Fire trucks return to keep state funds

ESTANCIA, N.M. (KRQE) - Taxpayer money has been helping fund a small Torrance County volunteer fire station that's sat empty for months.

The Indian Hills substation sits a few miles sits south of Edgewood in northwest Torrance County. Burglars broke into it four times last year stealing $30,000 worth of equipment and broke the all-volunteer department's budget.

"Some of (the trucks) were not fully functioning. Some of them had equipment taken off of the trucks themselves," Fire Chief Carl Kirkbride said. "Two of them I had to take with a tow truck to our main station to get them repaired."

The last break-in was at the end of 2009. So soon after, Kirkbride pulled all the equipment out of the building. And a couple of months ago, he yanked the fire trucks out.

"We didn't have power up here at first," Torrance County Fire Marshal Jason Trumbull said. "We didn't have any kind of security. It's in a very remote spot."

But Wednesday, the State Fire Marshal's Office heard about the empty fire substation and threatened to pull state funding.

"By removing that they eliminated their qualification for state fire funding in the station" State Fire Marshal Jason Standefer said.

Standefer said his office gave the Torrance County department 24 to 48 hours to get the trucks and equipment back in the station or state funding for the fiscal year would be suspended.

"We can't fund a station that's not operative," Standefer said.

As soon as Kirkbride heard that, he moved two fire trucks in the station Thursday. And as for preventing future burglaries, he is adding a security system and lights, and New Mexico State Police are patrolling the area more.