Fire Station #5 breaking ground next month

First new fire station since 1997

The City of Apopka will break ground August 9th for its first new fire station in twenty years.

A public ceremony with city officials and firefighters will begin at 11 a.m. at Fire Station No. 5 at 1685 Firehouse Lane off of Jason Dwelley Parkway. The $1.6 million, 7,500-square-foot facility was designed by The Lunz Group and will be built by Miller Construction Management.

Work is expected to finish by the end of this year. Preparation of the 1.5-acre site will begin this week.

Station No. 5 will significantly improve emergency response times to the largely residential areas of northwest Apopka and also handle vehicle accidents along Wekiva Parkway and State Road 429.

Staff will include 18 firefighters – six for each of three shifts. Emergency vehicles will include a fire engine, ambulance and a rapid response squad truck that will carry equipment for vehicle accidents and other emergencies.

Fire Station #5 will be approximately 7,500 square feet and will include a living/sleeping area for six firefighters and a District Chief. It will have four parking bays that can hold two ambulances, a fire truck, a brush truck, a rescue squad, and a District Chief vehicle.

The city recently hired 19 new firefighters to help accommodate the growing fire department. The hires bring the Apopka Fire Department up to 93 combat firefighters and eight administrative support staff. The new firefighters, who are undergoing five weeks of training, come from across the state from Jacksonville and West Palm Beach to Ocala, The Villages and various areas around Orlando. Several are from Apopka.

The last new fire station to open in Apopka was Station No. 4 in 1997.

"This should greatly reduce response times," Apopka Fire Department Chief Charles Carnesale said. "We have a completion date of January 2018 listed, but Miller Construction thinks we can finish by November or December of this year."

According to the Agenda Packet provided by City Staff for the July 5th City Council meeting, the City Council approved a preconstruction services contract with Miller Construction Management, Inc. in November of 2016 to provide value engineering and other cost saving services to finalize the design of the Fire Station #5 project. The City Staff completed the design and has negotiated with the Miller Construction team to perform Construction Manager at Risk (CMAR) services at a Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) for this project. The GMP for the Fire Station project shall not exceed $1,614,800. Any changes not requested by the City, or any pricing increases, shall be the financial responsibility of Miller Construction. Any savings realized during construction will be returned to the City.

The contract time is measured from the date of commencement and Miller Construction Management, Inc. shall achieve substantial completion of the entire work not later than 182 days from the time of commencement.

Fire Station #5 will be approximately 7,500 square feet and will include a living/sleeping area for six firefighters and a District Chief. It will have four parking bays that can hold two ambulances, a fire truck, a brush truck, a rescue squad, and a District Chief vehicle, according to Carnesale. It is the first fire station built for the AFD in 12 years.

Note: The City of Apopka Public Information Office contributed to this report.