What the mayor and council seem to conveniently forget is that homeowners and business insurance rates are based on response times by the fire department. Cutting staff or going to volunteer staffing will increase those response times and thereby increase insurance rates for all citizens, in addition to costing lives where seconds do count. Can't wait for election day. Hopefully one of the three candidates running for mayor will understand the importance of the outstanding fire protection the City of Jacksonville Beach Fire Department provides for its citizens.

JSO and JFRD should be immune from budget cuts. These are the people that keep us alive and well.

"That means the agency would rely on volunteers on a regular basis. With high rises, beaches and big crowds, O'Shell says that counting on a volunteer for a life-saving service is a gamble. " Really? In a heavily populated area in 2012? Do you realize that to become a firefighter/paramedic it takes over 1000 hours of training, and close to 100 hours of ongoing training to maintain it? Who has time to hold a paying job, take care of a family, volunteer enough to staff the fire dept, and maintain their certifications? Im sure the mayor and city manager will be the first ones to sign up! Let them lead by example and show how easy it is!