TAMPA, Fla. — Hillsborough County Fire Rescue (HCFR) will hire 47 new firefighters after receiving a federal grant of almost $12 million from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Department of Homeland Security, according to a news release.
The firefighter positions will be able to help staff the two new fire stations coming online in the next year in Central Brandon and in Riverview, the release reports. These new station locations will decrease response times for emergency calls so that rescue personnel can get to residents more quickly.
The Fire Rescue staff reportedly wrote the application for the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant.
The news release says the county was awarded the fourth-largest grant among 300 departments across the nation.
These two new fire stations are part of the county's plan that calls for 24 more stations across the county to meet the population growth and lower response times.
This is now Hillsborough County's second SAFER grant after being rewarded their first one in 2017, according to HCFR leaders. The $12 million grant will be put towards the salary and benefits for the new firefighters for three years and has no match requirement.
