RICH IN THE PERFECT WORLD THAT WOULD BE WONDERFUL
BUT HERE THEY CAN NOT BUY TURN OUT GEAR ,
AND IF YOU HAD NOT GOT THEM SOME FROM YOUR FIRE HOUSE
THEY WOULD HAVE VERY LITTLE .
HELL I HAD TO BUY THEM A MICRO WAVE .
WHAT FIRE HOUSE HAS NO COOKING EQUPT.LOL.
THE FIRE PROTECTION HERE IS A AFTER THOUGHT
SAD TO SAY THE GUYS WORK HARD WITH NOT TO MUCH SURPORT.
THE ISLAND IS GROWING WITH VERY LITTLE THOUGHT FOR FIRE DEPT PRE PLANNING.HIGH RISE FOUR STORY OMG .NO LADDER TO REACH THEM .THIS LIST GOES ON AND ON .
AND ALMOST NO PROPER INSPECTION !!! IT WILL COME BACK TO BITE THEM IN THE BUTT ONE DAY ..GOD FORBID
I KNOW IT WAS ONCE A SLEEPY FISHING TOWN AND IT IS WHAT IT IS .BUT I WOULD LOVE TO HELP
AND SEE THEM GO FORWARD AND SEE IT GET BETTER..ALL SHOULD GET INVOLED AND HELP.

For a community on the water, where much of the island is only a few blocks wide, one that is divided by a bridge in such a state of disrepair that large trucks can no longer drive over it and that as a whole, has marginal roads at best, Rich is correct in the a fire boat is arguably much more of an asset than a fire truck.

And how's the water pressure in town today??? They have it back on yet???

I wasn't thinking of a "dedicated fire boat" such as we see in the first world, but a boat adapted to the purpose. As Reaper says, given the boat the modifications wouldn't cost that much. A jet boat would be nice, but a small boat with outboard could get close in shore anywhere. Perhaps this would be a better way of spending money currently going on Elsa's Folly. Looking at how many boats Ramon's operate and their central location, perhaps they could modify one of their small boats as a public service to San Pedro. Some good publicity for a change?

The island is pretty good at evacuating everyone in a hurricane event.

When it comes to the day to day emergencies, it's a pretty bleak picture in San Pedro.

The FD does what they can, with what little they are given. Considering the amount of fires they respond to, they do a pretty good job. San Pedro has a high number of fires for its size.

Like most projects on the island, the business community usually takes the first steps towards accomplishing a goal. At some point I would hope the local leaders would look into a fire/emergency boat. It makes a LOT of sense. It could respond to every emergency on the island. It could be manned by volunteers and kept at a secure dock in town, and looked after by a local business that operates a fleet of boats such as Searious, Seaduced or others such as a dive shop.
Once the boat was purchased, donations could outfit it with all of the vital equipment. Firefighting equipment and first aid equipment is available on the island.
Donations and a nominal fee for use could keep it operating with fuel, maintenance and insurance.
In Alberta Canada there is a rescue helicopter program called STARS. It is funded with donations. They keep two birds equiped, manned and flying with fundraisers.
The people on the island and the frequent visitors are very good at fundraising and donating time, money and effort.
As the island grows, I think this is going to be an important tool for the safety of the residents and visitors alike. The town has no ambulance and a fire truck that might fall through the bridge responding to a fire.
I think the juice would be worth the squeeze if it saves some lives and property a few times per year.

What about the police boat? What happened to that?

Exactly.
No blame, excellent intentions, a lesson learned.

...or for that matter, the Police pick up truck? Haven't seen that up here for a year or more.

That said, a fire boat is still a good idea (on paper.)

Maybe this is a good question for the next Mayor or to pose to the Mayoral candidates: How can San Pedro expect to a) continue to receive donations of goods from the private sector and b) continue to provide services to the public sector if every significant contribution made to the town is, after a few months utterly neglected and let to gone to S--T!

Sadly, the lesson that seems to be learned is to not to donate/contribute anything to efforts like this...???

I think the lesson is, as many of us know, if you can take care of something yourself you should do it and not depend on public services. (ie, most have back up water, electric, and some have their own security) For this reason, it might be a good idea if every neighborhood had a couple privately owned and privately maintained water pumps. We know there is no shortage of boats.

Should San Pedro have a fire boat? HMMMM Should they have a good road in back, should they do something about San Mateo, GEE, This is what its all about. If it looks like a horse, smells like a horse, eats like a horse, it's most likely a horse. If the powers at be had only the best intentions for the population, these issues would be addressed. Otherwise self intrest projects will always prevail. JMO