At the city commission’s annual strategic planning retreat last week, the Lakeland fire + police departments asked the city for $9.5 million to meet the needs of Lakeland’s growing population.

While the initial request proposed relocating Station 3 (110 W. Bella Vista St.), commissioner Mike Musick countered the proposal by suggesting that the city build an additional station on Lakeland’s north side, rather than moving the existing station.

City of Lakeland Fire Station 3 | Screenshot via Google Maps

Let’s take a look at the new station, to be known as Station 8, by the numbers.

3.5% — Lakeland’s growth rate in 2021.
7 — Current number of fire stations in Lakeland.
1,000 — Number of emergency calls taken by Station 3 in 2021 with a response time greater than 10 minutes.
8,000 — The number of emergency calls Station 3 responded to in 2021. For context, that’s nearly double the average number of calls other Lakeland stations responded to in the same year.
$160,000 — Budget for the new station’s furnishings.
$880,000 — Cost for trucks + other firefighting equipment.
$1.2 million — Cost to hire 12 new full-time employees.
$1.3 million — Annual cost of operating the new station.
$1.5 million —Proposed budget for a two-acre property for Station 8, according to Lakeland Fire Chief Doug Riley.
$2.2 million — The cost of the new station’s construction, including two bays for a rescue vehicle and fire engine.

Station 8’s bottom line is $5.9 million. In addition to serving as north Lakeland’s newest fire station, the facilities would also house a police substation.

The proposed new station follows the January grand opening of the Lakeland Fire Department’s five-acre training complex. The facilities, which feature both a four-story and five-story training tower. opened at 2450 W. Lake Parker Dr. after years of planning + construction.

The state-of-the-art center prioritizes the health and safety of firefighters while providing local training exercises central enough to Lakeland to take distress calls in a timely manner.