Construction begins on new fire station
Construction is underway on the County's first newly built
fire station since 2003.
When finished - estimated completion date is in spring
2008 - Lake Jem Fire Station #78 will be about 7,700 square
feet and will support multi-discipline emergency functions.
The fire station was designed for co-location of the Lake
County Sheriff?s Office and Lake-Sumter EMS.
The facility will feature two bays, living quarters,
dormitories, kitchen facilities and office space. The station
will operate 24 hours a day and will house several full-time
firefighters and paramedics who are currently
serving the community at a temporary
fire station nearby. According to fire
officials, the temporary station in
the Lake Jem area is providing
residents and business owners
with improved fire service
response and emergency medical
delivery service.
"We have already seen a significant drop in response times
by just having a temporary station out there since March, so
we know it?s going to be a good location," said Gary Kaiser,
Director of the Lake County Department of Public Safety.
The new fire station will serve several nearby neighborhoods
including the Deer Island and Shirley Shores areas, Beauclaire
Ranch, Venetian Village, The Meadows, Summit Chase,
Tavares Ridge, Lake Harris Shores and Hideaway Harbor. In
addition, the Lake Jem Fire Station will serve as a back up to
six other fire stations and will be a first-response unit with
Orange County as it is located near the county line.
The design by Starmer Ranaldi
Architects of Orlando for the
new station will be used as the
prototype for future Lake County
Fire Rescue stations. Aagaard-
McNary Construction Inc. of
Orlando is constructing the lowmaintenance
facility.
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