Fire Chief Hezedean A. Smith was formally sworn in during a ceremony to unveil a new Polk County Fire and Rescue fire station.
During his swearing-in speech, Smith stressed his goal to build strong relationships within the public safety agency and with the rest of the community. Overall, he characterized the direction of the agency will be to become an inclusive, can-do, high-performing 21st-century team for Polk County residents.
Smith also listed six pillars to describe his priorities as the new leader of the organization. He said a targeted and innovative approach to recruiting and retaining first responders with diversity in mind would be a top goal. He plans to look beyond Florida for certified public safety professionals and was open to recruits from all levels of education, lived experience, and military backgrounds, among other segments of a more diverse pool of potential first responders.
“I’ll be looking for opportunities to leverage in areas not considered in the past,” Smith said. He also said “competitive wages, benefits, and a positive organizational culture” would be part of his labor management approach.
“To foster a sense of belonging and engagement among our members by reinforcing the commitment to the organization’s mission, vision and values will be critical in building a strong relationship and continuing the relationship that we have within this organization that we have moving forward,” he added.
Other priorities include striving for a quality, high-standard level of service, being more accountable, and more transparent in agency communication, and utilizing data for decision-making. Smith said within three years, he wants the all-hazards pre-hospital 24-hour public safety agency to gain national accreditation.
With multiple credentials, Smith has a doctorate degree in management. His annual salary will be $160,000.
The dual ceremony yesterday also highlighted the Winston Creek fire station. It will cover the western section of the county and is a state-of-the-art facility, the fifth such prototype in fire station design within Polk County.
In addition to the latest design, it will house a containment area for firefighters’ equipment after fire calls to stop the spread of carcinogens they encounter in burning buildings to the fire station and a place to scrub the gear.
The design of the $4-million 11,500-square-foot fire station is being duplicated throughout the county as 13 new fire and rescue facilities are either open already or planned following approval by Polk County commissioners.
Three other stations have been opened already under the expansion of public safety facilities countywide, which are in Kathleen, Frostproof, and the Laughman Oaks area of Davenport, according to Keith Tate, facilities management director. More stations are in the pipeline, including ones planned along Watkins Road and Moore Road.
According to Smith, there were 120,000 calls for service in 2022 by Polk County Fire Rescue. For comparison, Polk County responded to 118,709 calls in 2021 and at that time it put the agency as the third busiest fire department in Florida, according to the county.
Polk County Fire Rescue has more than 600 employees and 45 fire stations across 2,000 square miles of coverage area.