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By Times staff writer
© St. Petersburg Times, published January 21, 2001
TREASURE ISLAND -- Five members of the fire department will be featured in an upcoming Discovery Channel production about lightning. The documentary is scheduled to air at 9 p.m. Saturday.
The program was filmed in July and produced by the British Broadcasting Corp.
Firefighter/paramedics Tim Michael, Terry Moulton and Scott Noga, along with Lt. Chuck Springer and firefighter/EMT Jason Howard, simulated their response to a lightning strike on the beach. Ryan Walker, the 14-year-old son of volunteer firefighter Gary Walker, posed as the victim. The simulation segment is featured at the beginning and end of the program, said Fire Chief Charlie Fant, who watched the show on Thursday.
"We need to be very aware of lightning here," said Fant, whose firefighters responded to a boy and his grandmother who were struck by lightning on Treasure Island's beach a couple of years ago.
"It's a pretty interesting show," said Fant of the Discovery Channel production. "It explains the theories of lightning strikes."
A crew from Sunstar Ambulance also is featured transporting the younger Walker to the hospital.
Fant said the July 16 filming, which took place on a sunny afternoon, was delayed a day because of a lightning storm.