Volusia County Fire Rescue looks to relocate station to reduce response times

Goal is to move to a more centralized location off International Speedway Boulevard

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The Volusia County Fire Rescue wants to reduce response times and is looking to buy a big piece of property to help make that happen.

The fire chief wants to move from the current site off Tiger Bay Road in Daytona Beach to a more centralized location off International Speedway Boulevard.

The property is currently owned by the United Way, but the county council voted Tuesday to negotiate for it.

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“It’s going east or west with quicker access to Interstate 4 and Interstate 95. Everything is about time,” Fire Chief Howard Bailey said.

Chief Bailey said moving Station 15 would help residents around International Speedway Boulevard, people in accidents on either highway or major calls across the county.

“We’re running a front line hazmat response, county-wide hazmat response out of there,” he said. “It was that two-and-a-half-minute travel time to get to (U.S. 92) to get to either direction.”

The current station housed at the fire training site off Tiger Bay was built in 1994 with no intentions of it becoming an actual station, leaving little room for the firefighters.

The current location has 735 square feet of space.

Instead of using about $700,000 to renovate that property, the county council voted Tuesday to negotiate with the United Way to buy the property. The organization is already planning to relocate.

Bailey said it will help them with plans to further cut response times on the east side of the county.


About the Author:

Molly joined News 6 at the start of 2021, returning home to Central Florida.

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