Orange County approves $8.9 million fire station replacement in Dr. Phillips

Orange County Fire Rescue’s Station 31 is receiving an upgrade.

The Orange County Board of County Commissioners unanimously approved Tuesday, May 5, a replacement for Station 31, which is a 50-year-old station. The county will work with Mulligan Constructors Inc. on the $8.9 million project.

Deputy Chief John Westmoreland said the origin of the lease for Station 31 dates back before Orange County Fire Rescue consolidated its 14 districts in 1981. 

Station 31 will be constructed as a two-story facility on Dr. Phillips Boulevard, just south of Banyan Road, approximately 3,500 feet northeast of the current station.

“We have continued making sure we’re good partners with the Dr. Phillips Foundation and certainly ensuring we continue our service within the community,” Westmoreland said. 

Westmoreland said the decision to replace Station 31 rather than continue with the current was because Orange County Fire Rescue had an opportunity to own the station. He said Orange County Fire Rescue and the Orange County Board of County Commissioners own and operate the majority of the department’s stations.

“We’re looking forward to putting a modern fire station that is fitting for the men and women today that has the technologies, layout and the things we believe are necessary, not only to serve the public and be operationally ready, but also to make sure we’re providing the right housing and space for our personnel serving 24/7-365,” he said. 

The new station will be a state-of-the-art facility as the department has more information for an intentional design than it had more than 50 years ago, Westmoreland said. 

One of the major concepts the department is working to employ is reducing exposure to carcinogens. The layout of the new building is a “dirty-to-clean concept” so contaminated areas are effectively isolated and main living quarters don’t have the same cross-contamination they might otherwise incur.

The facility also won’t have a community restroom but rather individual sleeping quarters and bathrooms. There will be six bunk rooms, a lieutenant suite and a command officer suite. 

But there still will be a community aspect with the living area. 

A community room also will be included in the new station.

Westmoreland said all the design improvements from the current station are to ensure the department will remain operationally ready. 

“We have to have buildings that are resilient,” he said. “We need to have facilities that can meet the demands of today’s workforce, and we need to have facilities and fire stations that are fitting for our personnel.”

The Dr. Phillips station will have an aerial apparatus and a transport rescue, and it will serve the community with two marine squeeze and potentially a command officer. 

“As we contemplate and we ensure operational readiness, it is necessary that we make these investments in capital improvements,” Westmoreland said. “It’s necessary we ensure the hardening of the facilities so when we have storms and other emergency impacts, we remain operational but not withstanding. The community deserves a proper fire station so the needs of the community can be met, and certainly the personnel working out of that station deserve that.”

Westmoreland said the station is an opportunity for the department to show an investment in the community and public safety, which will bring a sense of pride not only to those serving in the station but also to the community.

“We’re just proud to make this investment to stay within the Dr. Phillips community,” he said. “It is a very proud community, and we’re excited to be able to serve it and now offer it a new fire station that is really representative of the kind of the community overall.”

Part of the design of that station is to welcome the community. For example, Westmoreland said some of the architectural designs are inviting, and there will be some transparency to be able to view the station from the roadway.

Construction is expected to begin within the next eight to 12 weeks as the county and department work on the execution of final contracts and begin scheduling. Once construction begins, the facility could be completed in 12 to 15 months with the expectation of completion by the end of 2027.