BY MARK J. CRAWFORD
Telegraph Editor
STARKE — More money will be spent to make Speedville’s Station 10 a working fire station, but it won’t come out of the county’s pockets.
Vincent Esson, CEO of the company operating the Keystone Heights RV Resort, has offered $250,000 to construct living quarters for a fire station crew.
According to Fire Chief Ben Carter, once the new addition is built, the fire crew from Theressa would be relocated to the County Road 21B station. The EMS crew would remain in Theressa.
The station, which also serves as the tax collector’s satellite office, was completed in 2019. Donations from Esson and former volunteer firefighters in Keystone helped complete the station, but the commission at the time repeatedly voted to proceed with the project despite the growing county costs at the urging of its biggest proponent, District 4 Commissioner Danny Riddick.
The adequacy of the station was questioned by members of the public, but the county’s fire director, working under the sheriff, and an outside inspector also concluded that the lack of a fire suppression system made it unsuitable to house emergency response equipment.
While the station was built according to plan, they said the plan was not aligned to the standards of the National Fire Protection Association and the Florida Fire Prevention Code, which is adopted the State Fire Marshall as required by state law.
There is no exception to the fire suppression system requirement, the inspector wrote in his report, because facilities serving the public welfare must be constructed “to provide reasonable assurance of continued function following a fire, explosion or hazardous material event.”
According to NFPA, the requirement was introduced in 2003 and later expanded to include EMS stations because it helps prevent the disruption of emergency services.
According to the agency, “The public welfare goal of this code shall be to maintain a high probability that buildings and facilities that provide a public welfare role for a community continue to perform the function for their intended purpose following a fire, explosion, or hazardous materials event.
In 2019, the inspector recommended a sprinkler system be installed in the Speedville fire station and the proposed living quarters along with a 30,000-gallon water tank to ensure adequate water pressure.
Based on that and calls for service data, the fire crew remained stationed in Theressa, although the station bays have been used for storage.
The generous offer from Esson has motivated the county to rethink the future of Station 10.
“We have built an excellent relationship with Mr. Esson and over the years, and he’s been more than generous and more than helpful to the county,” County Manager Scott Kornegay said. “And now we have this opportunity to provide living quarters at the Speedville fire station where we can then have 24-hour, seven-day-a-week coverage in that fast-growing area of the county.”
Riddick said he hasn’t been able to wipe the smile off his face since learning about the donation.
“What a blessing. I just thank God for people like Mr. Esson,” he said, reminding everyone of Esson’s original $150,000 contribution to the construction of the fire station. “This is just going to be great — 24/7 fire protection in the south end of the county.”
Commissioner Chris Dougherty asked if plans included adding a sprinkler system to the fire station. Fire Chief Ben Carter said the code allows for separate living quarters with a 5-foot breezeway from the station. The living quarters would have sprinklers installed.
Dougherty recalled prior discussions about the need to protect the emergency response equipment, and he asked Sheriff Gordon Smith, who was a part of those discussions. Smith agreed with Carter and praised Esson for his contributions to the community.
Dougherty, who was part of the unanimous vote to accept the donation and move forward, said he didn’t want the decision to “come back and bite us.”
“It’s certainly something that is needed, and I’m glad Mr. Esson is willing to do this, but I just don’t want to get to the finish line and then somebody says, ‘Oh, you haven’t done this, and you haven’t done this,’ and then we have to move everybody out because there’s problems,” Dougherty said.
Carter said as they dive into the project, they will ensure the county follows all requirements.
“Mr. Kornegay and I have had that discussion, and we both have the desire to make sure we’re doing this by the book moving forward, so we will be thorough,” Carter said.
Esson’s offer did come with two stipulations: that he be able to use his own contractor, Evan Douglas, and the addition of a plaque to the building for name recognition.
