LAKELAND, Fla. — Amenities like a fire station are a crucial need in developing areas of Lakeland, a city that is attracting more people each day.

That's why commissioners recently approved the purchase of property to build a new one to help reduce the number of calls for Fire Station 3.

What You Need To Know

  • The city of Lakeland recently approved the purchase of property to build a new fire station

  • The new station (Fire Station 8) will help alleviate calls from Station 3

  • Fire Chief Doug Riley says it will help with response times

For many employees, it will help with the growing population. 

Rescue Chief Shane Reynolds has been a part of the Lakeland Fire Department for three decades, which means he’s had a front-row seat to how much the community has changed.

“If I go back almost 12 years ago, we were already running so many calls at this station and with the addition of Station 6, we just couldn’t keep up with the volume,” he said.

He knows that every minute counts in an emergency and a new fire station will alleviate the number of calls Station 3 is getting.

“We must be able to respond according to the need of our citizens, which is most of the time a medical call,” he said.

The new station will take on an estimated 12% of overall calls.

The Lakeland fire department says they’ll provide updates to the board of commissioners as the plans for the fire station are developed.

The goal is to complete the project in the next 24 months, and it’ll be located on the corner of Sleepy Hill Road and Mall Hill Drive.