CAMBY, Ind. (WISH) — In Morgan County, a Madison Township representative for the Firefighters Union is sounding the alarm, saying “lives are in jeopardy.”

He says a budget proposal is not enough to fund the fire department in 2025, and that the fire department lacks the needed staffing and equipment.

The budget was not approved at a meeting Tuesday night.

The representative, Nathan Meredith, showed News 8 a water pump on Firetruck 13. He says the truck is about 17 years old and should be replaced every 10 years. The water pump, he says, is unreliable.

“It has failed its annual pump testing. That’s a requirement for its operation. It has a massive seal breaks and other issues. We can still utilize it, but it’s not certified to operate.”

He adds that firefighters can’t trust that the water pump will work during emergencies. “What this means for the citizens of Madison Township is when they call 911 for an emergency they have to question whether we have the adequate equipment to properly protect them.”

The department covers about 10,000 residents, and, Meredith says, it’s not just issues with equipment.

The department has seven full-time firefighters and two full-time paramedics. Meredith says they need two additional firefighters and one additional medic, but are constantly short-staffed because of low pay.

“They can go to comparable fire departments and make $10,000-20,000 more a year doing the same jobs.”

The proposed 2025 budget is about $30,000 more than the 2024 budget. The proposal allows for one additional firefighter, not the three staff Meredith proposed.

The budget also adds a 1.5 cents fire tax for every $100 of property tax assessment. That’s an average of an additional $20-30 a year in taxes.

Madison Township Trustee Larry Ellis tells News 8 over the phone that the budget was already created with input from the Fire Chief Chad Coulter.

Ellis said, “The proposed budget goes to the board. It’s up to the board’s hands to approve or not or to make changes.”

He added that “our budget can only do so much.”

While Meredith says the budget isn’t exactly what the firefighters need, he says its better than nothing. Ideally, they’d like a 7-cent fire tax increase instead of the proposed 1.5-cent proposal.

There’s also a proposed tax levy of $125,000, money that was already paid for by town but state approval is needed to access.

Meredith says he’s heard several people push for a completely volunteer fire department to save money; that’s something, he says, could be dangerous.

“It would fail the township if they took us back to being a volunteer department. It would end up costing the citizens of this township not only their safety but it will cost them more money in the long run than following by giving us a fire tax increase.”