• JFRD wasn’t sure late Monday morning what caused the fire inside the Barnett Building, but workers from inside the building who said they saw the fire start said that the building’s wiring came into contact with cleaning chemicals, igniting the flames. The workers described a harrowing trip 14 floors down in an elevator filled with smoke before they made it safely to Adams Street. One man pointed out his partially melted respirator as evidence of how close the flames came to the work party.
• The sheer number of fire trucks and JFRD personnel on scene at the Barnett Building convinced many onlookers that the fire was serious. But JFRD spokesperson Tom Francis said dozens of trucks and more than 40 firefighters were called to the scene as a routine precaution. Back ups are often necessary when fighting a fire in a tall building, he said. “I don’t think we’ve got the towering inferno here,” he said.
• One more note from the fire scene. Trucks were called in from all over Jacksonville, giving onlookers a glimpse of the colorful nicknames sported by many of the City’s fire stations. Ladder Company 28 calls itself the “Southside Roadrunners.” Ladder Company 18 calls itself the “18th Cavalry.” Engine 17’s crew is called the “Woodstock Warriors.”
• Ladies, if hockey players appeal to you then you’ll want to be at The Twisted Martini Wednesday night. Several members of the Jacksonville Barracudas will participate in The Twisted Martini’s speed dating. Tony Mann of FM-95.1 will host the event that gets underway at 6:30.
• An ordinance has been drafted that would give the City and the Police and Fire Pension Fund three months to work out the financials regarding the Laura Street Trio buildings. The current memorandum of understanding expires Dec. 31 with the new one set to expire March 31. The City conveyed the buildings to the Pension Fund on Dec. 14, 2004 and for the past several weeks there has been internal demolition work at the buildings. Eventually, they will be converted into mixed-use offices.
• For the first time the Jacksonville Regional Chamber of Commerce’s Small Business Center will host “Meet the Purchasers” from 8:30-10:30 a.m. Friday at the Small Business Center, 5000 Norwood Ave. Meet the Purchasers is designed to provide a venue for the business community to develop long-term business relationships with government entities and large private sector firms. Call 924-1100, ext. 231 to participate.
• The Friends of 440 annual holiday party is next Tuesday at The Grotto in San Marco. It’s $25 per person, gets underway at 5:30 p.m. and there’s a raffle with prizes ranging from an Amelia Island Plantation getaway to an iPod. The Friends of 440 is a group of judges, lawyers, General Master and mediators who practice workers’ compensation law in the Jacksonville Workers Compensation court. The group’s name comes from the Florida statute and number that regulates workers comp in Florida.