The grand opening of Fire Station 6’s permanent location included a hose uncoupling ceremony, a tradition held at fires station grand openings in lieu of a ribbon cutting.

The grand opening took place today, Friday, Aug. 8, at Fire Station 6’s new home, at 1625 Harmon Road, on the northeast corner of Harmon Road and Ocoee Apopka Road.

The grand opening included a community tour of the new facility, family-friendly activities and keynote remarks by community leaders.

The 8,065 square-foot facility operates a fully equipped Advanced Life Support (ALS) ambulance, a rapid response EMS captain command vehicle, and Quint Six, an ALS fire apparatus featuring a 78-foot aerial ladder that provides both firefighting and emergency medical response capabilities.

Fire Station 6 has a gym that includes workout equipment donated by AdventHealth.

Seven people will staff Station 6 – four firefighters, one engineer, one lieutenant and one Emergency Medical Services (EMS) captain., according to an Apopka Fire Department press release.

“But it is the courage, professionalism and compassion that will define Fire Station Six and what it represents for generations to come,” Apopka Fire Chief Wil Sanchez said in his remark.

Former state Sen. Randolph Bracy and former state Rep. Kamia Brown helped the city of Apopka secure state funding of $1 million from the 2021 Legislature to build Fire Station 6.

“This fire station is a testament to people coming together for a common purpose,” Bracy said.

Bracy said when he first met Mayor Bryan Nelson, Nelson was a House representative. As Apopka Mayor, Nelson has worked diligently to get funding for fire station 6, Bracy said.

“It took a couple of years, but we got it done,” Bracy said. “My point is that people from different backgrounds, different political parties, different belief systems, can still come together for a common purpose for our community, and that’s what we did.”

House District 39 Rep. Doug Bankson, an Apopka pastor and former city commissioner, praised the firefighters.

“These are our first responders,” he said. “These are the ones that run into danger for us. There’s a Bible verse that says ‘the greatest among you will serve them all,’ and I can’t think of anything that more demonstrates that in community than our firefighters.”

Fire Station 6’s temporary location first opened in December 2017 in a trailer, at the same time when AdventHealth opened its relocated Apopka hospital off S.R. 429, from its old Park Avenue campus.

Fire Station 6 serves the city’s southwestern region, including AdventHealth and the Northwest Distribution Center; the communities of Emerson Park, Breckenridge, Apopka Woods, Magnolia Park Estates and Marden Ridge Apartments; and toll roads 429, 414 and 451.

In 2023, the $4.1 million Harmon Road extension opened to ensure improved access to AdventHealth Apopka from the east as well as to fire and ambulance vehicles.

In 2024, the AdventHealth Apopka expansion, which included creating additional parking spaces, had the temporary Fire Station 6 move to another site, the Harmon on the Lake apartment complex on Harmon Road, until the permanent Fire Station 6 finished construction.