As South Jacksonville grows, its fire chief worries the department is not keeping up.
But meeting those needs is hard to do without money and manpower.
Fire Chief Rich Evans Jr. told the village’s Public Protection Committee this week that South Jacksonville has seen several major additions — including added hotels, two gas stations, businesses and a movie theater — but the fire department has not grown to meet the extra responsibilities.
The growth means more calls and more time-consuming paperwork.
“If your community grows, you must have your departments be able to support that growth, as well,” Evans said. “South Jacksonville is not the sleepy little village that it used to be.”