El Niño conditions, unusually warm temperatures in the Equatorial Pacific that can limit hurricane development. When residents take proactive measures to prepare for storms, it protects them and also contributes to the broader community's ability to withstand and recover from extreme weather events, Sekula said. Those measures include stocking emergency essentials, protecting important paperwork, establishing clear communication plans with family and neighbors, and knowing where and when to evacuate. The town offers links to websites that assist with hurricane preparation, including those managed by the town, county and state. To access the information on the town's website, go to or contact storm@ The town lies in Evacuation Zone B, which includes most of Palm Beach County's barrier islands east of the Intracoastal Waterway. Along with Zone A, which includes mobile homes and low-lying areas, Zone B typically is among the first to be evacuated when a major storm approaches. In the event of a mandatory evacuation and a declaration by the town's chief of police that a state of emergency exists within the town as a result of a hurricane impact, town police will establish roadblocks at each of the access points and bridges leading into the town. The roadblocks prevent access to the island while conditions are unsafe, the town said. As part of their storm preparation, residents and business owners also are encouraged to review the town's re-entry program, which is conducted in five phases following the passage of a storm. Out-of-town residents, owners and lease holders, as well as business owners or property representatives, must complete a re-entry list program application in order to gain access to the town after an emergency. Applicants must have a government-issued ID to be placed on the re-entry list, which expires Dec. 31, 2026. To complete an application, visit the town's website at For information, contact the town's Crime Scene Evidence Unit at 561-838-5466. Early preparation measures for extreme weather events also include the town's emergency alert and news release platform, which was updated in December 2023 to provide more targeted communication with residents. The system allows for the distribution of vital information through location-specific communications with residents, who must opt in to receive them. Communications include town alerts on weather hazards, police activity, traffic delays, road closures and other situations that affect certain parts of the town, as well as news releases on upcoming events and activities. In order to opt in for location-specific communications, subscribers can visit the town's website at and click the "Sign Up" button. For additional information, visit the town's hurricane page at "Act early and prepare now," Sekula said. "Your safety depends on it." Jodie Wagner is a journalist at the Palm Beach Daily News, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach her at jwagner@ Help support our journalism. Subscribe today. This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Palm Beach urges early preparation as hurricane season begins
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
What's new with Palm Beach Fire-Rescue this season? Fire station, alerts and more
New facilities, vehicles and technology have been in the spotlight this season for Palm Beach Fire-Rescue. A major renovation and rehabilitation of Palm Beach's North Fire Station at 300 N. County Road was completed, paving the way for crews to fully move in and begin using the facility this spring. The $17 million renovation took nearly three years, and crews operated out of a temporary station throughout the work. "So for the very short term, we've been able to have everybody under one roof again here at North Fire," said Assistant Fire Chief Joe Sekula, Fire-Rescue spokesman. Having the crews and vehicles in permanent quarters has been a relief, he said, noting that there were space constraints for both people and equipment, and the vehicles were more vulnerable to the effects of the outdoors and salty sea air, leading to more maintenance. The fire station, built in 1927, required significant repairs, and upgrades were included in that process, Sekula said. The new firehouse has a Plymovent air-handling system that removes vehicle exhaust from the bays, he said. The bay doors also were improved to open horizontally instead of rising up, like residential garage doors — a process that made it take much longer for trucks to leave the station, because the solid wood doors were so heavy, Sekula said. "The great thing about the station has been that while we have reinforced and redone the station to bring it up to modern standards, we also pride ourselves in that we've been able to preserve the history of the station as well," he said. "We didn't want to totally bring it back and not harness some of that history." Palm Beach's North Fire Station is officially open and in use at 300 N. County Road on April 2, following a nearly three-year, $17 million renovation. Some of those modern improvements can be seen in the living space, where crews spend a significant amount of time. The changes range from the functional — a state-of-the-art kitchen and dining room — to the more aesthetic: there are places where the original brick walls are exposed. "Our firefighters are here 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days out of the year," Sekula said. "It's a constant use over and over and over." A new alert system in the station provides more detail and a more visual, as well as audible, cue that there is an emergency call, he said. Inside the bay, new timer boards tell crews how long it takes them to get out the door. "We measure everything in seconds," Sekula said. Speaking of seconds — Sekula said the department has launched several systems using new-to-the-island technology to help keep response times low amid the issues with traffic in Palm Beach. A Palm Beach Fire Rescue truck is parked at the North Fire Station on April 23. Fire-Rescue crews are able to control traffic signals so that they change in favor of emergency vehicles, he said. The department at the beginning of the season began using a new system called HAAS Alert, which notifies compatible vehicle infotainment systems and navigation apps — vehicles made by Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram and Volkswagen, and people who use Apple Maps or Waze — that an emergency vehicle is approaching. "We deployed that as a trial on one unit of our engines, and it's worked so well that we've decided that we're going to add this to all of our units," Sekula said. Both tools allow Fire-Rescue crews to respond quickly, even when traffic might be gridlocked, he said. Also new this season: A quick response vehicle that can be used to quickly navigate to medical calls when traffic is backed up. Because it is narrower and smaller, Sekula said it can take a small crew to a call, make contact with a patient and even carry a person on a stretcher back to a waiting emergency vehicle for more treatment or to go to a hospital. That's in addition to a state-of-the-art emergency response vehicle worth $75,000 donated to the town by the Trump Organization this spring. The gift of the EMS Paramedic Responder vehicle was made through the Palm Beach Police & Fire Foundation. The Trump Organization gifted a new EMS Paramedic Responder to the Palm Beach Police & Fire Foundation for the town's Fire-Rescue Department. The vehicle, valued at more than $75,000, accommodates five passengers and includes a stretcher. Capping off a busy season of training and recertifications, Palm Beach's Fire-Rescue formed its first competition RIT, or Rapid Intervention Team, Sekula said. After their first competition earlier this year, the team is set to compete again in a statewide event at Palm Beach State College, he added. "They did very well for their first outing, and they were very well-respected for what they did, in being in their first competition," he said. The department made great progress this season on its automated external defibrillator, or AED, initiative, with 293 registered devices on the island, Sekula said. "For the size of our island, to be able to have that many registered AEDs, it's just amazing," he said. It's part of a larger initiative with Fire-Rescue working with the Palm Beach Police & Fire Foundation's Safeguard Palm Beach division to place 500 defibrillators throughout town. Safeguard Palm Beach delivers the defibrillators, and Fire-Rescue staff then train the residents or business owners how to use the devices to treat people who experience sudden cardiac arrest. The town started with places defibrillators in homes, then moved to condominiums, then public spaces and outdoor areas, Sekula said. "The goal is to be the safest community around," he said. "Anyone that would need an AED, wherever that emergency happens, we want there to be an AED close by that can be used." Kristina Webb is a reporter for Palm Beach Daily News, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach her at kwebb@ Subscribe today to support our journalism. This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: What's new with Palm Beach Fire-Rescue this season?
