How Hillsborough County Fire Rescue handles big crew appetites on a budget
TAMPA, Fla. - Grocery shopping costs families more money now due to inflation, and it also impacts firefighters who pool their money to shop and save for their fire stations.
At Hillsborough County Fire Rescue Station 46, Ryan Travis is not only a fire medic but also the cook for the B shift.
"I enjoy cooking. So I started doing it, and I guess I never stopped," said Travis.
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He helps to feed 10 people, and six years in, it’s a job that normally wouldn’t be his.
"When I first started working for the fire department, it was the newest guy was the cook. So, once I started cooking it was terrible. The food was pretty bad," said Travis. "As newer guys came, the food was always bad. So, I just continued to cook, because I enjoyed it."
When they all come in for work, they have a meeting where they discuss their tasks for the day.
"One of the most important decisions of the day is what we’re going to eat for lunch and dinner," said Rob Herrin, the public safety information chief at Hillsborough County Fire Rescue.
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What’s on the menu often depends on what’s on sale for the firefighters to pay for using their own money.
"Today, the lunch that we had, we had burgers. The meat was on sale for that and then most of the ingredients for the chicken marsala was on sale as well. So, that’s why we ended up doing that," said Travis. "Every station, what we do is everyone puts in $20 and that’s the food bill for the day."
Then, the Station 46 firefighters go to their closest grocery store in Riverview, and their cash has to stretch, especially with inflation.
"When I first started working here actually, we were spending about $15 each on food, each on food items. Now it’s up to about $20," said Travis.
With their grocery bags in hand, they load up their fire truck and head back to unpack the groceries. It’s a team effort to keep the kitchen stocked.
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"We have a thing called a kitty. All three shifts come together, and they put money towards it. One individual will go to a wholesale club, usually Sam’s or Costco, and they’ll purchase all the bulk items," said Herrin.
Herrin said that happens once a month, and the kitty is their pantry. They also keep a running log of what items the kitchen is in need of.
"The standard things around the kitchen you have at home: Salt, pepper, seasonings, Ziploc bags, foil, coffee," said Herrin.
Yet, their time is anything but standard.
"It’s gotta be something that can stand up to being abandoned," Herrin.
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