Seminole County, Fla. (September 19, 2023) – The Seminole County Fire Department in partnership with the Seminole County Board of County Commissioners and County Management recently hosted a groundbreaking ceremony for Fire Station 39, which will serve the Northwest area of the County in the Paola/Heathrow area. Local dignitaries, neighbors, partners, County officials and fire personnel gathered for an official groundbreaking ceremony of Fire Station 39 held on September 19, 2023. The new site will be located on 5639 First Street in Sanford at the intersection of Orange Blvd. 

Slated to open in late 2024, the Seminole County Fire Department’s 21st station will help improve response times by a little over two minutes in large sections of the service area and more than a minute in most of its service areas. 

The $10.7 million station will serve to alleviate call volume loads for Seminole County Fire Department Fire Station 34 (Paola/Sanford), Fire Station 36, (Heathrow), Lake Mary Fire Department’s Fire Station 37 and Sanford Fire Department’s Fire Station 38. 

“The addition of Fire Station 39 to District 5 will help improve response times in this growing area in Seminole County and serve nearly 11,000 residents and over 4,100 households,” said Vice Chair Andria Herr of Seminole County Board of County Commissioners. Fire Station 39 is in Commissioner Herr’s District 5 in the Northwest area of Seminole County. “In the Fire Department, time means lives and property saved, and Seminole County’s commitment to public safety is at the forefront of our public service to both residents and visitors.”

“Just in the past decade, Seminole County Fire Department’s Fire Station 34 call volume increased 53%,” said Fire Chief Matt Kinley of the Seminole County Fire Department. “Last year, the station ran more than 5,200 calls. Station 34 is now our fourth busiest station in the County, and I thank the Seminole County Board of County Commissioners and County Management for supporting a growing Fire Department so that we can adequately respond to  the public safety needs in our community we proudly serve.”  

The 13,356 sq. ft. station will be similar in prototype design to Fire Station 29 on Aloma Avenue in Oviedo.  Station 29 was Seminole County Fire Department’s last constructed fire station, which opened in late 2018.  

Amenities for Fire Station 39 will include four apparatus bays (which will house Tower 39, Engine 39, Rescue 39, Tanker 39 and Boat 39), direct source exhaust capture system, self-contained PPE storage room, crew sleeping quarters (12 bunk rooms), kitchen, offices, fitness facility, outdoor porch, standby generator, fueling depot, and EMS supply storage.

The architecture firm for the project is SchenkelShultz Architecture and General Contractor/Builder is CIC Construction Group USA and Skanksa USA Building, Inc. represents Seminole County in this project.