Orlando officials break ground on Fire Station 11

Florida Construction News staff writer

Officials held a ground-breaking on Nov. 23, launching construction of the new Orlando Fire Department Station 11, “The Beast of the East.”

The 14,918-square-foot station will be built at the corner of Curry Ford Road and Gaston Foster Road where the previous station was located and will provide Dover Shores and surrounding neighborhoods with modern space to accommodate multiple, specialized units and equipment.

The station will have four bays, four units – an Engine, a Tower, a Rescue and a District Chief – and is designed to promote firefighter health and safety while providing top-rated service, functionality and rapid response times to the community it serves. Facility features include:

• Individual crew bunk rooms and restrooms to accommodate and promote diversity in the workplace and a decontamination room with a shower and two airlocks with pressurization is designed to further keep potential carcinogens out of the living quarters.
• Sleeping quarters and active crew quarters that have acoustic separation to allow for rest, recuperation and camaraderie.
• Escalating emergency tones to reduce fatigue and heart-rate response.
• Physical agility rooms that promote a healthy lifestyle for top firefighter performance.
• Open kitchens and dining rooms to allow for the crew to cook and eat together.