MOUNT DORA, Fla. – A fire station that has been largely untouched since the 1980s is getting some major upgrades.
Mount Dora Fire Chief, Joseph Hightower, said the renovation of Fire Station 34 in Mount Dora and the addition of a 4800 square foot administration building is expected to cost somewhere between $5 and $6 million.
Hightower said the station won’t look anything like it does now after the massive renovation.
One of the changes coming to the station, individual bedrooms.
“There’s been a lot of studies on sleep deprivation for firefighters which deals possibly with mental health issues, you know all those types of things,” Hightower said. “So, you know when everyone’s in one room we have three different apparatuses that are sleeping. So if one apparatus gets woken up, they’re all awake.
Other changes also include a bigger kitchen, bathroom pods and a dayroom that’s separate from the kitchen. The plan is to expand the station into the current administrative side of the building.
“We’re going to give them a lot larger footprint so a lot more space for them,” Hightower said.
But those administrative offices aren’t going far, they’ll be behind in the station in what’s now a parking lot.
The 48-hundred-square-foot building will include a training room, a conference room and can also act as an emergency operations center for the City of Mount Dora.
“We have to be able to come together, as a city during an emergency,” Hightower said, “And whether it’s, you know, public safety, utilities, whatever it might be. But we’re all sitting in that same room and we’re able to make decisions.”
The upgrades come at a time when first responder recruitment has become incredibly competitive. Hightower is optimistic these improvements will keep Mount Dora in the game.
“It’s sort of like what we see in the college football world where you’re competing for athletes with your facilities,” Hightower said. “Well, we’re sort of the same way trying to have good equipment, you know new equipment and their station and their living conditions mean a lot.”
During Tuesday’s City Council meeting, the city will vote on whether or not to move forward with a firm for the design and engineering of the project. Should everything keep moving forward, Hightower is hoping the project will begin by the first or second quarter of 2026.