ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Hundreds of families in east Orange County will soon see first responders even faster during an emergency.
Construction on the county's first fire station since 2013 will begin soon.
The station, which is going to be on University Boulevard near Rouse Road, will also serve the University of Central Florida.
[ Read: Demand grows for more fire stations in Orange County growing ]
Residents in the area said they have been waiting years for the groundbreaking of a new fire station.
“This fire station represents an increase in service in this community,” said Orange County Fire Rescue Chief Otto Drozd.
A county study showed firefighters currently have an average response time of almost 9 minutes.
“This community needs it. We need to be responsive not only to fires, but to car accidents, to heart attacks,” said Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs.
The same study shows the station will help reduce the response time to about a minute and 30 seconds in the area.
“What that will do countywide is stop the domino effect of other stations having to come in to provide service in this area,” Otto said.
In May, a mother told Channel 9 it took fire rescue 14 minutes to arrive to help her sick daughter.
Leaders say the $6.4 million fire station isn't the only one that'll help east Orange County.
“It'll be the first of three that we are doing as part of the invest program,” Jacobs said.
It's unclear when leaders will have the groundbreaking ceremonies for the other two that are also being paid for by the invest fund, which is money meant for roads, parks and safety.
Drivers on busy University Boulevard will also notice a difference.
Officials say they'll install an emergency traffic light to help fire rescue and firefighters get to emergencies faster.
Construction on the fire station is scheduled to be completed next spring.