Falling short with fire funding

The fire service motto may be "adapt and overcome," but most firefighters probably thought that applied to burning buildings and emergency situations, not budgeting woes brought on by years of temporary fixes and stopgap solutions.

That's the current state of things in Airway Heights, where the city fire department is often in need of new equipment and struggles to function in a building too small for the community it serves.

"We're very proud to work for Airway Heights," Fire Chief Mitch Metzger said. "But we've gotten really good at getting by."

Bursting at the seams

Nowhere is that more app...