GALLATIN, Tenn. (WTVF) — Sumner County now has a brand new fire station to serve its rural areas — but the volunteers that run the department need your help to fund it.
Captain Corey Young, who's volunteered as a Highland firefighter for 15 years, says they respond to emergencies on the outskirts of Portland. While they sometimes get help from Portland Fire or Sumner County EMS, this is largely territory that they cover alone.
They recently purchased the new building in Cottontown, which allows them to safely house their emergency vehicles.
"Our truck sat in a factory that — the business allowed us to put our truck in there — sat in that bay at the factory for years," Young said of their prior situation. "In the winter, we had to take it out of service. There's no heat, we've been robbed."
While they're glad to have the space, they took out a loan and now owe close to $300,000. Though the county donates about $25,000 to this particular fire department, it's not nearly enough to cover the expense.
"If the entire community gave $5 a year, that would just be — it would be life-changing," explained Young.
While these volunteers risk their lives to save you, they're now asking for a little help in return.
"We're here for y'all. Everything we do is for our community. Anything y'all can do in return to help. We're not asking for the moon, we're just asking for a little bit of help, to help us protect y'all," concluded Young.
If you want to help, you can visit their GoFundMe. That money will go towards new firefighting equipment and paying off their loan.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at nikki.hauser@newschannel5.com.
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