25% may sound like alot, if you want to know why, stop by one of the city fire stations and ask questions for yourself. A brief history: the city grew, an administration in place for years failed to add personnel when it should have (even when asked several times by council), call volume, tasks and responsibilities dramatically increased. Basically the department staffing of the Fire, Police and Public Works DIDN"T keep pace with the city's growth.
You are correct on unaccounted staffing numbers, i.e. 39 on shift (three 24 hour shift's staffed by 13 personnel) and seven staff positions i.e. Chief, Assistant Chief, Fire Marshall, Assistant Fire Marshall, EMS Lieutenant, Training Captain, Training Lieutenant.
Cutting down to three, the number of stations would first - increase response times (time it takes to get to your house), And your math of "15" per station in your senerio would only occur if the city hired 96 additional firefighters at an approximaite cost of $5,750,000.00 - Guess your math is off, You don't get 15 per station anyway you do it, unless you've got some really neat calculator (three - 24 hour shifts - you figure it out)
Your statement you want "one to come by your house if it's on fire". Sure, we'll go with your plan, we'll send one by, say one of the engines dailey staffed with only one person. You can stand in the street with that one firefighter on his one engine and watch your house burn to the ground. Through task analysis, the most basic small residential structure fire requires 18-21 firefighters to extinguish.
And whats your "zero base budgeting", is that don't pay for any services and don't get any services in return? Everything comes at a price, if you don't want to be protected, that's your business. Many people seem to whine alot about thier Peachtree City taxes, put it in perspective. Unincorporated Fayette County residents pay almost as much JUST for thier fire tax (not EMS), as Peachtree City residents pay for Fire ,EMS, Police, Public Works, Recreation, Library, etc... What a great deal!
Ignorance is bliss - you must be ecstatic

Fifteen per station for THREE shifts, plus volunteers, equals 5 per station plus volunters. I realize that everyone involved with jobs paid by taxes try to make the jobs sound so complicated to manage that us ignorants need to go to the fire station for brain washing, but we don't. That is the standard line "go to the fire station."

Just want to make sure that intheknow and idontknow aren't considered to be one and the same person.....but....

Highgreen - you have really got to have some massive case of cranial-rectal inversion syndrome.

There are 35,000 residents in Peachtree City. At about 3 people per house, that's about 11,600 residences. There is a fairly bustling industrial park, an airport and recreation that ebbs and flows additional people into the City.

Let's say there's a car accident in "the south part of the City" - we'll just go with the Wilshire area. Someone calls it in, but doesn't say it has injuries, but three people are injured and have to go the hospital. About five minutes later, there is a car accident in "the center part of the City" - 54 and Peachtree Parkway. Meanwhile, up the road at the Piedmont Medical Center on Shakerag Hill, a child has an allergic reaction to something and stops breathing. Ten minutes later, an older house in Wynnmeade catches on fire. An hour later, on the "north side of town", there's a gas leak at the elementary school. Oh yeah, and a fire alarm was activated at Panasonic. All in the course of an hour.

Hey, and when do they test the hydrants to make sure they work, or inspect a building to make sure that their not stacking boxes up against the exit doors?

Don't believe that happens? Go by one of the stations and ask a firefighter. That is, if they're there.

It's like insurance. You don't really want to pay the premiums, but when you need it, it's the most important thing in the world.

Quit whining - your taxes are going up this year. If you don't like it, move.

I think you don't think. You can't understand numbers when they get into three shifts, etc. What if Iran attacked Israel tomorrow and at the same time Syria moved into Iraq, and at the same time North Korea moved into South Korea, and the Chinese invaded Taiwan. Man we need 50 million soldiers and enough bombs to fill Mexico three feet deep!!!! I give up on you, you'r evidently prejudiced for some reason on this matter.

Uh-oh...

Dear highgreen (Mr. or Mrs. Jones) - I'd like to make sure that appropriate staffing levels are maintained to make sure that when a family member has a medical condition they will get to the hospital with a fighting chance to live. So I guess, yeah, I'm prejudiced.

I think you just don't read. Have you reviewed the information provided at the Council retreat? Did you even go to the Council retreat? If not, why not? Have you even considered what the national standards are for staffing levels?

For cities the same size and population as Peachtree City, there are substantially more fire stations, more firefighters, more police and LESS services provided for the tax dollar than what are provided in Peachtree City! You don't really understand what you get for your dollar at all, do you?

Three shifts, by the way, would equal three times the staffing. So if they were to ask for 15 firefighters, they are actually asking for 5. For four stations, that's one per station and one extra. But that's not what's being recommended, if you were to have read the retreat agenda packet.

You may wish to get your information from sources a bit more comprehensive than a 1000 word "report" from a local newspaper. If you were truly interested, I bet you could actually get the information you would need to make an informed decision. But instead, you login with your oddball conspiracy theories and your hackneyed views on municipal planning.

Your opinion is uninformed, unimportant and often unintelligble. Do us all a favor and go the way of the former mayor...AWAY.

City Council is 1st and 3rd Thursdays, 151 Willowbend Road, right next to the library. If you care so much, show up. If not, shut up.

I'd love to know what you do for a living, so I can make sure not to go anywhere near that business....

By the way, are you Mr. or Mrs. Jones, or what?? You are obviously prejudiced and have no open mind when spending taxpayers money. It doesn't hurt to ask questions and expect answers without being brainwashed by more people wanting on the dole. Defame those asking questions---the Bush way.

Highgreen, You are absolutely entitled to ask questions and expect answers, however do not be so closed minded when the answers you get are not what you want to hear. You call it brainwashing, I and others call it facts. Not made up by us and the city, however national standards and facts you yourself can verify through any number of organizations such as the Gerorgia Municipal Association, National Fire Protection Association, National League of Cities, National Association of County Managers. Not brainwashing, just facts, FACTS you dont want to hear.
Yes I am biased when it comes to this matter, I am a fire officer here in the city. I am also a citizen of this city too. My opinion is shared by many other citizens and for the last fifteen years of talking to the citizens you are very much in the minority. This is America and your opinion matters, lets put it to a vote and see how it turns out. Again I am prejudiced for one reason, give me the resources to do my job, that job is saving yours when you need me. More importantly ensuring that my fellow employees go home alive after each shift.

I believe the discussion is over due to prejudice. All those supporting orgnizations you listed are also prejudiced organizations. We simply shouldn't man or spend according to generated numbers but only according to need and ability to pay. You didn't answer, what is the Jones stuff you said to highgreen? Are you people going the route of spying or something to get your career assured? Do all of the seven officers work the day shift? If not, how many do? I didn't see that answer. It seems all important facts are always left out. You should have what you must have--no more. Ask some Delta people if they want higher taxes.