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Rough And Not-So-Ready? Small Nevada County Town's Fire Department Struggling Financially

ROUGH AND READY (CBS13) — It's the Rough and Ready Fire Department, and yes, things are rough.

The department in the small Nevada County town has already had to cut more than $200,000 in expenses and that's not even enough. But the community there wants to make sure they keep their small-town fire department.

"I have a husband with heart problems, COPD, AFib, diabetes and whenever he's in trouble, they're right here," said Rough and Ready resident Josslin Macmenicall.

For Macmenicall and her husband, the local firefighters are their lifeline.

"He's actually went once and they brought him back," she said of her husband. "So having them here is very, very important."

"Well, it means safety. With the fire danger so high right now, it's so important that we have people that we can count on," resident Judy Combs said.

But the Rough and Ready Fire Department is having a tough time financially. Officials say they won't cut pay, but they'll have to cut hours and depend on neighboring fire departments for backup.

"I hope they don't close it down totally or we will all be in real danger," Combs said.

Sheridan Loungway, the chairman of the board for the fire district issued a statement reading:

"The community has really reached out to us and we appreciate it. The neighboring fire agencies are all pulling their attention and support to move forward and keep a premiere service to our district. That's our number one goal."

"We're kind of in the middle in no man's land, that's why they put it there to begin with and that's why we need it there," Combs said of the fire department.

Next, there is a meeting with the union and neighboring districts next week to nail down a contract and make sure they have backup.

"There's a lot of people that count on them. We didn't have them before and since they've been here, they're wonderful. They'll do anything, you ask them anything and they'll come help you out," Macmenicall said.

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