Port Tampa Bay is pleased to announce the hiring of Emilio F. Salabarria as the port’s new director of safety and training.  In his new role, Salabarria, 51, will be responsible for the safety of all port operations, while also focusing on community outreach on port safety initiatives.

A Tampa native, Salabarria will retire from Tampa Fire Rescue (TFR) after 29 years of service, and his first official day with Port Tampa Bay will be March 3.  His most recent post with TFR is chief of special operations.  In this position, he has been involved with the mitigation of many complicated incidents in and around the port. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a master’s degree in critical incident management.

“We are extremely pleased to bring on Mr. Salabarria, who brings to the port many, many years of expertise in security, safety, and fire and hazmat operations, and he knows this community and the port inside and out,” Paul Anderson, port president and CEO, said.  “We are very eager to put his vast knowledge and enthusiasm to work for the benefit of the port and the community in general.”

Anderson’s announcement of Salabarria’s hiring was at the inaugural Port Safety and Risk Mitigation Summit, held today at the Tampa Marriott Waterside, attended by key members of the port community and first responders from local, state and federal agencies.