ST. LUCIE COUNTY, Fla. — Treasure Coast first responders are preparing for continued growth in the area by planning for the future.
Wednesday, St. Lucie Fire District marked the groundbreaking for the first of three new fire stations that will come on line in the next few years.
The station, to be built next to the existing headquarters, will be the first new station to open in at least 15 years. In that time, the call volume has risen dramatically.
“We ran about 36,000 calls that year in 2008,” St. Lucie County Fire District Chief Jeff Lee. “So far this year, since yesterday, we went over 40,000 calls and we still have three and a half months left in the year.”
The new building should be ready to house 25 new firefighters in time for the 100th anniversary of the first central fire station to be built in the county.
Other stations are planned in southwestern Port St. Lucie and in the Kings Highway area.