SUFFOLK, Va. — The City of Suffolk is getting ready to have its ribbon-cutting for Fire Station 11 this week. It's a brand-new, state-of-the-art facility designed to improve emergency response times and meet the growing public safety needs of the city’s northern neighborhoods.
Located off Hampton Roads Parkway near College Drive, the $12.5 million facility spans more than 20,000 square feet and is expected to serve residents for the next 50 years.
“This building will last our community for 50-plus years,” said Suffolk Fire Chief Michael Barakey. “We built it not only for today, but for the future.”
Faster Response, Greater Reach
The station will respond to more than 4,500 calls annually, the chief told News 3's Jay Greene. Before Station 11 opened, emergency crews had to respond from a firehouse more than two miles away on Bridge Road, with some calls taking up to 11 minutes.
“Now, we can get to all of our emergencies within six minutes,” Barakey said. “That meets the national standard and reflects the density of this area.”
North Suffolk has an estimated 2,900 to 3,000 people per square mile. According to Barakey, that qualifies as an urban population, requiring a faster response time to prevent medical complications or fire spread.
“On a medical call, you have the need for cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and on the fire side, flashover can occur between four and six minutes,” he said. “A building fire will double in intensity every minute.”
Station 11 will serve North Suffolk neighborhoods from College Drive to Huntersville and up to the 664 corridor, including Burbage Grant and Burbage Lake. The station will also assist neighboring cities, like Chesapeake and Portsmouth, through automatic mutual aid agreements.
“We’re less than a mile from the city lines of Chesapeake and Portsmouth,” Barakey said. “Our rigs can now integrate into regional responses much quicker.”
Funded and Staffed for the Future
A significant portion of the staffing costs will be covered by a federal grant. A total of $3.4 million from FEMA’s SAFER (Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response) Grant will fund salaries for 18 firefighters over the next three years.
“This grant helps us bring in the people we need to make this station fully operational,” Barakey said.
Station 11 will operate with 15 personnel on shift. It will house a relocated engine company, a brand-new ladder truck, a medic unit, an EMS supervisor and a brush truck.
Designed for Safety and Training
Beyond response times, the new facility places a heavy focus on firefighter health and safety. The design includes separation between living quarters and the apparatus bay, dedicated gear washing rooms and contaminant-free pathways throughout the building.
“There’s so much of carcinogens out there and biohazards we deal with,” Barakey said. “We want to not only serve for years to come—but also live after we retire.”
The station also features a three-story training tower attached to the back of the building, allowing crews to conduct realistic drills on-site without traveling to distant facilities.
“Our neighboring fire departments can come utilize it as well,” he said. “We can train and be functional during our duty days.”
A Resource for the Community
The facility also includes a community meeting room that residents and city council members can use for gatherings and public events. It will also serve as a polling location during elections.
“This fire station is a celebration for fire,” Barakey said. “But it’s really a celebration for the entire city and our council.”
More Growth Ahead
As Suffolk continues to expand, Fire Station 11 is only one part of a larger public safety strategy. Barakey said four more locations are being considered over the next decade, including:
- Holland Road, near industrial parks
- The Nansemond and Rill Road area
- A rebuild of Fire Station 4, originally built in the 1960s
- The Carolina Road corridor approaching Whaleyville
“All of this is about keeping up with the city’s growth,” he said. “We’re building for the next generation of Suffolk.”
The grand opening is set for Friday.
