ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – A ribbon cutting ceremony was held Monday morning for the first new fire station to be built in Orange County in more than 10 years.
Fire Station 67 is located at 10679 University Boulevard, which is about two miles west of the University of Central Florida.
The station came after a 2015 study identified a gap in coverage for residents in an area of east Orange County that's seen a population boom in recent years.
"What you would have is the UCF station coming all the way over here. Now it's a much more reasonable coverage area," Fire Chief Otto Drozd said.
According to county leaders, response times will be significantly improved due to the new fire station, especially for residents living in the immediate area.
"If they have a loved one that has a heart attack, a stroke, a car accident, any of those things, we're going to be able to get there and get there fast," Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs said.
The fire station is part of the county's "INVEST in our Home for Life" initiative. Through bond financing of excess sales tax revenue, $30 million has been allocated for fire rescue infrastructure, which includes three new fire stations.
For Fire Station 67, several meetings with the community led to design features, such as directional lighting and sound barriers surrounding the facility.
"We want it to fit nicely into a community and not interfere with the quality of life," Jacobs said. "Public safety comes first, but fitting into a community is also very, very important."
The new fire station went into service on May 21. According to the county, firefighters have responded on average to 9.55 calls per shift.