Tampa gets new fire trucks; mayor, union disagree on Channelside fire station
TAMPA - If you call 911 in the city of Tampa, first responders now have a fleet of new emergency vehicles to bring to your aid, but the firefighters union says the city still needs to hire at least 49 firefighters, and it wants a new fire station built to cover the fast-growing Channelside and Water Street area.
"It’s 100% needed. It is a dire need. We have reached the max capacity," says Nick Stocco, president of the Tampa Firefighters Union.
However, Tampa Mayor Jane Castor says Tampa has enough firefighters and Channelside can be safely covered by the existing downtown fire station.
"Understanding that 90% of our calls are medical and looking at the demographics of who's living down in that area, they're not calling for fire-rescue," says Castor.
The union also has a problem with two big firetrucks downtown being staffed by just one crew. They’re assigned to Ladder truck 1 and they’re also assigned to Heavy Rescue Truck 1.
"Ladder Truck 1 is the busiest truck apparatus in the city and those people who are out on a call would have to leave the call or heavy rescue gets delayed,"says Stocco.
Castor says one four-person crew can manage the two trucks.
"Having an additional heavy rescue group downtown just to sit and wait is not a good use of our resources," says Castor.
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She and the union president agree that the fleet upgrade is worth celebrating.
Castor called it the biggest boost to Tampa Fire Rescue in generations, but disagreements over staffing and the need for a Channelside fire station will likely continue as Tampa experiences exploding growth.
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