TAMPA, Fla. — A new fire station on the Pasco-Hillsborough County line opening this week will reduce response times in an area of explosive growth, Tampa fire officials say.

Fire Station No. 23 located at 20770 Trout Creek Drive, Tampa, will help alleviate strain on the three fire jurisdictions in the extreme northern part of the city limits.

"It's an area that you know you have response times that are a little bit longer, because you don't have anything (within) a mile (to) one and a half miles from that particular area," said Mark Bogush, assistant chief of operations for Tampa Fire Rescue, explaining about the new Fire Station 23 and what it means for Tampa residents.

The biggest response time improvements will come for people in the Live Oak and Hampton Preserve neighborhoods. 

Tampa Fire Rescue says the new station is also in a good position to help neighboring Hillsborough County and Pasco county firefighters.

"It has been needed for years. You know, it's a corner of the city that we don't really have any close protection for," Bogush said.

The fire crews and equipment are moving in to Fire Station 23 and have been on the job for about six months now. They have been used at other fire stations up until now, to assist with their calls.