O n February 23, 2017, Hillsborough County celebrated the grand opening of its new Public Safety Operations Complex. Fire Chief Dennis Jones, alongside members of the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners, cut the ribbon in front of hundreds of people from the community. The $36.1 million complex sits on 24 acres and houses all facets of Hillsborough County Fire Rescue. According to Fire Chief Dennis Jones: “This new facility brings all of Hillsborough County Fire Rescue’s buildings into one location. All the different operations, training, Emergency Operation Center (EOC), Dispatch Center, Fire Administration, and Logistics warehouse. It’s all under one roof now, and on one piece of property.” Hillsborough County is located on the west coast of Florida and is vulnerable to hurricanes and coastal flooding. Unincorporated Hillsborough County encompasses 909 square miles and is home to 840,000 residents. To serve the community, Hillsborough County Fire Rescue operates 42 fire stations and one rescue station and employs a staff of over 1100. The 2004 hurricane season birthed the discussion of this building. With an emergency operations center that outgrew its capacity, it was time to look to the future with a centralized location and up-to-date technology designed to grow with Hillsborough County. Construction began in 2015 on the 56,000 sq. ft. building that can withstand the winds of a Category 5 hurricane. It houses Fire Rescue Administration Offices, 120-seat EOC, Logistics supply warehouse, and our future 16-console Emergency Dispatch Center (EDC). At the center of the 24.5 acre complex is the three bay Fire Rescue fleet. It has hydraulic lifts that can raise 100,000 lb. vehicles and all Fire Rescue Fleet Operations will take place here. Hillsborough County Fire Rescue maintains over 250 vehicles ranging from ladder trucks and water tankers to sedans. To keep vehicles on the road and in service, fleet mechanics will have the capacity to work on six vehicles indoors and an additional four units in the covered area outdoors. Located at the rear of the facility are the brand-new training grounds housing the 3,000 sq ft. Dräger Phase 5 burn building. A first of its kind for HCFR, it allows our training officers to provide high quality evolutions keeping firefighters trained in the latest techniques. An LP prop field, vehicle extrication site, and training classrooms are also available. “Having our own facility here, especially one of this magnitude, is going to enable us to deliver seamless training to over 1,300 firefighters, and that’s a good thing because we rely on our training.” Said Training Officer, Chris Stark. “Now because of the Commissioners’ support, and the support of the citizens we have a facility worthy of this great organization.” Said Chief Jones. With the completion of this complex, Hillsborough County Fire Rescue can better serve its growing community now and in years to come. FLORIDA FIRE SERVICE June 2017 14 HCFR Opens New Headquarters