Orlando Standard

On Tuesday, May 14, 2024, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer, District 2 City Commissioner Tony Ortiz, Orlando Fire Chief Charlie Salazar and Orlando Firefighters celebrated the grand opening of the new Orlando Fire Department Station 11, “The Beast of the East.”

The new 15,125-square-foot station is located at the corner of Curry Ford Road and Gaston Foster Road. It provides Dover Shores and the surrounding neighborhoods with a modern facility equipped with the latest technology and space to accommodate multiple specialized units and equipment.

The replacement station will be home to 33 firefighters and house four bays for an Engine, a Tower, a Rescue and a District Chief. The design aims to enhance operations while providing top-rated service, functionality and rapid response times to the community it serves. The state-of-the-art facility also further promotes firefighter health and safety and inclusiveness with features including escalating emergency tones to reduce fatigue and heart-rate response; individual crew bunk rooms and restrooms to accommodate diversity in the workplace; a decontamination room with a shower and two airlocks with pressurization to keep potential carcinogens out of living quarters; sleeping quarters and active crew quarters that have acoustic separation for rest, recuperation and camaraderie.

In addition to the ribbon cutting on Thursday, District 2 City Commissioner Tony Ortiz and the Orlando Fire Department hosted a Community Open House on Saturday, May 18, 2024. Residents were encouraged to attend the event which featured activities such as fire safety presentations, tours of the new facility and meet-and-greets with station firefighters and paramedics. The community event not only showcased the new facility but also highlighted the station’s important role in serving the Dover Shores neighborhood.

Established in 1885, the Orlando Fire Department began as a group of dedicated volunteers operating as "Orlando Hook and Ladder Company No. 1", "Orlando Hose Company No. 1", and "Mechanics Hose and Engine Company No. 2". These firefighters proudly served to protect the lives and property of the citizens of Orlando.

The Orlando Fire Department is rated in the top 1% of fire departments in the United States and is the only fire department in Florida to have ISO 1 classification, International Fire Accreditation, Emergency Management Accreditation Program (EMAP) certification, Commission on Accreditation of Ambulance Services (CAAS) and ACE accreditation (911/Communications Center).

Media planning to attend future events should RSVP by contacting Ashley Papagni, City of Orlando Public Information Officer, at 321-418-9361 or AshleyPapagni@orlando.gov.