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Orange County Moves Forward With First of Three New Fire Stations

Photo: Laurens Bontenbal.
Photo: Laurens Bontenbal.

Officials have secured the location for the first of three new fire stations slated to open in Orange County by next February. Station 67 will be built in an already developed, rapidly expanding part of northeast Orlando, at University Boulevard and Lake Twylo.

“The population is already there, the call volume is already there, and we are responding from stations that are geographically further away,” said Orange County fire chief Otto Drozd.

According an analysis, current fire rescue response time to that area is 8:55 minutes on average. Fire rescue officials expect the new station to reduce wait times to around 90 seconds.

“This station is going to give us the ability to provide better service to the community and, more important than that, it’s going to give us an opportunity to make an impact on the lives and the quality of life within Orange County,” Drozd added.

The construction of  Station 67 is part of Orange County’s major capital investment project, called INVEST in Our Home for Life. The $300 million initiative pours $30 million into construction, training, and new fire rescue equipment for five years.

Two more will be built with the funds; one in northeast Orlando in Avalon Park and the other in southeast Orlando, off Goldenrod Road and Silver Pointe Boulevard.