Seminole County plans to hire up to 30 additional firefighters and paramedics in the coming months after recently receiving a $7.3 million grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
The new hires will be stationed primarily in the county’s fast-growing southwest side, that includes the busy state roads 436 and 434 corridors and Interstate 4, where motor vehicle accidents often occur, according to county fire officials. “The Seminole County Fire Department is fortunate to receive this grant that will provide service enhancements in the most densely populated areas of the Seminole County,” Seminole Fire Chief Otto Drozd said. “It’s going to help us with call volume.”
The Seminole Fire Department currently has just over 450 frontline firefighters and paramedics serving in 20 stations throughout the county’s unincorporated areas, and in the cities of Altamonte Springs, Winter Springs and Casselberry.