Osceola residents worried fire stations can't keep up with population growth

SHE REQUIRES CRITICAL CARE. CLAIRE METZ, WESH 2 NEWS. SUMMER: OSCEOLA COUNTY RESIDENTS ARE RAISING CONCERNS ABOUT THE COUNTY ROADS, SCHOOLS, AND FIRE STATIONS NOT BEING ABLE TO KEEP UP WITH THE RAPID POPULATION GROWTH. STEWART: AS WESH 2’S MEGAN MELLADO EXPLAINS, THE COUNTY HAS PLANS FOR MORE FIRE STATIONS, BUT RIGHT NOW THERE’S ONLY 15. THE SAME NUMBER THERE WAS DECADES AGO. MEGAN: DATA FROM THE U.S. CENSUS BUREAU SHOWS OSCEOLA COUNTY HAS GROWN BY ABOUT 140,000 PEOPLE IN THE LAST DECADE. IT’S EXPECTED TO GROW EVEN FASTER IN THE NEXT TEN YEARS. THE RAPID GROWTH HAS SOME RESIDENTS, WHO HAVE SPOKEN UP AT COUNTY COMMISSION MEETINGS, WORRIED. >> THIS IS NOT IN THE WELLBEING OF OUR DISTRICT AS OUR CURRENT ROADS TO MOVE TRAFFIC ARE ALREADY AT A STANDSTILL, LET ALONE OUR FIRE STATIONS ARE OVERWORKED AND OUR RESPONSE TIME ARE WELL ABOVE NATIONAL AVERAGE ALREADY. IMAGINE ADDING MORE RESIDENTS. MEGAN: WE LOOKED INTO THE RESPONSE TIMES ACROSS CENTRAL FLORIDA. OSCEOLA COUNTY SAYS THEIR AVERAGE RESPONSE TIME IS 8 MINUTES AND 30 SECONDS. ORANGE COUNTY SAYS THEY’RE SEEING 7 MINUTES AND 33 SECONDS. SEMINOLE COUNTY REPORTED 5 MINUTES AND 12 SECONDS. ALL THREE SAY THE TIMES DIFFER PER LOCATION. PRESIDENT OF THE OSCEOLA COUNTY FIREFIGHTERS ASSOCIATION, SHAWN PERKINS, SAYS IN SOME AREAS OF OSCEOLA, RESPONSE TIMES CAN BE AS LONG AS 25 MINUTES. >> WE HAVE A SPECIFIC RESCUE AT 53 IN DEER RUN THAT COVERS STATIONS 51, 52, 53, AND PARTS OF 54, SO SOMETIMES THEIR RESPONSE TIMES COULD BE AS LONG AS 17 TO 20 MINUTES. IF THEY’RE NOT IN QUARTERS, IF THEY’RE OUT RUNNING ANOTHER CALL, WE HAVE TO CALL FOR MUTUAL AID HELP FROM A DIFFERENT STATION, YOU COULD LOOK AT 25 MINUTE RESPONSE TIMES IN A PARTICULAR AREA. MEGAN: HE CREDITS THE COUNTY FOR FIGURING OUT WHERE STATIONS ARE NEEDED, BUT SAYS THEY NEED THEM NOW. >> RIGHT NOW WE COULD USE AT LEAST 5 STATIONS OPENING TOMORROW, EACH ONE THAT WOULD HAVE ITS OWN ENGINE AND RESCUE, BUT IT’S JUST NOT IN THE BUDGET. MEGAN: COUNTY LEADERS SAY THEY’VE SEEN A 69% INCREASE IN CALL VOLUME SINCE 2010. THEY SAY THEY HAVE TWO FIRE STATIONS UNDER CONSTRUCTION, WHICH WOULD TAKE THE TOTAL COUNT FROM 15 TO 17. THEY SAY THEY HAVE A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN THROUGH 2040 TO EXTINGUISH THE ISSUE. IN OSCEOLA C

Data from the U.S. Census Bureau shows Osceola County has grown by about 140,000 people in the last decade. It’s expected to grow even faster in the next 10 years.The rapid growth has some residents, who have spoken up at county commission meetings, worried.“This is not in the wellbeing of our district as our current roads to move traffic are already at a standstill, let alone our fire stations are overworked and our response times are well above national average already and imagine adding more residents," one resident said.We looked into the response times across Central Florida.Osceola County says their average response time is 8 minutes and 30 seconds. Orange County says they’re seeing 7 minutes and 33 seconds. Seminole County reported 5 minutes and 12 seconds. All three say the times differ per location.President of the Osceola County Firefighters Association, Shawn Perkins, says in some areas of Osceola, response times can be as long as 25 minutes.“We have a specific rescue at 53 in Deer Run that covers stations 51, 52, 53 and parts of 54 so sometimes their response times will be as long as 17 to 20 minutes. If they’re not in quarters, if they’re out running another call, we have to call for mutual aid help from a different station, you could look at 25-minute response times in a particular area,” Perkins said.He credits the county for figuring out where stations are needed but says they need them sooner rather than later.“Right now we could use at least five stations opening tomorrow, each one that would have its own engine and rescue, but it’s just not in the budget,” Perkins said.County leaders say they’ve seen a 69% increase in call volume since 2010.They say they have two fire stations under construction which would take the total count from 15 to 17. The two new stations are near the Austin-Tindall Sports Complex and Calypso Cay Way. They’re set to open in April and June. A comprehensive plan is in place through 2040, county leaders said.Top stories:Seminole County man finds security footage of intruder breaking into home2 bodies recovered anchor mishap leads to drownings in Florida lakeDeSantis needles Trump, says he has no experience with ‘paying hush money to a porn star’

OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. —

Data from the U.S. Census Bureau shows Osceola County has grown by about 140,000 people in the last decade. It’s expected to grow even faster in the next 10 years.

The rapid growth has some residents, who have spoken up at county commission meetings, worried.

“This is not in the wellbeing of our district as our current roads to move traffic are already at a standstill, let alone our fire stations are overworked and our response times are well above national average already and imagine adding more residents," one resident said.

We looked into the response times across Central Florida.

Osceola County says their average response time is 8 minutes and 30 seconds. Orange County says they’re seeing 7 minutes and 33 seconds. Seminole County reported 5 minutes and 12 seconds. All three say the times differ per location.

President of the Osceola County Firefighters Association, Shawn Perkins, says in some areas of Osceola, response times can be as long as 25 minutes.

“We have a specific rescue at 53 in Deer Run that covers stations 51, 52, 53 and parts of 54 so sometimes their response times will be as long as 17 to 20 minutes. If they’re not in quarters, if they’re out running another call, we have to call for mutual aid help from a different station, you could look at 25-minute response times in a particular area,” Perkins said.

He credits the county for figuring out where stations are needed but says they need them sooner rather than later.

“Right now we could use at least five stations opening tomorrow, each one that would have its own engine and rescue, but it’s just not in the budget,” Perkins said.

County leaders say they’ve seen a 69% increase in call volume since 2010.

They say they have two fire stations under construction which would take the total count from 15 to 17. The two new stations are near the Austin-Tindall Sports Complex and Calypso Cay Way. They’re set to open in April and June.

A comprehensive plan is in place through 2040, county leaders said.

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Osceola residents worried fire stations can't keep up with population growth

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