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Orange County breaks ground on new fire station

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From the Orange County Government Public Information Office

Mayor Teresa Jacobs and Orange County Fire Rescue broke ground on Fire Station 67 on Sept. 1, 2017. This is the first Orange County fire station funded as part of Mayor Jacobs’ INVEST in our Home for Life initiative. Construction will begin in the weeks following the Groundbreaking Ceremony.

“Emergency services are critical to the health and vitality of our community. Throughout my tenure, Orange County’s commitment to public safety has remained at the forefront of efforts to provide the highest quality of life for our residents and those who visit our region,” Mayor Jacobs said. “Through the $300 million initiative, INVEST in Our Home for Life, Station 67 and two more new fire stations will provide long-term benefits to our citizens, enabling firefighters and EMS personnel to deliver exceptional service and care to the citizens and visitors of Orange County. Together, we are working hard to make Orange County the best place in the world to work, live and raise a family.”

Station 67, located at 10679 University Boulevard, is the first of three fire stations constructed under INVEST and will serve East Orange County and the University of Central Florida area. The station will house an Advanced Life Support engine and patient transport unit. Station 67’s budgeted cost is $6.4 million with a projected completion of spring 2018. Orange County’s last brick and mortar station, Fire Station 84, was built in 2013.

Station 67’s location was deemed as critical based on trends of the area’s home construction, increased emergency calls and medical transports and the expected population growth in the area. A comprehensive Fire Location Study, which was presented to the Board of County Commissioners in 2015, shows the average travel time to the immediately surrounding areas will be reduced by 85 percent to 1:30 minutes with the addition of the new station, meaning critical minutes spent waiting for help to arrive will be significantly decreased.

INVEST will provide Orange County Fire Rescue with the resources needed to meet the demands of our growing community,” said Fire Chief Otto Drozd III. “As one of the top 25 fire departments in the nation, we must continue to innovate and expand to ensure our citizens and visitors receive the highest quality care as quickly as possible. By investing in new service capabilities in the areas with the most critical need in Orange County, we can make the greatest impact on our community. ”

INVEST in Our Home for Life is Mayor Jacobs’ $300 million initiative that includes a series of projects across Orange County that will provide long-term benefits to its citizens by providing infrastructure, new public safety facilities, vibrant neighborhoods and affordable family housing, enhanced recreation opportunities, safety improvements for pedestrians and transportation connectivity throughout Orange County – all with no new taxes.

Through INVEST, Orange County Fire Rescue will receive $30 million over the next five years to fund three new fire stations, new fire apparatus and equipment and partial funding for a regional fire training facility. The purpose of the new funding is to ensure Orange County Fire Rescue has the ability to continue its industry-leading performance and deliver an exceptional level of service to the citizens and visitors of Orange County.

 

Orange County Fire and Rescue

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