ORLANDO, Fla. – The City of Orlando broke ground on Fire Station 18, its first new fire station since 2008, marking a major investment in public safety for one of the region’s fastest-growing communities.
The new station will sit along Luminary Boulevard with direct access to Narcoossee Road, a corridor long plagued by traffic backups that residents say have slowed emergency response times.
Renderings released by the city show a modern facility built with advanced technology, including acoustic separation between firefighter living quarters and response areas to help crews rest during high call volumes.
Interim Fire Chief Jason Revoldt said the department has been planning the project with future growth in mind.
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“We’re always concerned with our response, making sure that we’re available and quick to respond,” Revoldt said. “As the city grows, the fire department needs to grow. When you’re building a fire station, you’ve got one shot at it, you’ve got to put it in the right place for the community and have the vision for what that community is going to look like 10 to 15 years down the road.”
For Lake Nona residents, the station’s location is key. Narcoossee Road has become a chokepoint as thousands of new homes and businesses have gone up, and planners say traffic demands already exceed what the road was designed to handle.
City officials say Station 18 will strengthen emergency coverage not just for Lake Nona, but for several surrounding Southeast Orlando neighborhoods experiencing rapid development.
The project also marks the start of a larger expansion effort. The city plans to build four new fire stations and renovate several existing ones over the coming years, with most of the upgrades concentrated in Southeast Orlando.
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