As officials weigh the pros and cons of letting Lake County take over all the calls for Fruitland Park Fire Rescue, the interim fire chief said he’s anxious about what could happen if the city does indeed get rid of its fire department.
“I know what my guys offer, and I know how my guys care about the citizens and the city,” Gilpin said.
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Eyewitness News caught up with Gilpin at Thursday’s city commission meeting. He said he’s concerned about public city as the city debates using the county instead to take calls.
“With someone else coming in who might live somewhere else, I don’t know what they may offer to our citizens that we’ve grown close to,” Giplin said.
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Giplin said the firefighters also help neighboring communities as part of mutual-aid agreement.
“If a call comes out and we’re the closest unit, we’re going to go to that call,” he said. “Or, if all their units are busy on calls, they can call for our units to go assist in their areas.”
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