By Juliana A. Torres
Staff Writer

The ceremony to open and rededicate the new fire station that will house Kissimmee Fire Department's main, downtown battalion Friday was full of symbolism, poetry and a fair amount of references to the color green.

Aside from providing much needed expanded facilities to battalion 11, the new station is the city’s first green building, certified under the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) program.

“This has been a project we’ve been at for a number of years,” Kissimmee Fire Chief Bob King said as the ceremony opened. “We’re here to serve the community. That is the only reason this station is here. That’s the reason we exist day to day. That’s the reason we try to be the best we can be.”

“It means a lot. We were there in ’67 when they opened the main (fire) station,” John Rinaldi, another son, said after the ceremony.

John Rinaldi serves as a lieutenant for the DeSoto County Fire Rescue, but said he still feels a kinship the community where he grew up.

“It’s still a family,” he said, explaining that the Kissimmee firefighters rallied around the Rinaldi family after his father died. “The support that we got from the community back in those times was great and to see them build this new house is really nice. I hope it’ll serve Kissimmee for another 20, 30 years.”

The station’s commitment to the memory of fallen heroes didn’t stop with the local firefighter. The fire department chose to give the new building a “343” address designation along North Clyde Avenue, in honor of the 343 firefighters who died in the Sept. 11 terrorist attack.

Mayor Jim Swan explained to those attending the ceremony that the new facility is about 16,000 square feet and sits on 2 acres of land, but said the ceremony should serve as a chance to “look in the rear-view mirror.”

“I think it’s also good to try to reflect upon the lives that were saved in the old station, how many runs were made from the old station, how many homes and properties were saved by folks who … responded to the calls,” he said.

Though Kissimmee commissioners always intended to build the new station with as many environmental-friendly parameters as possible, they initially debated whether or not to pay for the LEED certification process to ensure it was as green as intended. During the ceremony, Swan gave Commissioner Cheryl Grieb credit for pushing for that certification.

“The lady whose birthday it is today would be real upset with me if I didn’t tell you that this was a green building,” he said, making a point to repeat the word “green” several times in the rest of his speech. “This is all part of the city’s larger commitment to serve the public. We should all be proud.”

The ceremony continued with a traditional uncoupling of fire hoses, stretched across the front of the station’s large doors. Kissimmee firefighters then raised a new American flag, donated by the Rinaldi family, in front of the new building. The flag billowed open by an accommodating breeze as it lifted in a rededication to their fallen predecessor.

The new facility provides a lot more room to the city’s largest battalion than its old building. The firefighters on duty now will enjoy separated sleeping quarters rather than bunk beds, a recreation room with a projector entertainment system, new workout equipment, a full kitchen that is already home to the battalion’s huge, iconic table, a separate break room and on-site training rooms. The battalion chief on duty now has a separate sleeping quarters, complete with its own bathroom.

The docking bay for the fire vehicles themselves is much larger, though it won’t be air-conditioned, as part of station’s new green requirements. During the ceremony Friday, huge fans attempted to cool guests sitting in the large open area between the two halves of the new building.

The city plans to demolish the old Fire Station 11 on Dakin Avenue, behind Kissimmee City Hall to make room for more city parking. The department administrative offices, housed inside the current station 11, would then move into the office space Toho Water Authority occupies in City Hall after the utility moves into its new building.