When my son was younger (and more impressionable) we took him to this fire station to speak with…read morethe men who reside at this location. It was my hope that these friendly firemen would scare the living tar out of my son who had recently discovered a new fascination with lighting books of matches on fire while in his room. I watched these men's eyes widen in amusement as I shared this story with the firemen, presumably mortified for my 8 year olds public berratement. After letting me vent for a few minutes, these men took my son inside the station to look around and to discuss the dangers of playing with matches in such a way. They let my son ask questions about the truck and about what the firemen did for their jobs and got to put on a fire helmet. This was such a wonderful act of kindness by these men! I believe they told my son that if he stayed away from the matches and got good grades that they would take him for a ride in the truck at some point. How cool is that?! Big Kudos to the St John's Fire Department for being so civilian conscious and truly generous of heart!!

These Firemen and FireLadies were great! They were kind enough to let us use their restrooms. We…read morework outside closed Precinct. David even offered us coffee and the lady offered us bottled water. We declined, because we pack a cooler of water every time we work on voting days. We had coffee before we left home. They had about three calls while we were here today. They were ready to go in a matter of minutes after the call. Nice meeting all of you. Take care and Happy Holidays.

Dated but clean and well maintained, the Charles E Federal Building in downtown Jacksonville is…read morehome to lots of government agencies and contractors. There is public parking available along the street (metered by the COJ) as well as in the rear parking lot (more expensive private parking here.) Security is tight at the main entrance so be prepared to lose the belt and all of your accessories so they can scan you through. It reminds me of an airport, as you have to put all your bags and belongings into a bin for X Ray. The guards and homeland security are very nice but they take their job seriously and I appreciate that. Currently, due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, the building is mostly closed to the public unless you have a special appointment. They generally aren't letting anyone in right now unless you work in the building and have a badge. Snack machines and a mail drop/ATM are located on the ground floor. Restrooms are available there as well. I'm glad to work in a clean and secure building like this and the best part is that it's located right in the heart of downtown Jacksonville.

This definitely a secure place to work. The Guards at the front entrance have a very strict and…read morehigh standard to enforce. You must have ID to enter the bldg. you also need to be prepared to remove ear rings, everything in your pockets, to take your shoes off to be scanned as well as your purse. You must now have to have an appointment with IRS to enter the building now. IRS is not the only dept. in the building. There are multiple Gov't Agencies in the Federal Building. They have a restaurant on the first floor to get a bite to eat, breakfast or lunch. They also have the Federal Credit Union in the ground floor as well. The building is well maintained. The service people do a great job and the cleaning staff do a wonderful job as well. The only tip I might have is: I think they should update the handicapped ramp. If you are facing the building, it's on the right side. No visitor can enter the building before 8am.

Never heard of fire department selling shirts and stickers! Wanted to support the community union…read moreand it was a great experience.

Grateful for these men and women! First and foremost, Thank You for your service!…read more This is my second time on a tour at a Fire Station and it amazes me what these men and women do and the risks involved to keep us all safe. One of my kids had a field trip here and parents were allowed to join. The tour was well organized and there were 3 different parts of the tour: 1. Tour of the fire house - we got to see where they work, eat, sleep and hang out on off times. Of course, they are always on duty, but shifts are usually 24 hours. 2. Tour of the fire engine/uniform - a call actually came in while we were visiting so we saw the fire engine pull out, with the lights flashing and the sirens blaring. Cool to see them in action. While we waited for the truck to come back, one of the captains showed us all the different components of their uniform and how they put it on. He was so great at interacting with the kids and keeping them engaged. 3. Shooting the Fire Hose - I didn't get this part of the tour when I was a kid! They gave each kid a plastic fire helmet and let each kid have a turn shooting the fire hose. It was so cool to see their faces. Some cool facts: Cost of a fire truck - (HOLY!) half a million dollars How much water does a fire engine carry? 1000 gallons How long do they usually keep a fire truck? approximately 25 years They showed us two separate power tools they store on the truck to use to break or pull apart stuff on their rescues. These tools are no joke. We were shown a giant jack hammer looking thing, with what looks like a giant wrench extension and the fire fighter explained that the tool will cut a car like a pair of scissors would paper. They are run by a special battery where it will work on 100% of power until it's completely dead. This is the part that blew my mind. They have about 90 seconds to get their gear on and out of the station. 90 SECONDS, PEOPLE! They have to put on boots, put on and buckle pants, put on a hood, put on and zip up a jacket, put on their tanks (which are actually on their seat in the truck, to save time) and put on their helmets and gloves. I can barely wash my face or brush my teeth in 90 seconds, let alone get dressed! They said that their response time is about 3 minutes and 40 seconds door-to-door, to any address in Richmond Hill. MIND BLOWN! The next time you see a fire fighter, hug them, thank them, feed them, love them. They are the real MVPs.