Volusia County seeks to buy the United Way building in Daytona Beach to relocate Fire Station 15.

Written by Anthony Bicy

Belden Communications News

The Volusia County Fire Rescue site on Tiger Bay Road in Daytona Beach, called Fire Station 15, is used for training and an apparatus bay housing the County HazMat fire engine.

Originally, County Councilmembers had made plans to renovate the existing facility into a fully functional fire station; however, on Tuesday, the County Council unanimously voted to relocate Station 15 and reduce response times in the process.

According to a release, County officials will negotiate a proposal to purchase the existing United Way building and property off W. International Speedway Boulevard in Daytona Beach. United Way has made plans to relocate from the current site, which features an approximately 6,726 square foot building and more than three acres of land. Fire Rescue has budgeted $783,000 to renovate the existing facility, with the money coming from fire impact fees and the County fire fund. Instead, they hope to use about $700,000 of the money to buy the United Way site, which just became available last month.

"Minutes matter, and seconds matter in response,” County Councilwoman Heather Post commented in support of the proposal along with the rest of the Council. “It’s an excellent location.”

Turning the United Way property into the new Fire Station 15 will reduce response times to fires, thanks to a location that has access to routes like I-4 and I-95. The new site can also help other stations since its members are closer to them.

“This is a very unique opportunity for us,” said Volusia County Fire Chief Howard Bailey. “It really does tie us together very well, with not only our sister stations but the other municipalities as well.”

If approved, the county will cancel the project to renovate the current station. After the purchase, the Facility Management Division would work with outside contractors to determine the cost of renovating the building to turn it into a working fire station.