JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Another new fire station is coming to Jacksonville — this one on the Westside.
On Wednesday morning, the city broke ground on Fire Station 75 near Wilson Boulevard and Firestone Road.
What makes this unusual is it’s in an older, established neighborhood. It’s an area where JFRD is very busy and has some of the highest incidents and run times in the city.
In the past several years, the city has opened five fire stations, and there are plans for others similar to this one.
“These are in areas that are in desperate need of fire stations to get our men and women in those areas to help shorten response times,” said JFRD Chief Keith Powers.
Mayor Lenny Curry, along with representatives from City Council, also participated in the groundbreaking ceremony.
“This is the best fire department in the country, and when they ask for resources, they use them wisely,” Curry said. “So as long as I’m in office, I’ll be supportive of their needs.”
The plan is to have Fire station 75 completed by summer 2023 at a cost of $6.5 million.
Hours earlier, flames ripped through an apartment complex under construction less than 3 miles away at the intersection of Jammes Road and Sweetbay Lane, charring the framing on the buildings.
No one was hurt, but it’s just another example of why the new fire station is critical.
“The station is desperately needed in this area,” Powers said. “In our business, minutes equal lives, and the closer we can be when an emergency happens, the closer we can be to saving those lives.”
JFRD has a list of all its current fire stations on myjfrd.com. You can also use this website to locate the closest fire station to your home.