Bay County getting portable fire stations after Hurricane Michael

Aug. 18--PANAMA CITY -- In a way, firefighters in two Bay County communities are about to go camping.

The Bay County Commission recently agreed to buy two portable fire stations, one for Southport and the other for Hiland Park. Erected much like tents, the structures will temporarily replace stations destroyed by the Category 5 storm. And once new, permanent stations are built, the portables will help provide fire services for other underserved areas of the county.

The county agreed to buy the two portable stations for a total of about $2.9 million from Panhandle Power Solutions LLC. The county plans to apply to the Federal Emergency Management Agency to reimburse most of the cost.

Both structures are composed mostly of a thick, fabric-like material and can be erected and taken down again similarly to tents. The stations, strong enough to withstand nearly 190 mph winds, will have kitchens and will be used to store vehicles and equipment.

Similar structures have recently been used at Tyndall Air Force Base.

Mark Bowen, chief of county emergency services, said Southport and Hiland Park lost their fire stations after the hurricane, meaning firefighters have had to travel farther to serve those areas. Bowen said the temporary structures will serve Hiland Park and Southport better than the old permanent stations since they can be placed in better locations.

"Both of those old locations were decided way before the county got into the fire business," Bowen said. "Those particular locations are not good locations for fire stations."

Once the temporary stations are erected, the county will have the full firefighting coverage it did prior to the storm, Bowen said.

And after they're placed, the county will start looking for money to build new permanent stations. Once that is done, then the temporary stations will be available for other uses, Bowen said.

"We can break them down, but them back in a box and store them for when we need them, or we can place them in other unincorporated areas," Bowen said.

Bowen said adding more fire stations, even temporary ones, could help lower insurance rates for some area homeowners.

"These stations will allow us to go into rural parts of the county and put a station in there and put an engine in it," he said.

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