Ground Broken On State-Of-Art Fire Station In New Port Richey

NEW PORT RICHEY, FL — The city of New Port Richey celebrated the groundbreaking of its new Fire Station 2 at Grand Boulevard and Marine Parkway.

The new 7,876-square-foot state-of-the-art station is being constructed on a 1.19-acre parcel donated to the city by the Kulhawik family in 1987. It will include a hot, warm and cold zone designed to protect firefighters from carcinogens.

“Cancer is currently the leading cause of death among firefighters," said Fire Chief Chris Fitch. "Now when a firefighter returns from a fire or serious medical call, they will be able to enter from the hot zone (apparatus bay area) into the warm zone area to remove contaminates, clean their clothes in decontamination washers, and put on clean uniforms before ever entering the living quarters of the station (known as the cold zone).”

The new fire station will also include two drive-thru bays, office space, a day room, training and exercise rooms, a bunker gear storage room, a commercial-grade kitchen, dorm-style bedrooms to accommodate up to six personnel and an outdoor private patio.

“The location of this property was determined to be more than relevant by way of a needs assessment study in 2016 in providing fire and EMS service to the U.S. 19 corridor, the downtown district and excellent east/west capabilities while retaining a four-minute or less response time," said City Manager Debbie L. Manns.

The new fire station will replace the current Fire Station No. 2 located at 6121 High St., which was built in 1974.

“The men and women that are trained to put everyone else’s needs before their own just deserve a new home based on existing conditions in their current facility," Manns said. "I think it can be said that the design features of the building in actuality mirror some of the virtues of a great firefighter because we look for strength, integrity and a positive public image when selecting firefighters to join our team.”

The building was designed by Spring Engineering and will be built by the E&L Construction Group. Construction is expected to be completed by the summer of 2024.