A new Emergency Medical Services (EMS) station has officially opened in southwest Ocala.
On Wednesday, October 23, Marion County Fire Rescue celebrated the grand opening of its Ocala EMS Central Station, which is located at 1400 SW 6th Avenue in Ocala.
The facility will provide patient transport to citizens and visitors in Ocala’s central and western areas and urban service areas outside the city.
Built by Dinkins Construction and funded by the Penny Sales Tax, the station replaces the previous facility, which was built in 1960. The new facility features a six-bay station for MCFR’s current fleet of medic units.
According to MCFR, the EMS Central Ocala station also includes: apparatus bays for 12 units to protect equipment from the elements of weather; separate sleeping areas for 9 crew members, the Captain, and the Battalion Chief; four restrooms with showers; a physical training room; two dayroom areas; a large modernized kitchen and dining areas; a large training room with separate bathrooms; a separate storage area for crew members to store their personal protective equipment; and EMS vending machines to help crews restock their supplies.
Additionally, EMS Central Ocala is MCFR’s first station to include a Safe Haven Baby Box.
Officials broke ground on the new station in October 2023.
In January 2024, MCFR shared several exterior and interior photos of the EMS Central Ocala station, showing that rapid progress had been made at the site. Over the next few months, the new station continued to take shape.
In another update in July 2024, MCFR stated that construction of the new EMS facility was nearing completion.
Marion County Fire Rescue currently operates around 30 different stations across the county.
To view a complete list of local stations, visit Marion County Fire Rescue’s Station Directory.