Tampa fire rescue gets boost from remodeled Sulphur Springs station

TAMPA, Fla. - In Tampa, the life-saving sound of a paramedic’s siren could be delayed. As the city grows, first responders try to keep up with more calls.

"It normally takes about two and a half years for a fire station to be built, but this community can’t wait for two and a half years," says Barbara Tripp, the new chief of Tampa Fire Rescue, who is overseeing the remodeling and reactivation of a fire station on East Fairbanks in Sulphur Springs. 

That station has been used by the police K-9 unit in recent years.

The remodeled station in Sulphur Springs will only provide rescue services, not fire. Two rescue vehicles will be housed at the station. Fire department officials say medical calls are the chief need here. 

When the reactivated rescue station opens it will relieve some of the pressure on Station 13 near Busch Gardens. 

As FOX 13 News has reported, it is the busiest in Tampa and one of the busiest in the nation. It inspired councilman Luis Viera to call for a new city-wide public safety master plan.

"As we grow as a city we have to have corresponding infrastructure and public safety investments," says Viera. "That hasn’t happened in all of the city of Tampa, so we’re playing catch-up with that." 

Surprisingly, the massive. multi-billion dollar Water Street development downtown doesn’t include a fire station or additional firefighters and paramedics to protect it.

"It’s in the works, trust me," says Tripp. "We’re in the process of adding additional resources down there as well." 

Remodeling the fire station in Sulphur Springs used $3.4 million in federal money that came to Tampa from the American Rescue Act, passed by Congress earlier this year. More may be needed for fire rescue to keep up with calls in a growing Tampa.