ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. — St. Johns County Fire Rescue is trying to keep up with the growth in one of our fastest-growing counties, and they’re trying to reduce the stress of their staff.
On Tuesday, they held the first meeting in Nocatee to help them create their master plan.
The plan is going to look at the department’s future needs in their growing communities, the staffing they’ll need and the funding required, but before they start any of that, they need the help of the community.
St. Johns County is growing, and the St. Johns County Fire Rescue is working hard to try to and keep up.
“If you go back and look at our population in 2000 compared to 2018, it’s like a 98% increase in population so that has obviously put a strain on existing services,” Jeff Prevatt, the Fire Chief for the St. Johns County Fire Rescue said.
Action News Jax told you over the summer when St. Johns County started building a new fire station on Race Track Road and Veterans Parkway.
They hope to have it running by the spring.
Once up, it’ll cover the Durbin Park Town Center, Julington Creek, Aberdeen, and Durbin crossing area -- one of the fastest-growing sections in the county.
TRENDING STORIES:
Florida man gets parking ticket 7 years after violation
House Democrats announce 2 articles of impeachment against President Trump
Company gives $10 million in bonuses to employees
Prevatt said this station was needed because their nearby stations in Nocatee, Switzerland, and Sampson were all dealing with higher call volumes and they needed to find out a way to alleviate the stress on their staff.
Some of these neighborhoods were also outside a 5-mile radius from a fire station.
And that’s not the only section that St. Johns County Fire Rescue is concerned with. They are also looking at growth in other areas.
“I think there’s probably multiple areas. I couldn’t name zip codes for you but I think if you look at that northwest corridor, certainly is an area, we have seen tremendous growth from St. Augustine out to State Road 207 towards the interstate,” Prevatt said.
State Road 207 is expected to grow rapidly over the next few years with housing and apartments sprouting up next year.
The community is invited to come down and give their input so St. Johns County Fire Rescue can begin to build their master plan.
If you can’t make it out on Tuesday. They’ll be hosting another meeting Wednesday at St. Johns County Fire Station 5 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
© 2019 Cox Media Group
