TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — In late November, a 52-year-old man fell off a two-story roof in South Tampa and later died of his injuries.
Neighbors said it took nearly 20 minutes for first responders to arrive, even though they live just four minutes away from Tampa Fire Station 19.
On the day of the accident, Station 19 was busy fighting a house fire and other units had to be sent from other parts of the city. Now, Tampa’s fire chief says station 19 will be getting a new advanced life support rescue unit that can transport patients.
“My plan is to implement an additional resource in the south of Gandy area and it’s not because of an incident that took place,” Chief Barbara Tripp told the city council.
Chief Tripp said she’s allocating more resources to station 19 because of rapid growth in the area.
“I have reviewed a lot of that data and information and I’m placing resources where they’re needed,” Tripp said.
Emilio Monte called 911 the day the 52-year-old man fell off the roof and he waited nearly 20 agonizing minutes for help to arrive.
Monte said he’s just thankful Station 19 will be getting more resources, but he’s concerned it’s not enough.
“There has been tremendous growth in this area,” Monte said. “The city keeps approving not just large residential development projects but also multiple apartment complexes.”
He said he just wants the city to provide the resources that are needed in the area, based on its population growth.
“That’s all that we want them to do. If you are going to approve these projects, allocate the resources,” he added.
