13 new recruits join Tampa Fire Rescue: 'We only hire the best'

TAMPA, Fla. - Tampa Fire Rescue officially welcomed 13 new recruits on Friday. 

"Here at the City of Tampa, we only hire the best. And so you represent the best of what is out there in our community," Tampa Mayor Jane Castor said during Friday’s swearing-in ceremony.

"This is a well diverse class," Tampa Fire Chief Barbara Tripp told FOX 13. "We have different races in here. We have different nationalities in here. We have different genders in here. We have Spanish-speaking individuals in here. So it's going to represent the community very well."

One of the new recruits, 20-year-old Elijah Pettway, told FOX 13 he’s always dreamed of becoming a firefighter. 

"Just the art of just helping people," Pettway said. "It's just that calling that I had."

On August 18, 2022, the Chamberlain High School graduate helped save a woman and her two grandchildren from a residential fire. 

"I'm thinking they were confused on what was going on. And then they seen the smoke, and then they were trying to get out," Pettway said. 

Pettway was awarded the bronze medal of valor during an October 2022 event that was emceed by FOX 13’s Linda Hurtado. 

"I mean, it just drove me even more to chase my dream," Pettway said of the August 2022 incident. "And now, here I am."

Pettway joined his fellow recruits for Friday’s pinning ceremony, which included two sons of two existing firefighters. 

"Those individuals tell me that the parents love the City of Tampa so much that they want their family to continue that tradition of being able to help the community," Tripp said. 

Sunday will mark the new recruits’ first day on the job, responding to 911 calls by Tampa residents. 

"And you are the ones that show up," Castor said. "And not only provide them the medical care that will keep them alive, but you also provide that hope."

Tripp told FOX 13 that Tampa Fire Rescue still needs to hire 25 more firefighters. 10 of those spots are due to retirements, according to the chief. Interested applicants can apply starting next month. 

For more information, visit tampa.gov/fire-rescue/info/employment-opportunities.

WATCH FOX 13 NEWS:

SIGN UP: Click here to sign up for the FOX 13 daily newsletter