Osceola County Fire Rescue’s 17th station officially opened and went into service Tuesday morning.
Fire service and county officials were on hand for a traditional hose uncoupling ceremony to put Station 45 on Calypso Cay Way into service.
That station will serve residential areas like Indian Wells and those at the north end of Poinciana Boulevard, and areas west to International Drive and Old Town.
It’s the second new station to come on line in the county this year. Station 67 near Austin-Tindall Park on Boggy Creek Road opened in late June. The design of these is roughly the same one streamlined by the county about six years ago. Contained in the 12,290-square foot station are ample bunk and kitchen space for the 21 responders who will work out of it, four engine bays and a community room available for local meetings and potential use as polling place on Election Day.
“It is through our county’s guidance and planning that we’ve been able to manage the growth we’re experiencing so rapidly, especially within the fire service,” said County Fire Chief Larry Collier, who said a station on south Poinciana Boulevard had been servicing the area where Station 45 will.
“With this station opening up, we’ll have the best people working in the right place at the right time to make a difference. At the end of the day, that’s the goal of a fire department.”
Osceola County Commission Chair Viviana Janer said the county’s fiscal budget for 2024 includes funding for new firefighters and equipment.
“The opening of this station underscores the commitment to expanding the system to be more responsive to residents during an emergency,” she said.
Collier noted the next round of new county stations will be moving or refurbishing existing ones. Ground has broken on a new station that will replace one on the Polk County side, and plans are in the works for a second station in Poinciana proper on Marigold Avenue. Planning is also underway for a new station on West U.S. Highway 192 near Entry Point Boulevard and another on Funie Steed Road in the Four Corners area.
