If you have watched my coverage of Tampa Fire Rescue over the years, you have heard this conversation before. The city is growing. The population is booming. And fire rescue has not kept pace. For years, firefighters, union lead ers, city leaders, and residents in North Tampa have sounded the alarm about the strain on the system, and the ask has been the same: Tampa needs a new fire station.On Monday, that ask finally got an answer.Watch report from Jada Williams Decades of growth, one overloaded fire station: Tampa breaks ground on long-awaited Station 24The city of Tampa broke ground on Fire Station 24 in the Terrace Park neighborhood, marking the first new fire station with suppression apparatus built in the city proper since the 1980s. The station will be located at 4902 E. Whiteway Dr.The moment was a long time coming. Station 13, located near Bush and 30th Street, has carried an enormous burden as North Tampa's population has grown. At one point, it handled 1 out of every 9 calls to Tampa Fire Rescue, making it one of the busiest stations in the entire city. To help manage the load, a Station 24 crew had already been working out of Station 13, essentially doubling up in a space not designed for it."Right over off of Bush and 30th Street are right close to 30th Street, but that has historically been one of the busiest stations in our city. Matter of fact, at one point they handled one out of nine calls to Tampa Fire Rescue," Mayor Jane Castor said.Now, Station 24 is getting a home of its own. Nick Stocco, president of Tampa Firefighters Local 754, has been one of the loudest voices pushing for this moment. He has spoken about this need before, explaining how the gap between Tampa's growth and its fire rescue infrastructure has put real pressure on both the people calling for help and the people answering those calls."The city proper hasn't had an additional fire station with suppression apparatus since the 1980s. We've seen significant growth in the city, so I think this is a memorable, concrete day that this is going to provide better service for the residents as well as the guests for the city of Tampa and in this area," Stocco said.The turnout at Monday's groundbreaking said everything. Firefighters and paramedics showed up in force, and the energy was unmistakable. When asked whether that showing was proof of just how much this moment means to the people who run into burning buildings for a living, Stocco did not hesitate."Absolutely, the relief is not only going to provide for the citizens and the guests of the city, but also too for the firefighters who do respond to the calls. So their show of support is how important, how much this means to them, and it is a wonderful day," Stocco said.And when it comes to what this means for response times, the data will tell the story over time. But the direction is clear. "The data that they're going to study daily is going to prove that. But one thing for certain is that this station now being over here and the firefighters being able to respond from here is going to reduce the response time from when they were responding over in the Busch Gardens area. So this is going to definitely improve response times for those in this geographical area, as well as when they provide backup service to other units," Stocco said.Tampa Fire Rescue Chief Barbara Tripp made clear that this station is about more than bricks and mortar. It is about the people inside it."We are investing in the future of public safety in North Tampa, in the health and safety of the firefighters and paramedics who will be stationed here at this location and responding to their calls, they will assume this as their second home," Tripp said.Fire Station 24 is a modern, one-story ADA-accessible facility that includes living quarters, administrative spaces, 4 apparatus bays, a training tower, and infrastructure to support crews around the clock. The layout eliminates stairwells and elevators so crews can move quickly from living and working areas to the apparatus floor the moment a call comes in.The station also incorporates sustainable design elements intended to promote a healthier work environment and reduce firefighter exposure to carcinogens. It features reinforced concrete exterior walls, impact-rated openings, and emergency systems designed to withstand hurricane-force winds. The building will be elevated above the 100-year flood plain and include stormwater retention to keep crews operational during severe weather.For Terrace Park resident Cynthia Graham, who has lived in the neighborhood since 1988, Monday felt like a victory. She lives 0.6 miles from the future station site and has been involved with the Terrace Park Neighborhood Association for 20 years. She has watched this conversation play out for a long time, and she showed up Monday ready to celebrate."I am quote a senior citizen now, so it's refreshing to know that we have help right away, and we have the area, so I prefer a fire station versus a lot of other options that they were considering," Graham said.It is the kind of perspective that puts everything in focus. Most people do not think about how far away the nearest fire station is until they need one. For residents in this part of North Tampa, that question had a troubling answer for far too long.The city has not been standing still in the meantime. Since 2021, Tampa has hired 239 new firefighters. Since 2020, it has added 7 new engines and 18 new rescue units to its fleet. The city also opened Station 25 in Sulphur Springs, added new fireboats, and modernized its dispatch system with automated vehicle locators on all units, a process Castor described as a five-year lift that now allows dispatchers to get the nearest unit to every emergency.But even as the city celebrates this milestone, Castor used the groundbreaking to warn about what could threaten the progress.Amendment 3, a proposed measure on the ballot, would, if passed by 60% of voters, significantly reduce property taxes. In a state with no individual income tax, Castor said property taxes are the backbone of city services."We derive the majority of our funding for Tampa Fire Rescue, Tampa Police Department, our Parks and Recreation, and a myriad of other needs through our property tax. So a cut in our property tax would be a cut in TFR service, a cut in the Tampa Police Department service, and certainly a cut in the myriad of recreational services, facilities, paving-you name it," Castor said.Stocco echoed that the work is not finished, even with Monday's groundbreaking."This is for the meantime. This is going to definitely provide some relief and some response time. So we're very happy for that, and we're always looking to increase the additional units to provide better response to the citizens. And like the mayor said, Chief Tripp has been adding units and adding people, and we need to celebrate that," Stocco said.ADK designed the station, with Kokalakis serving as the contractor and Collier as the project manager. ...read more read less