FLORIDA RIGS

[srq2009]

Hillsborough County is the same as Miami-Dade, in that each of the 4 departments start their numbering from 1. Tampa has Stations 1 to 22, Hillsborough County has stations 1 to 42, and Temple Terrace and Plant City both have Stations 1 and 2. The numbering for the units varies - City of Tampa is straightforward (E1, R1, T1 at Station 1), same for Plant City. Hillsborough County does the same, however there is one station with 2 engines (Engine 14 and Engine 14A)...and Temple Terrace has Station 1 (Engine 11, Rescue 11, Rescue 12), and Station 2 (Engine 21, Ladder 21).



Curiously enough, there is one area of the county where Tampa Engine 21, Temple Terrace Engine 21, and Hillsborough County Engine 21 all have intersecting response areas (I-75/Fletcher Avenue area).



Of course, I'm a proponent of a countywide numbering system. Pinellas County did it in the...80s (?), 90s (?)...and seems to do well with automatic aid, closest-unit response, etc. Those are two separate issues though - numbering and the aid agreements/dispatching. The MABAS system in metro Chicago is interesting...where a handful of small-medium departments band together to form a common dispatch and numbering system (not tied to county boundaries). I think there are at least 3 'sets' of MABAS departments.