CAMBY, Ind. (WISH) — Lives are at risk, Firefighter Union representative Nathan Meredith told News 8 on Tuesday.

His comments comes after cuts were made to a proposed 2025 budget for the Madison Township Fire Department in Morgan County.

“The budget was passed with drastic cuts made to multiple line items including salaries and wages, which will affect township’s availability to provide fire coverage to its citizens,” Meredith said.

The department covers about 10,000 residents, Meredith says, and the fire department is understaffed and lacks the proper equipment.

The proposed budget would have helped ease some of firefighting needs, but it didn’t pass Tuesday evening. The township board instead approved more money but not enough for a proposed additional firefighter and EMT staff the union rep says the department needed.

During Tuesday night’s meeting, Board Chairman Nelson Hoggatt said, “We have four areas that will be changed or eliminated, so we’d be right at 4% over last year’s budget.”

The initial budget proposal for 2025 was $2,104,763.50, which included personnel costs and operations. The budget for 2024 was $1,826,900.

With additional cuts to the proposed budget, Hoggatt’s proposal will cost the township about $76,729.80 more than last year.

Among the cuts, the proposed salary for the fire chief went from $77,000 to $66,950.

Hoggatt mentioned raises for the firefighters, but the union rep says the money is not enough to keep staff or replace much needed equipment.

On Monday, Meredith showed News 8 one of the department’s 17-year-old trucks; its water pump failed its pump test.

On Wednesday, he pointed out another firetruck; it’s missing a ladder.

“Right now, we don’t know how well we’ll be able to successfully protect this township,” Meredith said.

News 8 reached out to the board but did not hear back by Wednesday afternoon.

Eric Brown lives in Madison Township. He was at the meeting and said the community wasn’t heard. “What this means for me as a citizen is I want a contract with someone that’s going to provide the fire protection.”

As a former firefighter in this very township, Brown said he’s OK with paying additional taxes if it means keeping his family safe. “If my house is on fire or my wife falls, my parents have a heart attack or if I suffer from a medical emergency, this ambulance may or may not be staffed. The firetruck may or may not be staffed.”

On the firehouse wall, hangs this sign: “Everyone goes home.” It’s something the firefighters want to honor, but some aren’t sure how they can do that with the 2025 budget.

“Ultimately, decisions of the board yesterday will cost somebody their life,” Meredith said Wednesday.

Meredith says the situation was being escalated to the attention of to the Professional Firefighters Union at the state level.