ORLANDO, Fla. — The Orlando Fire Union said response times have doubled because of growth; meanwhile, the City of Orlando said they are working on adding firefighters and stations.
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“Orlando is growing, and we don’t have the resources to keep up.”
That is the message from the Orlando Fire Union after they have called on the city to add more firefighters and stations to keep up with growth and recent annexations.
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The growing response times are not new. In fact, in 2020 and 2022 Eyewitness News informed viewers that response times were up.
That was partly because of a new CAD (Computer-Aided Dispatch) system that was being used and the kinks were still being worked out, but now firefighters said that isn’t the issue, the issue is growth.
They feel the city is not only behind, but not even trying to catch up. The union has taken to social media to raise awareness about what they are calling a serious issue.
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The union said there have been no new firefighters hired in 7 or 8 years and no new fire station’s since 2008.
Union President Doug Zabin said when asked about the response times that they have doubled, “Today our response times on average are just over 9 minutes to both fire and EMS calls.”
According to the National Fire Protection Association, that is about average, but in Orlando the response times have seem to have grown as the city has grown over the years.
Zabin said there aren’t enough trucks, fire firefighters or stations in the city; writing on Facebook, “The department is running out of rescue units almost daily resulting in longer response times and delayed patient transport.”
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Zabin told Channel 9, “The citizens should be concerned when our response times are more than double what the national average is. it truly impacts them and will make a difference on that.”
But they are not alone. This is an issue nationwide, cities like Tampa are working to bring those response times down those are up around 12 minutes.
The city told WFTV that the city has rebuilt 4 fire stations in the last 9 years and stated, “In May 2023, City Council approved four new additional fire stations to meet the growing needs of the community, especially in Southeast Orlando with Fire Station 18 currently in the design phase. Additionally, a temporary Fire Station will be placed in the Southeast next year. Lastly, City Council approved 29 new Firefighter positions for the 2024/2025 fiscal year to further assist with the department’s staffing and prepare for future growth. These new staff additions went into effect as of October 2024. Additionally, ten (10) Civilian EMS personnel positions were recently approved to assist with medical transport needs for the expanding City.”
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