Preparing Tampa's Fire Stations for Hurricane Season News General, News Tampa Fire Rescue City of Tampa Hardens Fire Stations Ahead of 2026 Hurricane SeasonAhead of hurricane[...]

Ahead of hurricane season 2026, the City of Tampa is reinforcing several fire stations to improve resilience and ensure uninterrupted emergency response.

Nearly $2.5 million in federal grant funding is supporting weatherization, structural hardening, and emergency power generator upgrades at Fire Stations 3, 12, 13 and 16.

The upgrades include:

• Overhead bay doors replaced with hurricane-rated systems to withstand high wind loads.
• Windows and exterior doors replaced with impact-resistant, hurricane-rated materials.
• Emergency generators upgraded to power entire facilities for multiple days during outages.

"These improvements will help our fire stations stay operational before, during and after severe weather events," said Adriana Colina, City of Tampa Logistics and Asset Management Director. "Our goal is to protect critical infrastructure and maintain emergency services when our community needs them most."

Station-Specific Details:

• Fire Station 3: Weatherization upgrades begin March 2026 and are expected to be completed by August 2026. Grant extended through Aug. 31, 2026. Total cost: $579,074.02.
• Fire Station 12: Hardening completed January 2026. Total cost: $485,935.28.
• Fire Station 13: Hardening completed January 2026. Total cost: $715,723.44.
• Fire Station 16: Weatherization upgrades begin February 2026 and are expected to be completed by August 2026. Grant extended through Oct. 31, 2026. Total cost: $726,742.85.

The upgrades aim to increase fire station resilience during severe weather and ensure uninterrupted emergency response throughout hurricane season.