$2 million grant given to Lemoore Volunteer Fire Department

LEMOORE, Calif. (KFSN) -- "We are proud of who we are, what we do and being a proud member of the Volunteer Fire Department," says Lemoore Volunteer Fire Department Chief, Bruce German.

German says volunteers are what makes or breaks their station.

In their case, recruiting volunteers hasn't been a problem, but getting the proper funding has been challenging.

"The city takes very good care of us as far as equipment needs, but with the pandemic the last several years, there are no extra funds whatsoever, so we've kind of gotten by, scraping by," he said.

German says emergency calls have increased over the years, and so has their need for resources.

"When I got in 30 years ago, we were doing 200 calls a year," he said. "Last year, we did over 2,100 calls."

After being denied some grants, he received good news.

Thursday afternoon, Senator Melissa Hurtado presented a $2 million check.

"We need those additional resources to catch up," she said.

German says the money will go towards training and updated fire equipment, like a new air supply and rehab truck.

"We have a truck we still use from 1987, and it's falling apart," he said.

Gilbert Mendoza, a longtime resident, says he notices the hard work from the department and couldn't be prouder.

"The fire department, they are always everywhere and for them to wear that uniform, they should be proud," he said.