Editing Palm Bay, Florida (section)

==Public safety==

=== Police Department ===
The City of Palm Bay Police Department is authorized 206 sworn police officers, in addition to numerous civilian and support personnel.<ref>{{Cite web |title=2024-2025 Budget |url=https://www.palmbayflorida.org/government/city-departments-f-to-z/finance/budget |access-date=2020-11-19 |website=www.palmbayflorida.org}}</ref> The police agency is broken into various sections, such as the Uniform Services Division, Support Services Division, and the Criminal Investigations Division. Each section assigns officers to various tasks, such as patrol, traffic enforcement, training officers, detectives, and similar tasks. There are three police districts within the city. Police officers are assigned to each district.

A 2009 survey indicated that the city was ranked 263 out of 400 in crime statistics, with #1 being the worst. Crimes included murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, and motor vehicle theft.<ref>{{cite news | first=R. Norman | last=Moody | title=Brevard crime up, down | url=http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=200991127032 | publisher=Florida Today | location=Melbourne, Florida | pages= 5B | date=28 November 2009 }}</ref>

In 2011, [[Skype]] was used 32 times to obtain warrants promptly.<ref>{{Cite news | first=J.D. | last=Gallop | title=Skype speeds warrants process | url=http://www.floridatoday.com/article/20110407/NEWS01/104070328/Skype-video-conferencing-speeds-warrants-process-Palm-Bay | newspaper=[[Florida Today]] | location=Melbourne, Florida | pages=1A | date=April 7, 2011 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110411212839/http://www.floridatoday.com/article/20110407/NEWS01/104070328/Skype-video-conferencing-speeds-warrants-process-Palm-Bay | archive-date=2011-04-11 | url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Fire Department===
Palm Bay Fire Rescue consists of 161 firefighters and seven stations.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.palmbayflorida.org/government/city-departments-f-to-z/fire-rescue |title=City of Palm Bay: Fire Rescue}}</ref> Most firefighters work 24 hour shifts followed by 48 hours off.<ref>{{cite web |title=Fire Rescue Shift Calendar |url=https://discover.pbcgov.org/pbcfr/Pages/ShiftCalendar.aspx |website=discover.pbcgov.org |publisher=Palm Beach County |access-date=6 October 2022}}</ref> The Palm Bay Fire Department responded to 18,777 calls in 2023 (ESO Ad-Hoc Data).

The fire department operates from 6 fire stations.
Fire Station 1 assigned units - Engine 1, Truck 1, Squad 1, District Chief 1, Brush 21, TRT 1, and TRT Trailer.
Fire Station 2 assigned units - Engine 2, Squad 2, District Chief 2, Brush 2, and Air 2.
Fire Station 3 assigned units - Engine 3, Tender 3 and Brush 3.
Fire Station 4 assigned units - Engine 4, Tender 4 and Brush 4.
Fire Station 5 assigned units - Engine 5, Tender 5 and Brush 5.
Fire Station 6 assigned units - Engine 6 and Brush 6.

In May 2008 (Mothers Day Fires), a wild fire was started that burned a total of almost {{convert|26000|acres}}—{{convert|40|mi2}}, 30 homes were destroyed and 140 were damaged.{{Citation needed|date=March 2012}} Firefighters from Palm Bay and across the state fought the fires around the clock.{{Citation needed|date=March 2012}}

In 2013, the city concluded an agreement with the county to furnish fire and emergency medical aid to whichever governmental unit was closer to the problem: a Palm Bay unit or a Brevard County unit.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.brevardtimes.com/2013/02/no-boundaries-agreement-for-palm-bay.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140722084156/http://news.brevardtimes.com/2013/02/no-boundaries-agreement-for-palm-bay.html|url-status=usurped|archive-date=July 22, 2014|title="No Boundaries Agreement" For Palm Bay, Brevard County Fire Rescue|website=news.brevardtimes.com|access-date=11 August 2017}}</ref>

On September 13, 2024, Palm Bay Fire Rescue held a groundbreaking ceremony for Fire Station 7 located in the northeast section of the city.  This new fire station will be able to accommodate future growth in the department.  Response times will be decreased with the addition of fire station 7.  A ladder truck and squad will be assigned to fire station 7.   Currently, there are plans for temporary fire stations located in the northwest (Fire Station 8) and the southeast (Fire Station 9).  These fire stations are needed to align with current and projected growth in the city.