ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – A groundbreaking was held for the first of three new fire stations to be built in Orange County.
Station 67 will be located at University Boulevard near Lake Twylo Road and have an ambulance, a Battalion Chief's unit, and a quint to help with fire and other emergency calls.
The project was built using the $300 million Orange County “INVEST in our Home for Life” initiative. Some $30 million will go toward three fire stations, new equipment, and a fire training station.
Explosive growth in east Orange County has led to an increase in emergency calls, but lack of a nearby station meant a nearly nine-minute response time.
The addition of the new fire station will cut the response time to just under two minutes.
“Getting there as quickly as possible saves lives,” Orange County Mayor Theresa Jacobs said.
The new firehouse will open in spring 2018.