Construction begins soon on new $3.8M fire station in Hilton Head’s Sea Pines
A new fire station will be built in Hilton Head Island’s south end community, Sea Pines, according to a news release from the town.
Work on the $3.8 million station will begin in early March. It will replace the existing fire station, which was built in 1976 at 65 Lighthouse Road.
The project will be funded by hospitality taxes, which are imposed on prepared food and beverages, according to the town website.
The new building will be 8,500 square feet with sleeping facilities for six firefighters, a weight room, and three bays for fire trucks and ambulances.
Construction is expected to be complete by March 2021, the release says.
While the new building is being constructed, firefighters will be based in leased commercial space in the Shoppes at Sea Pines Center. The fire truck and ambulance will respond from the back of the center, according to the release.
“This location will ensure that response times and service delivery standards are maintained to that area of the Island until the project is completed,” Fire Chief Brad Tadlock said in the release.
A public fire station in a gated community?
Both the new and existing fire stations are behind the gate in Sea Pines, which charges visitors $8 for entry and is privately owned.
Sea Pines, one of the largest gated communities on Hilton Head, is home to iconic Harbour Town and the host of RBC Heritage Presented by Boeing PGA Tour golf tournament.
However, public services still operate in the community.
Joheida Fister, Hilton Head Island’s fire marshal, said the station within the community helps the department keep response times low for homes inside and outside the gates.
“We have to be within certain distances of portions of the island, and we look for that 5-minute response time,” she said. “Regardless of whether they live inside a plantation or outside the plantation, they are Hilton Head taxpayers and there are other stations in plantations.”
Fister said Sea Pines was once serviced by a Sea Pines/ Forest Beach fire department, and when the town incorporated, it began to use the Lighthouse Road station for public service.
Now, the town is replacing and renovating fire stations across the island.
The Sea Pines station is the last station in the 20-year project.
