Fighting Fires in Keystone Heights With Chief Bastedo and the Volunteers
This Month in Clay County History
By CLAY COUNTY ARCHIVES
First established in 1925, the Keystone Heights Volunteer Fire Department (KHVFD) became the first and only volunteer fire department in Clay County’s history. The department was underfunded and understaffed for the first quarter-century until Cameron “Cam” Bastedo got involved.
Bastedo spearheaded efforts that quickly morphed the KHVFD into a modern and efficient operation. The department started as a Lions Club project eventually became sponsored by local businesses and citizens through fundraisers that Bastedo coordinated.
An interesting man who hailed from Michigan, the Bastedo family tree stretches back to colonial times. He worked for the Humphreys Gold Corporation mine at Camp Blanding and became the mine superintendent. Due to the Humphreys company owning mines all over the country, Bastedo and his wife, Juantia, lived in many different places by the time they relocated to Florida.
They were based initially in Virginia City, Montana, and in Chico, California, which is where their three children were born. Bobbe was born in 1938 followed by her brothers Cameron Junior in 1940 and William in 1942. Tragically, Cameron Junior died in 1944 in California, which prompted the family to move to Florida.
They settled in Keystone Heights, but they also lived for short periods in St. Johns County and Duval County, all in relation to the local mines. The area of the Duval County mine location was eventually developed into the Regency Square Mall.
Later in 1944, in an unbelievable twist of fate, the “angel of death” struck again with the death of little William Bastedo. The loss of two sons in the same year was devastating. Perhaps their father, Cameron Senior, was funneling his grief when he dove into the fire department project?
He did have the drive needed ultimately to pull it off and he became the first KHVFD Chief. The 1960’s saw the growth of the department with the addition of a new fire truck. In 1963, KHVFD got into the rescue business. DeWitt C. Jones, an owner of a funeral home, provided a hearse station wagon that was converted into an ambulance.
Due to the numerous bodies of water in this lake region of the county, the improvements of the 1970’s included a dive team. Their SCUBA gear was kept at the firehouse. In 1975, the department expanded even further with the procurement of two new fire trucks. Even more progress occurred when Linda Wharton became the first female volunteer firefighter. She also published the Monitor newspaper.
Cameron “Cam” Bastedo died at the young age of just 64 in 1971. His wife Juanita followed him a few years later. Bastedo may be gone, but his contributions are not forgotten. One can only imagine what his reaction would be to learn that KHVFD was decommissioned in 2013 after decades of service. However, fear not: Clay County Fire Rescue Department personnel now cover the Keystone Heights area instead, and the good work started by Chief Bastedo carries on.
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Good article. Thank you....