Hillsborough County Fire Rescue marked National First Responder Day with a groundbreaking ceremony for a new fire station that will expand emergency services in South Hillsborough County.
Fire Station No. 47, a $7.8 million project, will be a modern two-bay facility designed to improve response times and support the rapidly growing Ruskin community. The full-service station is scheduled for completion in October 2026 and will house at least five full-time firefighters per shift, along with a fire engine and rescue ambulance. Fire rescue personnel respond to approximately 140,000 emergency calls each year countywide, and the added resources are expected to strengthen coverage across the region.
The new station will include a decontamination area with showers and laundry facilities that firefighters can access immediately after returning from a fire scene. These features are aimed at reducing exposure to harmful carcinogens commonly found in modern fire environments.
Fire Station No. 47 also highlights a strong partnership between local and state agencies and will serve as an example of them working together to enhance public safety for local communities. The building will sit on land owned by the Florida Forest Service and be shared at no cost to the county. Both agencies, which frequently collaborate on wildfire response, will operate side by side on the property along U.S. 301, where a future traffic light is planned to support safe emergency access. Similar land-use agreements already support Fire Station No. 36 in Dover and the planned Fire Station No. 49 north of Tampa International Airport.
County commissioners, many of whom participated in the ceremony, joined firefighters for a series of commemorative photographs marking the start of construction.
For more information, contact Hillsborough County Public Relations Officer Jessica Coy at coyj@hcfl.gov or Media Relations Strategist Jose Patino at 813-247-6607 or patinoj@hcflgov.net.
You must be logged in to post a comment.