by Mike Sharkey
Staff Writer
Former Mayor Jake Godbold might still be talking.
That’s OK. Those who know Godbold well, know that when he feels passionate about someone or something he can take command of the podium — for a while.
Wednesday, Godbold did just that and for good reason. He was one of several who talked about Dr. Roy Baker and his contributions to the Jacksonville Fire Department and Baker’s pivotal role in creating the rescue squad that is now part of the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department.
In fact, City leaders think so much of Baker’s efforts they rededicated the JFRD communications center as the Dr. Roy Baker Fire & Rescue Communications Center Wednesday with a ribbon-cutting, tour and lunch with plenty of past and present JFRD personnel and many of the Baker family on hand.
“My husband has been dead for 12 years. It is so wonderful that his accomplishments are living on,” said Audrey Baker, who was getting a look at the modern communications center for the first time. “I think it is a natural progression for a forward-looking city that realizes what the future can hold for its citizens.”
When asked if the center being named after her husband would serve as a nice legacy, Baker just grinned.
“Not nice, nice is not a big enough word,” she said. “When I think of a big enough word, I’ll call you.”
Dr. Baker was the City’s first pediatric cardiologist and the first to realize the key to the fire department saving lives was the establishment of a rescue squad — a group that not only complemented the fire department, but one that was trained in emergency lifesaving medical procedures that could be performed in the field or en route to a hospital where doctors and nurses were waiting.
“Rescue as a common practice, not only for us but globally, originated in Jacksonville. That is well-documented and a historical fact,” said JFRD Public Information Officer Tom Francis. “Dr. Baker was instrumental in ensuring service as we know it today would come to fruition despite resistance.”
The service started in November 1967, 11 months before Consolidation and, according to Francis, private ambulances and funeral homes were the only organizations who provided any kind of in-the-field rescue and transport services. Strikes were also common, leaving the citizens of Jacksonville without any kind of rescue transportation.
“Mayor Hans Tanzler asked if the fire department could take over with the objective being on focusing on transportation,” explained Francis. “Dr. Baker created the initiative of pre-hospital emergency care. The objective was not just transportation, but also providing a level of care. At the time, the medical community had not heard of such a thing.”
Mayor John Peyton said Wednesday’s event was a “great occasion for Jacksonville” and pointed out that present day JFRD handles primarily rescue calls and not fire-related calls.
“We became a leading department in the country by this move,” said Peyton. “People came from all over the country (to see how it worked). This department, in my mind, is second to none. We invest substantially in this department because it’s a core function. There’s a 6 percent increase (in the JFRD budget) this year and a lot of investment. I am proud of the commitment we made.”
Godbold also credited Baker for helping with the merger of then-University Hospital and Shands Hospital in Gainesville. As chairman of the board of the University — which was owned and operated (and losing millions of dollars a year) by the City at the time — Baker was instrumental in bringing City leaders and then-University of Florida President Marshall Criser together. According to Godbold, Criser asked how long it would take to iron out the details of such a merger and was told several months.
“Marshall said, ‘I’m a lawyer, I can write this up in 45 minutes,’” said Godbold. “Roy stayed down there all night and they got it done. Roy Baker was a special, special individual. He was a doctor with bedside manner. He knew how to handle people and he knew how to bring people together. I was with him on many occasions when he brought tough, tough people together.
“The only motive he had was doing good for his city.”
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