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PASCO COUNTY, Fla. — Pasco County Fire Rescue is celebrating a win in the state budget just signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Chief Ryan Guynn said it includes $3.4 million in funding that will allow PCFR to move forward with plans for a new fire station that has been years in the making.
“We’ve identified the property for quite some time now. As with any capital project, funding is always a challenge,” said Guynn.
So, he said the fire administration, along with county and union leaders, decided to try for state funding.
“This county’s growing fast, particularly this area,” Guynn said of the area along SR-54 near Portico St. in Odessa, the planned home of the future Station 4.
“The residential increase, the commercial increase – they’ve been lacking for some time,” said Guynn.
He he said what they’ve been lacking is another fire station to better serve that part of West Pasco. Guynn said PCFR first set sights on the Odessa site eight years ago.
“The neighborhoods of Asturia and Bexley are in need of some extra service, and we purchased this property quite awhile ago and have been waiting for the funds to be able to actually build,” he said.
The chief said Station 4 will also help reduce call volumes – particularly for Station 37 in Lutz, as well as Station 15 in Trinity. Guynn said calls county wide have increased from about 75,000 per year five years ago to an expected 105,000 calls this year.
“This is really going to help the response times. It’s going to really help the citizens’ safety,” Guynn said.
According to Guynn, Station 4 will include features seen in other new stations in the county aimed at preventing cancer in firefighters, like hot, warm, and cold zones and separate areas for contaminated bunker gear. The total cost is expected to be between $9 million-$11 million. The chief said the next step will be securing the rest of that funding.
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Sarah Blazonis
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