CELEBRATE BLACK HISTORY MONTH AT THE TAMPA BAY HISTORY CENTER

The Tampa Bay History Center will celebrate Black History Month this February with a number of special events. The monthlong celebration will culminate with a Black History Month Reception.

First up is Sangria and Stories: Tampa’s NFL History on Thursday, February 2 from 6-7:15 p.m. Fred Hearns, curator of black history, will lead the presentation. Tickets are $20.

On Wednesday, February 15 at 6:30 p.m., you can join Lisa Armstrong, Ph.D. as she shares stories and research from her quest to uncover the history of Carver City-Lincoln Gardens. This is a free event.

Te Tampa History Center will hold its annual Black History Reception on Friday, February 24. Te keynote speaker is NFL Hall of Fame player Derrick Brooks. Tis year’s event caps of a month of special events celebrating Black History Month

On Saturday, February 25 from 12 Noon-3 p.m., hear about the historic Rogers Park Golf Course and its service to the black community as told by Lionel Ballard, West Tampa native and outreach coordinator for First Tee of Tampa Bay. Gallery admission is included.

After a month of special events and previewing a new exhibit about local black history opening this summer, come on Friday, February 24 to the Tampa Bay History Center for the Black History Month Reception. The reception begins at 5:30 p.m. at the Tampa Bay History Center’s TECO Hall. Tickets are $75. Advance tickets are required.

By Kathy L. Collins

Space is limited.

Derrick Brooks is the keynote speaker. On Thursday, January 26, Tampa celebrates the 20th anniversary of the Bucs’ first Super Bowl win with Brooks as their co-captain. This began his 14-year hall-of-fame career.

The reception will also honor Reverend Dr. Bernard LaFayette Jr., a native of Tampa. He co-founded the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee in 1960 and has spent decades as a Civil Rights Movement activist, minister, educator and lecturer on strategy and nonviolent social change. The reception will include the presentation of an award named for Dr. LaFayette for preserving and honoring black history. He is the author of In Peace and Freedom: My Journey in Selma.

In addition, funds will be presented to an outstanding Thurgood Marshall History Club at a Hillsborough County middle school. Local chapters allow students to learn, discuss and participate in activities related to black history.

For more information on events and the Tampa Bay History Center, which is located at 801 Water St. in downtown Tampa, please visit www.tampabayhistorycenter. org.

Brandon Fire Station Celebrates

GRAND OPENING & HIGH-TECH FEATURES

Hillsborough County Fire Rescue Station

45, located at 1209 Oakfield Dr. in Brandon, was celebrated with a ribbon-cutting in January.

“With the density of Brandon, the need for the station was overwhelming,” said Rob Herrin, spokesperson for Hillsborough County Fire Rescue (HCFR), who for many of his 17 years as a first responder worked at Station 11 in Brandon.

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So great was the need, Herrin said, Station 45 first responders and equipment were housed in temporary shelter during construction and the station’s engine today ranks among the top five in call volume countywide. According to Herrin, HCFR eclipsed 139,000 calls last year, a 23.1 percent increase over the previous five years.

Herrin said HCFR Fire Chief Dennis Jones for years has pushed to increase the station count in Hillsborough to keep up with its growth. According to U.S. census data for 2010 to 2020, Hillsborough, behind Orange, is the second fastest-growing county in the state and ranks 14th among counties nationwide. Hillsborough’s 230,536 resident increase brought its population to 1.46 million people.

Ribbon-cuttings on January 3 and

By Linda Chion

4, respectively, were held in Brandon and for HCFR Station 29 in Apollo Beach, located at 6720 N. U.S. Hwy. 41, which is a replacement station and outfitted to respond to emergencies by land and sea. Both stations sport state-of-theart safety features, including isolated sleeping quarters, individualized alarms and a firefighter decontamination area for first responders.

“After a structure fire, byproducts of combustion that are carcinogenic get on their clothes and skin,” Herrin said. “It’s a pretty big health initiative, putting a private shower in the bay before entering the living quarters.” Separate alarms for responders assigned to engines and ambulances lessen the incidence of sleep deprivation, which is another health benefit,” Herrin said.

Brandon’s station is the first new station completed since the most recent update of HCFR’s capital facilities master plan, approved in 2019. Updated regularly to address the changing needs of growing communities, the plan calls for 24 additional fire stations.

The Brandon station houses an advanced life support fire engine and rescue ambulance. Six firefighters per shift are set to operate from the station 24 hours per day, seven days a week.