LAKE ARIEL, Pa. — Along the Lake Ariel Highway sits the Lake Ariel Fire Company, which has served the community since 1916.

“Everybody knows one of the volunteers here. It hits home,” said Brian Carchedi.

Over the years, the fire company has outgrown its current space, which was built in 1949, making volunteers learn how to work around what they have.

“This is one of our newest trucks, and it had to be built to fit in the building. So, we had about four inches off the top and three inches on either side,” said Greg Reingold, president of the Lake Ariel Fire Company.

As the trucks get bigger, the space gets smaller for crews to make their way out when the call comes in.

“It’s tough to work around here and to get the guys when we have a call to get them dressed. We are sandwiched in a three-foot space. It’s rough sometimes,” said Reingold.

That’s where the nonprofit Ryan’s Angels comes in to help build a new firehouse.

What started out as a small golf outing turned into a much larger idea of a fundraising campaign, relying on community support.

“We all sat there in amazement, and we said, ‘Wait a minute, if we can raise $10,000, we can raise a million.’ So let’s see what we can do to help this along,” said Carchedi.

“We are 100 percent volunteer, so every nickel and dime that we spend to keep them on the road comes from them, and every penny helps,” said Reingold.

Plans are in the works to build the new station just down the street from the current firehouse. The groups have applied for a state grant to keep the current space at the heart of the community.

“The idea is that this would become a community center once the new building was built and put into place and the company moved up there full time,” said Carchedi.

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