PALM COAST, Fla. – Palm Coast officially celebrated the grand opening and hose uncoupling ceremony for the city’s new Fire Station 26, marking a major investment in public safety, firefighter wellness, and the continued growth of the Seminole Woods community. The event drew city leaders, residents, firefighters, architects, and community supporters eager to witness the opening of the long-awaited facility.
For Palm Coast Fire Chief Kyle Berryhill, the moment represented more than just a ribbon-cutting — it fulfilled a vision decades in the making.
“This is an unbelievable day for us,” Berryhill said. “When I first interviewed to be a firefighter in Palm Coast, one of the things that was told to me in our interview is that someday we’d build a fire station in Seminole Woods. It’s great to say 22 years later, it’s great to see that we’ve done that. This community deserves that.”
The new station was strategically built to improve emergency response times in one of Palm Coast’s rapidly growing areas while also providing firefighters with a modern, safer working environment.
“The two guiding principles of this facility were being fast to respond to our community and then having a place that is safer for firefighters,” Berryhill explained. “There are several things related to speed out the door so that we can be really fast to our residents’ emergencies, and when our firefighters return, having a place that keeps them healthy and safe.”
Berryhill also praised the firefighters who will serve from the station, calling them “some of the best men and women that I’ve ever known.”
Vice Mayor Teresa Pontieri delivered one of the ceremony’s most heartfelt messages, describing the station not simply as a building, but as a second home for the firefighters who will live and work there while serving the community.
“I’ve said for a long time that I believe the Palm Coast Fire Department is really the heart and soul of our community,” Pontieri said. “To give them such a beautiful building is just a small token of appreciation that I feel the community can really show — how much we appreciate you, how much we love you, and how much you mean to us every single day.”
Pontieri, whose husband is a firefighter, spoke emotionally about the sacrifices made by first responders and their families.
“To me, as a wife of a firefighter, this takes on a personal level,” she said. “Fire stations are called firehouses for a reason because this building is a home away from home for our men and women who serve every day.”
The hose uncoupling ceremony — a fire service tradition symbolizing a station being officially placed into service — highlighted the department’s commitment to protecting residents while honoring the traditions of the profession.
Community leaders emphasized the direct impact the station will have on quality of life in Palm Coast.
“Safety and security are one of the most important values that any good community thrives upon,” said John Phillips, president of the Palm Coast-Flagler Regional Chamber of Commerce.
“This is a wonderful asset for our community, obviously with the growth here along Seminole Woods and in this part of Palm Coast. It’s a wonderful day for the city and a wonderful day for our citizens to be closer and safer.”
The project team also reflected on the years of planning, design, and collaboration that brought the station to life.
Architect Zoran Lozanovski of Schenkel Schultz described the station as a “wonderful facility” designed not only for efficiency and durability, but also with firefighter health and emotional well-being in mind.
“From the very beginning, both the city and the fire department had a vision,” Lozanovski said. “Not just, ‘Hey, we just need a new fire building,’ but here is what we want this fire station to accomplish.”
One of the most meaningful design elements focused on creating a supportive environment for firefighters who regularly experience stressful and traumatic situations.
“The fire department wanted the building to foster caring for one another and supporting one another in their line of work,” Lozanovski said, explaining that the interior was intentionally designed to encourage interaction among firefighters so team members can recognize when someone may need support after a difficult call.
Howard Peiffer, former Palm Coast fire chief and longtime member of the department, reflected on how far the city’s fire rescue services have come over the decades.
“It makes me feel very proud,” Peiffer said. “We got the support of the community, the taxpayers, city officials, and so forth to make this happen. It makes us come closer to the community and reduce the response time in Seminole Woods.”
Peiffer, who has served in the community for 34 years, also noted that modern facilities like Station 26 will play an important role in attracting future firefighters.
“I think they would appreciate the quarters and how they would operate and live out of a nice, modern facility,” he said.
Residents attending the ceremony shared excitement over the city’s continued investment in public safety infrastructure.
Anna Jehlik, a Palm Coast resident of 20 years, said the station is something the community truly needed.
“We needed it, especially in Seminole Woods,” she said.
As Palm Coast continues to grow, Fire Station 26 now stands as both a symbol of progress and a promise to residents that help is closer than ever before — while also giving the firefighters who serve the city a modern home away from home.
