TAMPA, Fla. — A dire warning has been issued by Hillsborough County firefighters. On Wednesday, union members told county commissioners if they don’t build more firehouses immediately, people will die.
“We are at the point where we are nervous for the citizens of this county," Hillsborough County Fire Rescue Union President Derrick Ryan said.
Firefighters packed the county commission chambers to sound an alarm of their own.
“We are in desperate times right now,” Ryan said. “We have to just start building fire stations for the citizens of this county."
The union says the county, which currently has 43 fire stations, needs 30 more based on Hillsborough’s own projections, and because of the shortfall, response rates are not where they need to be.
“As a lieutenant on the rescue unit, it’s very frustrating, because it’s my job to save lives,” said firefighter Tobi Porter. “That’s what I want to do every day. And sometimes, I’m not in time.”
The county had planned to build 30 fire stations over the last decade; instead, they’ve built one.
Meanwhile, firefighters say the number of rescue calls has climbed from 80,000 10 years ago to 110,000 this past year.
“That’s crazy,” said Ryan. “We should’ve had 20 fire stations in that time frame. We have to keep up with the growth.”
If and when the county starts building firehouses again, it will likely be in the Sun City Center area, where they currently have one firehouse.
But there has been tremendous growth in the southern part of the county, and some firefighters say occasionally their response time can be compromised.
“I’d say it needs two or three more,” said Kenneth Napier, who lives in nearby Ruskin.
“It could be a life-and-death situation and then they don’t make it,” said Debbie Ferris, who lives in Sun City Center.
Hillsborough Fire Chief Dennis Jones says they’ve now contracted for a new master plan, which they intend to present to the Hillsborough commission sometime next month.
Jones isn’t sure they’ll get the funding: “But I would say the goal of 10 to 12 years, 25 stations has been relatively consistent,” he said.
Union members say given the commission’s track record, that might be too optimistic.
Instead, they’re asking board members to commit to at least one fire station each year until they get up to speed.
When the department opened its newest station last year, Chief Jones said his department had a response time goal of six to seven minutes, 90 percent of the time. Instead, they were meeting that goal about half as often.
“We need more rescue units today,” said Ryan. “Not squads, transport units that take people to the hospital. We need them today.”
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