45 years of protection from East Manatee Fire Rescue

An 11th fire station, at State Road 64 and Bourneside Boulevard, is in the planning stages for the East Manatee Fire Rescue District.

Yes, the 11th station.

Such a thought would have been unimaginable in 1980, when the Florida Legislature created the Braden River Fire Control and Rescue District, a 100-square-mile special taxing district.

It was before Lakewood Ranch was more than an idea, and yet, at the time, a lot of acreage had the potential for rural fires.

How things have changed.

As Lakewood Ranch developed into the nation's No. 1-selling, multi-generation, master-planned community, the fire district had to keep up.

It wasn't easy.

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In 2025, the East Manatee Fire Rescue District celebrates its 45th year. 

"We are in the process of designing Station 9," said Lee Whitehurst, who has been with the district in 42 of its 45 years and who has been the East Manatee chief since 2017. "It is our 11th station, but really our ninth because we inherited two from (the Myakka Fire Control District). Those two, we made Stations 10 and 11."

Station 11 is new, as the district tore down the former station, which had to be evacuated during hurricanes because it wasn't built to withstand high winds. The new station at 10215 Wauchula Road, Myakka, is built to withstand wind gusts up to 200 mph.

When the station, which will sit on 5.5 acres at S.R. 64 and Bourneside Boulevard, is finished, it will be about the same size and design as the new Myakka station. It will have four bays and one crew and it will have extra space to store some of the district's auxiliary vehicles, such as a brush truck and a boat.

The district currently has nine engines and two ladder trucks, with five "rescue" engines to go into service when the front-line trucks go out of service.

Most of the district's trucks are replaced every eight years. The district currently is building a second high-water vehicle, which will be somewhat of a military transport type of hardtop vehicle.

"Our other one (high-water vehicle) was sacrificed during Hurricane Debby (in 2024)," Whitehurst said. "That was the busiest day in the history of our department."

While that new high-water vehicle still is being built, Whitehurst said it is at a point where it could be used in a major storm.

When Station 9 opens, Whitehurst notes that the district will need more firefighters. Whitehurst was one of the first two paid firefighters (along with David Gilchrist) in 1983, but now the district has 143 employees and needs to grow with the expanding population.

Photo by Lesley Dwyer

'We cover 346 miles of Manatee County," said Paul Wren, the deputy chief of administration. "There is no shortage of room for us to expand and grow. Our job is to provide protection and coverage. You need to live within five miles of a fire station, if you are looking at your insurance premiums."

Wren joined the department in 2007 as one of the final two volunteer firefighters, along with Derek Parker, to be hired by the department. At the time, East Manatee Fire Rescue had five stations and two main engines.

"The staffing level was low," Wren said. "The main reason we were able to grow was the referendum in 2004. That was the beginning. We hadn't started to see the growth until they put that ad valorem tax into place. We opened the administration building in 2008, and it was off to the races."

Henry Sheffield was the district's first paid fire chief in 1983, making $18,000 a year.

"He had no employees," Whitehurst said. "He was here by himself, and his first duty was to finish (building) the fire station. He was cleaning bathrooms and buying the supplies."

The firefighters at the time consisted of volunteers.

"Volunteer firefighters are almost a thing of the past," Whitehurst said. "Being a volunteer firefighter is absolutely about doing it because you love what you do."

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Wren said the volunteers when he started in that role had a sense of community and a connection to the area.

"That's a big part of being a volunteer," he said. "You got to live near it, and I always felt a sense of community. I always felt that was a cool component."

While Wren said about 70% of the firefighter corps in the U.S. is still volunteer, he said it wasn't working in Manatee County.

"The volunteer program was costing money, and they weren't seeing the return," he said. "But it matters if you are near a tax base that can support (a paid fire department). Duette (Fire and Rescue District) is the only volunteer based department remaining in Manatee County."

Wren said Sheffield, who was fire chief through 2007 and who died in 2019, would have been successful in any era.

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"I think he was way ahead of his time," Wren said of Sheffield. "I knew him through my dad, (East Manatee firefighter) Rick Wren. I would sum up Henry by saying he was forward thinking. Most folks didn't operate that way at the time. I remember how he wanted to plan. Today there is a different operational command, but I would assume he would thrive."

Whitehurst has lived through the changes.

"Back when I joined at 18 years old, you were not thinking about all this (technology). It was do, do, do. At the time, the best firefighters ended up being your chief. Henry didn't have to navigate HR rules, this and the other. None of it existed. You had to be more of a leader than a manager."

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Now Whitehurst manages a $32.5 million budget.

"The fire chief of a special district is the most challenging job in all of government," Wren said. "It's all the things you have to complete. You are part chief, part administrator, part politician."

While Whitehurst plans to retire in January 2027, Wren is 42 and looking toward the future.

"As we continue to grow, we will grow our administration," he said. "We have two battalions now, and we are at an optimal span of control. But I could see in eight to 10 years, a third battalion."