SARASOTA COUNTY – The Sarasota County Fire Department (SCFD) looks forward to welcoming, educating and connecting with the community by continuing monthly fire station open houses in 2026.
The free, family-friendly open houses are held one Saturday a month from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m., offering visitors the chance to meet their firefighters, see fire apparatus, learn about fire safety and prevention, hands-only CPR, how to use an AED, and more from our community partners. Car seat safety inspections and bike helmet fittings will also be available.
SCFD is proud to open its doors to the community, bringing the tradition of monthly open houses into neighborhoods since 2024.
The schedule for the 2026 open houses is as follows:
- Jan. 10 at Station 2, 2070 Waldemere St., Sarasota.
- Feb. 28 at Station 10, 35 Vic Edwards Road, Sarasota.
- March 28 at Station 21, 721 Center Road, Venice.
- April 18 at Station 9, 6750 Bee Ridge Road, Sarasota.
- May 16 at Station 23, 1930 N. Tamiami Trail, Nokomis.
- June 13 at Station 6, 4100 Lockwood Ridge Road, Sarasota.
- July 18 at Station 19, 15911 Rawls Road, Sarasota.
- Aug. 22 at Station 8, 840 Apex Rd, Sarasota.
- Sept. 19 at Station 22, 4531 Englewood Road, Venice.
- Oct. 10 at Station 5, 400 N. Beneva Road Sarasota.
- Nov. 14 at Station 4, 3530 Old Bradenton Road, Sarasota.
- Dec. 12 at Station 17, 5431 Desoto Road, Sarasota.
“We love hosting open houses, they allow us to meet our neighbors, share vital fire safety information, teach lifesaving skills like hands-only CPR and offer the opportunity to donate life-saving blood; all to make our community safer,” said Sarasota County Fire Chief David Rathbun. “Thank you to everyone who has attended our open houses over the years, we are look forward to continue these events at fire stations throughout our community.”
Community members can support SCFD’s life-saving whole blood program by donating at Open Houses. Whole blood donation takes around 15 minutes and can be completed every 56 days. Learn more about donor eligibility on the SunCoast Blood Center website.
Those individuals who can donate, can do so by:
- Stopping by any SCFD Open House in 2026. Dates and locations of open house can be found at scgov.net/fire.
- Visiting the nearest SunCoast Blood Center donation location by looking up a blood drive near on the SunCoast Blood Center website,
- Call 1-866-97-BLOOD.
For more information on SCFD and the list of open house dates, visit scgov.net/fire or call 311.
