TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Tampa Mayor Jane Castor showed off a new training facility on Wednesday that is being built for the Tampa Fire Department out of shipping containers.

“This new structure is a state-of-the-art training facility for our firefighters,” Castor said. “It will allow them to practice on a number of different levels and in a number of different environments.”

The head of the Tampa Firefighters Union said much more is needed for the department to be able to keep up with rapid growth in the city.

“It was recommended that 17 stations were needed to keep up with the growth and the demand that was going on in the city,” said Nick Stocco, president of the union.

Castor said she hopes to add more than 30 firefighters to the department.

“And that is one of the reasons that we have asked for the one mil increase in this year’s budget,” Castor said.

Castor doesn’t feel like 17 new fire stations need to be built.

“We’re looking at just updating some of the current facilities that we have, so there is absolutely no need for 17 new fire stations,” she said.

Castor said new advanced life-support ambulances will be purchased and stationed at firehouses that don’t currently have them. She believes that will help reduce response times for emergency calls.

It’s one reason she doesn’t believe new fire stations need to be built just because the population is growing.

“An increase in the population doesn’t automatically necessitate a like number of increase in police and fire,” Castor said. “If you look at the increase in population and density down in the Channelside area, those are all young people, they’re not having medical emergencies.”