Firefighters are used to thinking quickly to grab the right tools for the job.
For Richford firefighters, they are using jacks -- to hold up the station's walls after it was hit by a vehicle.
“We are out here, giving our all every day that we can,” Fire Chief Tracy Keener told WBNG. “We’re called in at 3 a.m. and we’re there. All we want to do is right by our community and help protect our citizens and those who pass through our communities and right now, we’re limited.”
The 84-year-old station is crumbling and there's not enough room to properly store and clean equipment. The chief is concerned about the ongoing health threat to firefighters.
They applied for a federal grant in 2019, but were turned down.
The chief said they got the same response when they applied again noting that they don't have space for a ladder truck to meet the needs in the ever-growing town.
“Really, we’re looking toward the future, the next 100 years because this building has served us almost 100 years....We want to make sure that we can serve today, tomorrow and the future.”
Congressman Marc Molinaro said he will do what he can do to help the department apply again.
“Communities like the ones I represent often get overlooked...and know what it’s like to get beat out by big cities,” Molinaro said.
