A hole in the roof is the prime example of the problems at Fire Station One. It was there a few years ago when we first visited, and it was there a couple weeks ago when we last visited.

"A big question is, how much money do we put in this place before we say enough is enough?" said one frustrated citizen. 

That's the big question on everyone's mind – when is enough, enough? While city leaders attempt to come up with an answer, the firefighters and paramedics work around the issues.

Part of those problems, says Venice City Councilman Bob Daniels, could come from a faulty A/C system.

"It's got mold, the A/C units are pretty well shot, the air quality is bad inside, if you look in the back there are metal doors that are rusted," he says. 

In fact, those doors aren't doors at all anymore. They're all just casually leaning against the department's storage building, not connected to anything.

Daniels has been an advocate for rebuilding the station for some time. It's hard to find anyone who disagrees, but even harder still to find is the money to do the rebuilding.

The over 15-foot-long, inflatable yellow boat, which almost resembles a banana, can be inflated in about 45 seconds with a regular firefighter breathing apparatus. The craft is operated by two people using two-sided paddles. Rings at the front and rear allow responders on shore to pull the craft back to land, once the victim has been located.

"We're really happy to have it," Fire Chief Patrick Brady said. "It's going to be another application for public safety. (We can conduct water rescues) extremely quickly with this craft."

The ballistic vests, which are already in use by the department, are intended to be worn independently from the firefighters equipment. 

"We are anticipating that the vests will be used for all other incidents beyond firefighting" Fire Chief Michael Measer said. 

Designed by Dival Safety Equipment based out of Buffalo, these are some of the first ballistic vests to be used by a fire department in Western New York. With a protective lining and row of pockets, the vest is designed to be able to wear in just seconds. 

"It's meant for quick deployment to get on in hurry" Chief Measer said.

Charles Horn and Amanda Holloway filed the suit July 27 in the Washtenaw County Trial Court against Ypsilanti and an unnamed firefighter who was operating the truck that night. 

The plaintiffs' daughter was a passenger in the vehicle, as was her friend, 15-year-old Christina Snyder, who was killed in the crash.

Snyder is not part of the lawsuit and is not mentioned in it. 

Firefighters were responding to a rollover crash on westbound I-94 near Grove Street on May 31 when Horn's vehicle struck the fire truck around 11 p.m. The truck was positioned to block a lane and protect the first responders, according to police and fire officials.  

The lawsuit claims the fire truck's lights weren't on and that the city and its firefighter were negligent. 

The money will be used to fund an air unit to support their self-contained breathing apparatus.

“This grant will provide our department with the funds to purchase a vital new air unit used when firefighters are trapped and need additional air while awaiting help from rescue workers,” said Brandon Fire Department Chief David Kwapis in a statement.