Seminole County Opens New Fire Station 39 in Northwest Sanford

Seminole County held an official grand opening Feb. 4 for Fire Station 39, a 13,356-square-foot facility at 5639 First St. in unincorporated Sanford that has been in operation since Dec. 15. County officials and fire leaders say the station is already averaging about seven calls per day and has shortened emergency response times by roughly two minutes for large sections of the northwest county service area.

Fire Station 39, described as the department’s largest station and its 21st facility, sits in District 5 and serves the Paola and Heathrow neighborhoods. The $10.7 million project was intended to address rapid population growth and coverage gaps in what Fire Chief Matt Kinley called an area “out on an island.” “We needed a big station to house all the apparatus and the personnel,” Kinley said, adding that speed matters in life-or-death incidents: “Seconds matter. When you think about it, a fire is doubling in size every minute. When you’re in a cardiac arrest, every minute you’re losing a 10% chance of survivability.”

County officials noted the station will serve roughly 11,000 residents and about 4,100 households; official communications described the figure as “more than 11,000 residents” in some areas. Vice Chair Andria Herr of the Seminole County Board of County Commissioners said the addition will improve response times in the growing northwest area. “The addition of Fire Station 39 to District 5 will help improve response times in this growing area in Seminole County and serve nearly 11,000 residents and over 4,100 households,” Herr said. Herr’s remarks at the project groundbreaking also underscored county priorities: “In the Fire Department, time means lives and property saved, and Seminole County’s commitment to public safety is at the forefront of our public service to both residents and visitors.”

The facility includes Tower 39 with a 100-foot ladder to reach nearby high-rise apartment buildings along International Parkway, space for multiple fire trucks and engines, and an all-terrain vehicle to reach calls on the Seminole Wekiva Trail. Officials said Station 39 will later this year field the county’s first truck equipped with an attenuator to protect crews working at roadway incidents.

Groundbreaking for the site took place Sept. 19, 2023, and county materials and local leaders confirmed the station has been active since Dec. 15. Earlier press materials included an older projection that listed a late-2024 opening; county and local officials say the station is now operational and serving residents.

Neighbors have welcomed the added coverage. Resident Heather Groeneveld said Station 39 “adds an additional layer of protection. You know you’ll get some response a little faster, and there’s such a population growth around here. It’ll be nice to know that we’re all going to be able to be served and served with this updated equipment.”

For local residents, the new station means closer apparatus, quicker arrival on high-rise and trail calls, and a county investment in roadside safety equipment. County leaders point to Station 39 as part of broader emergency-service upgrades that include high-water rescue vehicles and digital warning-system integration across apparatus, with more operational details to follow as the attenuator-equipped truck is deployed later this year.