$12 Million FEMA Grant Adds 47 Firefighter Positions to Brandon and Riverview

BRANDON, FL — Forty-seven new firefighter positions will be added to Hillsborough County Fire Rescue (HCFR) after securing a federal grant of about $12 million from FEMA and the Department of Homeland Security, a news release said.

The new positions will staff two new fire stations, one in Central Brandon and the other in Riverview, opening within the next year. Officials said this will decrease firefighter response time to homes in the Riverview and Brandon areas for emergency calls. Nearby stations have had duties of responding to emergency situations in these areas. Following the official opening operations of the two stations, the nearby ones will not be as overwhelmed.

The grant was awarded through an application for the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant, and the county was given the fourth largest grant among 300 departments across the nation, according to local officials.

Brandon is among the largest unincorporated communities in the state, and a new fire station in the central part of the community will provide much needed service in the area.
Riverview is among the fastest-growing parts of Hillsborough County, and HCFR was able to secure a prime property at U.S. Highway 301 and Rhodine Road to provide quick access to the community and reduce response times in the southern part of the county.

The two new fire stations are part of the County’s master plan, which calls for 24 more stations across the county to meet the population growth and lower response times.

This is Hillsborough’s second SAFER grant. HCFR also was awarded a SAFER grant in 2017. The latest grant will pay 100 percent of the salary and benefits for the new firefighters for three years and has no match requirement.