A fire engine, tanker and rescue unit sit in front of the new Fire Station 47, which officially opened Thursday, May 9, 2024. | Dan Scanlan, Jacksonville Today
Published on May 9, 2024 at 2:19 pm
Until now, the 1,442 residents and 63 businesses in the Pecan Park area of far North Jacksonville had to rely on a fire station in the Dinsmore community during emergencies — 12 miles and 13-plus minutes away.
That changed Thursday morning with the opening of Fire Station 47 near Lannie Road and Gold Star Family Parkway, between the Jacksonville National Cemetery and the Jacksonville Youth Academy, both on Lannie Road.
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Fire Chief Keith Powers said the area has been in “dire need of fire and rescue services for a long time.” The response time will be cut to eight minutes or less, which also could lead to lower insurance costs, he said.
“I am here to tell you, today it stops — today those times are going to drastically reduce,” Powers said. “The National Fire Protection Association says that we should be responding within 480 seconds or less, 90% of the time. We were not meeting that standard here. But today, we are now going to be able to meet that standard. Time directly impacts saving lives and property.”
City Council member Reginald Gaffney Jr. concurred, saying this part of his district has long needed more fire protection for growth.
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“Now that we have a new fire station, this is a sign of new hope, a sign of fresh growth, so I am very appreciative of that,” Gaffney said. “I understand the immediate need for the new fire station, but I am really excited about the future. In the next five years or so, this area will be saturated — gas stations, homes, retail.”
Station 47 has a fire engine, rescue unit and 2,500-gallon water tanker to fight fires where no city hydrants exist. The cost of the land, construction and equipment is valued at $10.5 million, fire officials said.
The station is next to a barbed wire fence guarding the Jacksonville Youth Academy and police firing range, and across from the Jacksonville National Cemetery. The Montgomery Correctional Center is nearby on Lannie Road, which is dotted with rural homes and churches at the north end of Duval County.
Multiple subdivisions are being developed on nearby Pecan Park Road, Lannie Road and Gold Star Family Parkway, in between the new fire station and Interstate 95. Until now, those home and business owners had an ISO insurance rating of Class 10 (the lowest) because of the distance to other fire stations like No. 33 at 10800 New Kings Road.
Residents who live in a 5-mile radius of Station 47 will get a postcard soon alerting them about the possibility of lowering their insurance rates — a possible savings of 50% or greater, Powers said.
“Don’t throw this away; that’s why I am showing it,” Powers said. “There is a name and number on here that if you call, a captain within (the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department) will help you walk through the process of how to lower your insurance rates. … It will drastically help potentially reduce your insurance rates.”
Fire officials broke ground on the new station 13 months ago, only a week after Station 65 opened on Bailey Body Road off Arlington Road at a cost of $7.5 million. More stations are being built, renovated or planned, Powers said. That includes the remodeled Station 22, set to reopen soon on Jammes Road, and a $12 million remodeling of Station 12 on Atlantic Boulevard.
Construction of the fireboat pier is underway Downtown at Station 39/Marine 35 off Gator Bowl Boulevard. And there is a new temporary Station 76 on the city’s Northeast side near Black Hammock Island, fire officials said.
