St. Johns County first responders want your feedback. The fire and rescue department is developing a master plan to keep up with the county’s growth.
That includes building new fire stations and funding equipment needs.
In populated areas like Nocatee, nearby fire rescue stations are a few miles away.
One man who lives in the Picolata area along the St. Johns River says he experiences a similar problem.
Construction can be found all over areas like Nocatee or Ponte Vedra as St. Johns County booms in population, but some residents like Eli Grimes prefer the quiet lifestyle.
“It’s beautiful with the wildlife and animals,” Grimes said.
Grimes says living in Picolata means being far away from first responders.
“The closest fire department is 9.1 miles north, and if you’re going east it’s 10.1 miles, and that’s the closest to us,” Grimes said.
The distance is one of the things the department hopes to address.
St. Johns County Fire Rescue says it is doing a large-scale study to see if it’s meeting the community’s expectations for public safety.
Part of that is getting public feedback.
Grimes says he’s happy with the service the fire department provides but would like to see a fire station closer to home.
“If we had something at least closer than what we have now, that would be better,” Grimes said.
The first meeting will take place at 6 p.m. Tuesday at the Nocatee Community Clubhouse, 245 Nocatee Center Way in Ponte Vedra.
The second meeting will take place at 6 p.m. Wednesday at the SJC Fire Rescue Station 5, 3360 US1 South in St. Augustine.