WATCH: Rockledge Holds Grand Opening for New Fire Department Station No. 36 off Fiske Blvd.
By Chris Bonanno // June 23, 2019
SPACE COAST DAILY TV SPECIAL PRESENTATION
SPACE COAST DAILY TV: Space Coast Daily’s Chris Bonanno was at the Grand Opening Saturday morning of Rockledge Fire Department Station 36 off Fiske Blvd., near the intersection with Barton Blvd. The new station was built on the site of the old station No. 36 which was demolished following damage caused to its roof by Hurricane Irma in 2017.
BREVARD COUNTY • ROCKLEDGE, FLORIDA – The City of Rockledge celebrated its second major grand opening in three days on Saturday morning as Rockledge Fire Department Station No. 36 officially came into service.
The new station, located at 1600 Fiske Blvd., just north of the intersection with Barton Blvd. was built on the site of the old station No. 36 which was demolished following damage caused to its roof by Hurricane Irma in 2017.
“It was certainly expedited because of Hurricane Irma but the previous facility had been experiencing some deterioration, structurally, aesthetically and so you know it was on our radar screen to perhaps replace one day but Hurricane Irma expedited that when there was significant damage to the roof structure and so the Mayor and (City) Council decided to go ahead and raze the building due to its age and condition,” said city manager Brenda S. Fettrow.
As part of a ceremony to officially put the station into use, speakers including LaSata and Rockledge Mayor Thomas J. Price offered remarks.
Following that, a traditional “uncoupling” took place whereby city officials and Rockledge Fire Rescue personnel gathered to hold a fire hose.
“The end of a long journey,” said Joseph P. LaSata, public safety director with the city.
“We had a fire station that was in desperate need of repair. It had outlasted its life span and thankfully, our mayor, our city council, our city manager, agreed with us that it was better, in this case, to build new.”
The opening of the fire station came on the heels of the city holding a grand opening for its Civic Hub, located adjacent to City Hall off Barton Blvd.
“More professionals in their career, maybe they get to do this, maybe they don’t, but to have the privilege to have two grand openings in one week here in the City of Rockledge, I couldn’t be any more proud and honored to be the City Manager to help make this happen,” Fettrow added.
Frettow also noted that the building can withstand “up to 160 mph winds” and has a full generator system.
“Everything here is state-of-the-art, the technology, the antenna, everything down to every single detail,” Fettrow said.
“We’ve got the wooden trusses, the wood beam throughout. As far as we know, it’s the only station in Florida with the wood truss construction,” LaSata added.
“Beautiful new station for our firefighters and our residents.”
The station was officially put into use when a hose extension was uncoupled. An announcement was made right after on local scanner traffic to let other public service entities know that the station had officially been brought online.
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