Local fire departments have put recently-acquired equipment into service to enhance public safety in Osceola County.
At Station 63 on Cross Prairie Parkway, County Fire Rescue and EMS official put a new engine into service Wednesday with a time-honored at traditional “push back” ceremony.
The involves washing, then drying off the new engine. Firefighters then pushed the new vehicle into the firehouse, a practice that dates back to the 19th century when horses could not properly back into the station with the wagon attached.
The engine, a the new Sutphen Corporation Monarch, represents more than half a million dollars invested in public safety by the county. It will increase response reliability, add features and lower maintenance costs by replacing an older model in service since 2007 and 220,000 miles on its odometer.
“I want to thank the Osceola Board of County Commissioners for their continued support of public safety,” said Osceola County Fire Chief Larry Collier. “By replacing aging apparatus in a timely manner with the best equipment possible, our firefighters will be better equipped to protect Osceola County residents and visitors.”
“This is an essential tool for protecting the lives and property of Osceola County residents and I’m delighted that it is now in service to watch over our community for many years to come,” said district 4 County Commissioner Cheryl Grieb, whose district includes the Cross Prairie station. “The County Commission has always considered public safety a top priority and putting a new engine into service is a very tangible symbol of that commitment and that we are giving first-responders the life-saving tools needed for any and all emergency situations that they may face.”
Station 63 covers a central part of the County between St. Cloud and Kissimmee, an area that includes U.S. Highway 192, Florida’s Turnpike, Osceola Heritage Park, NeoCity and the Remington Community. It is one of the busiest stations in Osceola County, logging 2,015 calls for service thus far in 2021 – a nearly 17 percent increase from the same time period last year.
This public safety investment kicks off a fire department expansion. The county has approved the construction of three new stations, including one on Boggy Creek Road near Austin-Tindall Sports Complex that’s slated to break ground in December. Another will move a crew currently working out of a Poinciana station split with Polk County into the Osceola side of the community.
Earlier in September, the Kissimmee Fire Department debuted the custom-built Tower 11, a ladder truck with a ladder extending up to 100 feet and added to the fleet at Station 11, near downtown Kissimmee on Clyde Street.
Explicitly built for KFD, it can elevate water streams, horizontally reach buildings where road access and terrain create problems and provide roof access when standard ladders don’t reach. A platform with almost 20 square feet of working space is at the top, often eliminating the need for firefighters to have to go on a roof, and can be accessed from the ground without walking the length of a ladder.
Deputy Chief Joseph Leone calls Tower 11 “the safest, most modern vehicle on the market.”
Tower 11 can transport four firefighters at a time, and is also armed with a water pump capable of delivering over 1,500 gallons a minute onto a fire.
