The new station, funded in part by a Department of Defense grant secured in partnership with the Jacksonville Port Authority, houses JFRD’s marine firefighting resources, including a 39-foot fire boat, as well as a fire engine and a tanker. Unlike the original station, the new facility sits outside the security perimeter at Blount Island, a placement designed to speed emergency response while preserving full access to the port.
Mayor Donna Deegan, who joined JFRD leadership and other city officials for the grand opening, said the project reflects the growing demands on Jacksonville's public safety infrastructure as the city and its port have expanded.
"With the original facility no longer meeting our operational needs, it was clear we needed to build a station that matched the scale and scope of the community it serves," Deegan said, adding that federal funding covering half the project made it a fiscally responsible investment.
JFRD Director/Fire Chief Percy Golden II said the new station carries forward a tradition of service that dates back to the original Station 48, built in 1978.
"Fifty years ago, this station opened its doors for the first time with a single resource," Golden said. "Today, we open them again, stronger, better equipped, and ready to serve the next generation."
Golden credited the collaboration among JFRD, the Jacksonville Port Authority, and the Department of Defense, noting that the new location preserves full access to Blount Island while enabling faster response to nearby neighborhoods along Heckscher Drive.
Golden also thanked Mayor Deegan, Councilmember Mike Gay, and the Jacksonville City Council for their support throughout the project, as well as JFRD's partners at the Port Authority and the Department of Defense.
The station's opening was marked with a ribbon-cutting, flag-raising, and a traditional push-in ceremony, in which firefighters and officials placed their hands on the station's engine and pushed it into the station, bringing it into service. The push-in is a fire service tradition dating back to the era of horse-drawn apparatus.