Osceola County and Osceola County Fire Rescue and EMS will celebrate the official opening of their 16th fire station on Tuesday at 10 am. The county’s new Fire Station 67 is located at 4150 Boggy Creek Road in Kissimmee, not far from Tohopekaliga High School.
“The last time we added a new fire station was in 2007, and that was in Reunion, District 5 Osceola County Commissioner Ricky Booth said, “Station 67 is evidence of our commitment to expand the system to better serve the public. Station 67 is important because so much growth is happening on this side of the county. But to be clear, having one more station (no matter its location) helps us all.”
Osceola County Fire Rescue & EMS applied for a $5.44 million SAFER Grant from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which made it possible for 21 firefighters to be hired for the new fire station.
Staffing the new station will decrease the county’s ISO Rating in the area to 3, resulting in a significant decrease in both the physical and financial risk to nearby residents and businesses.
“Our ultimate goal is to increase firefighter safety and to decrease the loss of life and property in the community. We’re thankful for these grant funds, which will help us improve the level of service for homes and businesses along Boggy Creek Road,” said Osceola Commission Chairman Brandon Arrington. “This makes our residents safer and also has the potential to lower insurance costs.”Arrington thanked Congressman Darren Soto for his efforts in securing the grant. “Congressman Soto’s support for our application was instrumental in our success and we’re thankful for his support,” he said.
“I was proud to support Osceola County Fire Rescue and EMS’ SAFER grant application earlier this year and am thrilled that they have received $5.4 million to hire more personnel,” said Soto. “By reducing the potential for injuries and exhaustion, we are standing with those who risk their lives to protect our community and committing to making Osceola County a safer place for residents and visitors.”
Osceola County is planning to build two more stations, one in Poinciana and the other at Calypso Cay Way near U.S. Highway 192 which broke ground in 2022. Positively Osceola covered the ground breaking LIVE.
