SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. – Seminole County is implementing changes to enhance safety for its firefighters after several car break-ins.
“So, in the last couple of years, and not just with Seminole County, but throughout Central Florida, there’s been a lot of fire departments, fire stations that have been targeted and our firefighters’ vehicles have been broken into,” Seminole County Fire Department Chief Matt Kinley said.
On Tuesday, Seminole County Commissioners allocated $184,250 from their budget to the fire protection fund for safety improvements.
“So far with a couple of our stations, the ones that have been broken into, we’ve already implemented some better light features. I know that the parking lot in the area is more lit up and we put in cameras,” Kinley explained. “Now we’re putting in fences, that physical impediment that would, hopefully, deter somebody from targeting a fire station and just move on to something else,” he explained.
Commissioners also allocated $135,000 to hire three emergency communication dispatchers. The National Fire Protection Association reports that from 1980 to 2023, fire department calls have increased by 292 percent. It’s a similar story in Seminole County, where the call load has surged over the past decade.
“Over the past 10 years, our call load has increased by well over 200%. We’ve only increased our staffing by about 6% in that time,” Kinley said. “Seminole County is an absolutely wonderful place to live and people are moving into Seminole County. But it is not just our current residents, it’s also that pass through traffic. Our population increases at least 50% throughout the day just with the travel and to work and getting to other parts of Central Florida.”
The approval of the funds for the fences means they can be installed immediately at stations 12 and 14. The chief mentioned they are working through the budgetary process to have them installed at all other stations in the next few years.
“We want our first responders to feel safe when they’re coming to work. They’re out helping save lives and property. We want their property to be safe when they’re not there,” Kinley said.
