The Florida State Fire College is located at:

11655 NW Gainesville Road
Ocala, FL 34482

This facility is operational year-round with both full-time personnel and trainees who rotate in and out of the facility each semester. The facility includes onsite administrative buildings, dormitory facilities, a cafeteria, classrooms and fire training areas. The facility is served by one onsite potable well and one fire suppression well used for training exercises.

Onsite groundwater contamination by perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), as well as soil contamination have been detected above DEP’s provisional cleanup target levels. DEP continues to work and assess the extent the contamination and oversee the development of a cleanup plan to remove or contain the contamination to prevent environmental impact and human exposure.

DEP advised the Florida Department of Health of these results and directed them to develop and implement a community sampling plan. DOH completed the sampling of 117 potable wells around the Florida State Fire College on Sept. 26, 2019, and found 15 wells that exceeded the Health Advisory Level. DOH efforts are ongoing. 

DEP’s Water Supply Restoration Program is providing bottled water to all interested affected private well owners whose test results exceeded the established EPA Health Advisory Level. This voluntary program also provides funding for a filter, well restoration or connection to public water system as necessary to ensure a safe drinking water supply. This bottled water supply will remain available until one of these options is in place.

A link summarizing important events at this facility is included below.  More information about this site can be accessed through DEP's information portal.  The Facility/Site ID is ERIC_6494.

 

Return to the Fire Training Facility Site Assessments page.

 

Last Modified: Monday, Mar 18, 2024 - 10:19am