Hillsborough County, Fla. (Nov. 13, 2024) - Hillsborough County Fire Rescue (HCFR) welcomes 30 new firefighters who will receive their assignments to a shift and station at a graduation ceremony this week.
The graduates in this fall's class come from a variety of cultural backgrounds, speak different languages, and are military veterans, college athletes, a newlywed, and a firefighter who once played in the Little League World Series.
In a ceremony at Riverhills Church of God on Friday, the County's newest firefighters will receive the HCFR shield for their helmet and get pinned by a loved one. All graduates will begin their assignments next week.
HCFR has nearly 1,200 firefighters at 47 fire stations serving the 1.1 million residents of unincorporated Hillsborough County. The new firefighters will be stationed in fire houses from VanDyke Road to Sun City Center and from Citrus Park to Apollo Beach.
All of the new firefighters are state-certified and are Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs). Four of them are also state-certified Paramedics. For the past five weeks, the recruit class has been through a Hillsborough-specific orientation to get them ready for their first days on the job.
Recruit Class 2024-03 Pinning Ceremony
Who: Hillsborough County Fire Rescue
Where: Riverhills Church of God, 6310 E. Sligh Ave., Tampa, FL 33617
When: 2:30 p.m., Friday, Nov. 15, 2024