Due to population and business growth outside The Villages, Sumter County will need four more fire stations, county fire chief Rob Hanson told commissioners Tuesday at a workshop meeting.
Hanson said the county also will need three additional fire engines plus two replacement engines as well as a ladder truck with a rescue bucket for multi-family residential developments. Higher volume water trucks and a heavy duty rescue unit also will be needed.
The county department provides fire and emergency medical services outside The Villages, which operates its own department.
Since Oct 1., the Villages Fire Department has provided emergency medical services with its own ambulances. Awaiting delivery of a dozen ambulances, the county department currently operates as a hybrid system with American Medical Response (AMR), a private, national company that used to provide countywide ambulance service until last fall.