JFRD's Fire Safety Investment has Jacksonville Taxpayers Spending $5 Million on Marine One

The Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department has a one-of-a-kind firefighting boat that cost taxpayers more than $5 million at a time when city hall has doubled garbage fees and increased property taxes.

Marine One is a new addition to JFRD's arsenal. It is state-of-the-art and capable of pushing 16,000 gallons of water a minute from five different water cannons the length of a football field.

A Homeland Security grant that topped $4 million paid most of the bill. But the city also set aside $1.4 million, saved over the past three years, to match the federal dollars.

In its grant proposal, the fire department cited the presence of a NFL stadium near the river as one reason it needed the boat, along with growing port and cruise ship operations.

The boat is definitely an asset to the community, said JFRD Chief Larry Peterson, with its miles of water plus countless waterfront homes and businesses.