DEBARY, Fla. – A long-awaited fire station is now open in a growing area of DeBary.
City officials held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday to celebrate the completion of Fire Station 39 at 798 Fort Florida Road.
The $6 million building faced years of delays from rising costs and funding challenges, but $1.25 million in state appropriations made the completion possible.
The location gives firefighters quick access to the southwest side of town, which is one of DeBary’s fastest growing areas.
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“Being on the west side of the railroad tracks was very important to us,” City Manager Carmen Rosamonda said. “No matter what situation might occur, we could have the response times that we needed to save people’s lives.”
Another big feature of the station is its close access to the St. Johns River, which would allow firefighters to quickly respond to an emergency on the water.
“We’ll be able to take the boat just to the corner right here and be able to launch from Alexander Island in the future,” Fire Chief Ronnie Long said.
According to the city, homeowners may see reduced insurance rates, as response times for residents furthest from the current station will improve from 11 minutes to 4 minutes.
“It’s pretty critical. There are a lot of communities being built on the south end of DeBary, and this station is going to be responsible for that,” Long said.