Escambia County Building Four Fire Stations, Hiring 24 Firefighters

Escambia County, FL (Newsradio 92.3) -- Escambia County is building four fire stations over the next two years and will need to hire two dozen firefighters to staff them.

Public Safety Director Eric Gilmore says two stations will be brand new — one on Kingsville Road and one on Bauer Road serving Paradise Beach. Two existing stations at Myrtle Grove and Pleasant Grove will be torn down and rebuilt.

The Paradise Beach station will restore coverage that was lost when a previous substation closed, causing insurance rates to spike for residents in that area.

"They received a lower ISO rating because the service was there. And then when that was taken away, the ISO rated them poorly, so their insurance went up," Gilmore said. "We're putting a system back in place. It'll be a 24/7 crew out there."

The stations are currently at 30 percent design completion. Once groundbreaking begins, construction will take approximately 18 months.

The county will need 24 additional firefighters to staff the two new stations. Gilmore says the county's cadet program pays trainees while they complete the academy and covers all training costs.

The county recently graduated 13 cadets who are expected to pass their state exams this week, bringing current staffing to full capacity.