NEW TAMPA, Fla. — Residents in parts of New Tampa could soon see a different fire department responding to emergencies.
On Wednesday, Hillsborough County commissioners approved a new interlocal agreement with Pasco County Fire Rescue, replacing the county's longtime partnership with the City of Tampa for fire services in portions of northeastern Hillsborough County.
Watch report from Annette Gutierrez
The agreement, which takes effect Oct. 1, covers areas along Bruce B. Downs Boulevard near County Line Road, including Pebble Creek, Cross Creek, East Meadows, Live Oak, Wharton High School and surrounding neighborhoods.
Residents hope for faster response times
For some residents, the change comes after years of concerns about emergency response times.
Pebble Creek resident Sandy Feldman said she once waited half an hour after calling 911.
"We waited, and waited, and waited 35 minutes before somebody showed up and by that time I was recovering, thank goodness, because if I wasn't recovering, I'd probably been dead," Feldman said. "We have said it's unacceptable."
She said she hopes the new agreement will improve service for residents living near the county line.
"I really don't know if it's going to get better with Pasco County or if it's going to be awful, all I know is that the more cars we have, and the more traffic we have, and the more people living here, the worse it's gonna get," Feldman said.
Why the county is making the change
According to county documents, the City of Tampa has provided fire rescue services to these Hillsborough County neighborhoods through various agreements since 1988 because its stations were the closest.
Hillsborough County Fire and Pasco County agreement by Tampa Bay 28
County leaders voted to end that agreement on Sept. 30 and begin a new partnership with Pasco County Fire Rescue on Oct. 1.
Under the new agreement, Hillsborough County will pay Pasco County Fire Rescue $250,000 annually. The county's current agreement with the City of Tampa was projected to cost about $890,330 in 2027.
Public Safety Information Chief for Hillsborough County Fire Rescue, Rob Herrin, said this will benefit the community financially and operationally.
"The contract that we have had for decades with the City of Tampa — we reevaluated that, and what we're doing with Pasco now is a little bit more fiscally responsible," Herrin said.
The agreement also allows Hillsborough County to station one of its own ambulances at Pasco County Fire Station 26 near County Line Road. The ambulance will primarily respond to medical calls in the service area while also supporting Pasco County when needed.
"We don't have a fire station in that area, so we are kind of pairing up with Pasco County to use theirs," Herrin said. "We can run those EMS calls into New Tampa, [and] Pasco will help on the fire side, if there's structure fires into that location."
A long-term partnership
Pasco County Fire Rescue Chief Ryan Guynn said the agreement is designed to strengthen emergency response on both sides of the county line.
"Anytime you get more resources located in a general vicinity that are dedicated to a certain area, it's a benefit all the way around," Guynn said. "If we have a need in our zone — if for some reason our units are out of the area — they're going to help us with backing up our area as well," "If they need assistance with their area, we're going to be there to help them as well."
Guynn said the agreement creates a more permanent working relationship between the neighboring agencies.
"It's more of a long-term mutual aid agreement instead of a case-by-case," he said.
The new agreement takes effect Oct. 1.
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