Better emergency response times from new JFRD fire station

Neighbors on Jacksonville’s westside can soon rest easier now that the City of Jacksonville announced on a new fire station in the Argyle Forest, Oakleaf area.

Tuesday, JFRD broke ground on Fire Station 61 along Old Middleburg Road South, near the Jacksonville Public Library Argyle Branch.

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“I was actually surprised,” Gabriel Trevino said. “We’ve lived eight years in this area and we love this area and that was kind of like the one thing that was missing.”

Neighbors including Trevino welcomed their new neighbors and thanked the City of Jacksonville for the new resources around their homes.

“Having this closer, especially with the traffic we have on both Collins and Argyle Forest, is going to be tremendous for the people in this area,” Trevino said.

In 2018, JFRD Interim Fire Chief Keith Powers said the emergency response times in this area were below the national average at about nine minutes. He said this new fire station will cut that time in half.

“When we get this fire station built, it’s going to reduce those response times to four, four and a half minutes, which is a big deal when it comes to saving people’s lives,” Powers said.

Fire Station 61 is part of the city’s initiative to increase public safety. In May, Randy Wyse, president of the Jacksonville Association of Firefighters, said JFRD is only getting to half of their calls within the recommended time frame.

In an effort to expand resources, the city approved new rescue vehicles for JFRD. City Council members also approved $2 millions for a new fire station in the Arlington area in May.

“That’s where people need it for the safety of our families and the community; I think this is great,” Trevino said. “It tells me where their (city) heart is at, where their priorities are at.”

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Cox Media Group