Nassau County is the fifth fastest-growing county in Florida, according to county officials, with new subdivisions going in all over the area. It’s also the 40th fastest-growing county in the country.
News4Jax started investigating whether the county has adequate fire services to keep up with the growth. News4Jax met with Fire Chief Brady Rigdon at the new fire station being built in Yulee on Chester Road near the Heron Isles neighborhood. That station is slated to open in April or May. Rigdon said that they have done their best to keep up with growth and increased their manpower to fire calls.
“Three years ago, we were riding two people on every engine company, and NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) recommends there’s four on every engine,” Rigdon said. “We approached our board about it, and the board was very agreeable to us increasing our staffing.”