Coconut Creek Fire Rescue Celebrates Five Years With Family Fun and a Mayor’s Dunk Tank Plunge

by David Volz October 3, 2026

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Johann Rose, Sierra Perez, Kristin Grenier, Mindy Lirette, and Frank Herrera. {David Volz}

Coconut Creek Fire Rescue Captain Johann Rose remembers when the city broke away from Margate to form its own fire department in 2021.

“It took a lot of work, and while most of our firefighters came from the Margate-Coconut Creek department, we brought in firefighters from other cities in Broward and other parts of Florida. We have a diverse, highly skilled fire department. For the past five years, we have been working hard to build our organization and to make sure our fire rescue is exceptional,” said Rose, who serves at Station 113.

Community Paramedic Mindy Lirette remembers the split from Margate as challenging. “It was a lot of work, but it was good work. We had to build a new department, learn to work together, and establish a new department,” she said.

Commissioner Joshua Rydell participated in the decision to split from Margate. “It was a smart decision to bring fire rescue in-house, and now we have a great department and fiscal control over it,” he said.

Chief Michael Rodriguez. {David Volz}

The new department benefited Coconut Creek by giving the city control and better service, according to former mayor and commissioner Becky Tooley. “It was a good decision, and we have better response times,” she said.

To celebrate the department’s fifth anniversary, they held a party and open house on October 3 at Station 50.

The event featured a live vehicle extrication and a bounce house, and children could operate a real fire hose. Families toured a fire rescue vehicle. People could see public safety K9 units, and pizza and other refreshments were available. A dunk tank was available for city leaders, and Mayor Jeffrey Wasserman was the first person dunked.

Chief Michael Rodriguez, who took over in June 2026, was pleased to see a large crowd at the party. “I am glad so many people came today, and I think we have a great fire department. There is always room to improve, and we are always working to become better.”

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Author Profile

David Volz

David Volz has worked as a writer in South Florida for 35 years. He has written for the Sun-Sentinel, Hollywood Gazette, School Transportation News, South Dade News Leaders, Observer among others. He has an MA in Communications from Florida Atlantic University and a BA in Communications from Valparaiso University. Volz teaches Communications at Miami Dade College and Palm Beach State College. He lives in Coral Springs and enjoys running and participating in 5Ks and half-marathons.