Fire Station 12: New style, old tradition

Firefighters serving Station 12 on Bee Ridge Road will soon have some space to stretch out with new facilities that will double the size of their current station.

Sarasota County commissioners approved a $3.7 million contract Tuesday for the construction of a new fire station on Bee Ridge Road. The funds will come out of the county’s capital improvement budget.

Built in 1968, the current Station 12 is one of the oldest in the county, said Rich Collins, Emergency Services director. It’s one of four new stations that are either under construction or planning to be built: stations at Twin Lakes Park and University Park are under construction, and a new station in Osprey is next on the list.

At 5,000 square feet, Station 12 currently only has room for one fire engine, an ambulance and a maximum of five staff.

“It’s extremely old, extremely small,” Collins said.

However, the station’s location at Bee Ridge Road and Murdock Avenue is a good one for the density of the area and its placement in relation to other stations.

The new station will be built on the same site, and the county is opting to build up instead of out on the small parcel of land. The new building will have two stories, keeping the living quarters upstairs.

The 10,469-square-foot structure, double the size of the current station, will provide shelter for residents during storms and also accommodate potential growth in the area. Staff levels will remain the same, but the station will gain room for an additional fire engine and will have room for up to eight firefighters in the new living quarters. Station 12 received about 2,800 calls in 2014.

“They’re a rather busy station,” Collins said.

Between demolition of the old and construction of the new, Station 12 will set up temporary camp on a small part of the Church of the Palms’ property, on Bee Ridge Road just east of the station. Firefighters and staff will work out of a trailer. The county will pay $2,030 a month in rent to the church until the project is finished. The projected completion date is April 2016. Collins said he didn’t expect service to be interrupted.

“It’s great to have local support,” Collins said. “We’re very appreciative.”

Although firefighters at Station 12 are excited for new facilities, there’s still a little nostalgia for the old building, said Lt. James Mattera, who has worked there for five years.

“It’s like any house you leave,” he said.

The station’s small size contributed to the personality and make-up of the staff. They all sleep in bunk beds and share a small kitchen and living space.

“There’s always something going on,” he said. “It’s an interesting area.”

Bill Hogue, the county’s assistant fire chief, worked in Station 12 for 10 years. He echoed Mattera’s sentiment.

“To survive the close quarters, you have to have good people,” Hogue said.

2014 STATION STATS
Here are the three busiest fire stations at a glance:

Station 1
(Downtown)
5,668 - incidents
56 - fires
5,034 - EMS calls
8 - staff 24/7

Station 11
(Stickney Point Road)
3,792 - incidents
60 - fires
3,279 - EMS calls
7 - staff 24/7

Station 12
2,769 - incidents
41 - fires
2,401 - EMS calls
4 - staff 24/7

Keeping Tradition
Each fire station has its own unique symbol that helps promote pride — and a little competition, said Bill Hogue, the assistant fire chief for the county.

Bee Ridge’s symbol features the obvious — a bee mascot — but includes other symbols, too: a syringe for medical service and the star of life for its paramedics.

Station 12, although it has only one engine and one ambulance, responds to a large variety of calls.

“We get in on almost everything,” said Lt. James Mattera.

The firefighters will bring the symbol into the new facilities, and they are working on adding an accent wall made out of the bricks from the old station.