Osceola County, Florida – The Osceola County Board of County Commissioners, Osceola County Fire Rescue & EMS, community leaders and project partners gathered on Westside Boulevard to celebrate the opening of the new home for Fire Station 71.
The station will serve as the new home for Engine 71 and Rescue 71, existing units within the department that were most recently housed in a station facility on West U.S. Highway 192. The station will also house an additional EMS rescue unit – Rescue 75 – which will later move into its own station on Funie Steed Road later this year.
“I am thrilled to be opening this beautiful new station,” Osceola County District 1 Commissioner Peggy Choudhry said. “Station 71 has been a fixture in our community for decades, and this new home for its firefighters and equipment will allow them to continue providing their amazing lifesaving services for many years to come.”
Construction on the $11 million, 8,500 square-foot station facility began in September 2024. Designed by BRPH architects and built by Arnco Construction with planning services by Ardmore Roderick, the station provides ample room for personnel to live, work, and train.
“Station 71’s new home, in tandem with the opening of Station 75 in the coming months, marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter for public safety services in Osceola County,” said County Manager Don Fisher. “These facilities will allow our firefighters and paramedics to reach farther, arrive faster, and ultimately serve our community more effectively.”
Station 71’s new home is less than 3 miles from its previous facility. The relocation will not affect the units’ first-due response area.
The uncoupling of Station 71’s new home marks the completion of the first of four fire station construction projects initiated by OSCFR in 2024. These projects include brand-new Stations 75 and 83, which will serve the community from facilities on Funie Steed Road and North Marigold Avenue respectively, and a new home for Station 43 off of S. Orange Blossom Trail in Campbell City. Station 75 is expected to be completed in the coming months; construction on Stations 43 and 83 is scheduled to complete in late 2025 or early 2026.
“Station 71’s new home is just the first step in extending and strengthening our chain of services across our community,” Fire Chief Larry Collier said. “Over the coming year, the completion of our current station projects will see our department better positioned than ever to fulfill our mission of service to the community.”
