JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department broke ground on its new Fire Station 48 on Blount Island Monday.
The fire station is being moved from inside the gates of the shipping port on the island to outside of the fence.
JFRD Fire Chief Percy Golden says the new fire station is necessary given the development of the area, and the move will allow for quicker response times.
“It’s a growing community, there’s developments up and down this area. So, this station is much needed. Right now, our fire station is located behind the gates of Blount Island, which could delay response times. With this new station being built outside the gates, that will improve our response times for the citizens of Jacksonville,” said Chief Golden.
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Not only will the fire station’s new location help with response times for regular calls, JFRD says it will also help with calls out on the water.
The new fire station will allow firefighters quicker access to a new dock for the JFRD fireboats.
“It’s a maritime unit assigned to the station. There will be a dock located close to the station as well, so we will have boat response as well. So it will be great for not only Blount Island, but also other areas up and down the intercoastal,” said Chief Golden.
JFRD’s Marine Unit currently operates out of five stations: the old Marine 48 on Blount Island, Marine 38 off Trout River Drive, Marine 39 near Metropolitan Park, Marine 40 off Heckscher Drive, and Marine 68 in Mandarin.
Builders say construction on the project should be done by May or June 2026.
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