Rescue's dilemma carries on
By Sean O Neil
Wednesday, June 09, 2026

Looks can be deceiving.

There are two fire trucks inside the garage at Rescue Fire Co. on Strad Avenue in the Martinsville neighborhood of North Tonawanda. What neighbors on adjacent streets like Fillner Avenue and Leah Drive may not know is that both of those trucks are out of commission.

In a recent consolidation move by the city, Engine No. 5 was taken out of the Strad Avenue fire hall and placed at a station at Nash Road and Deerfield Drive. The two trucks currently housed at Rescue Fire Company are Engine No. 5 and Truck No. 2, both reserves.

“We’ve become the house of reserve apparatus,” William Lipczynski, Rescue’s vice president, said.

“They pulled the plug, so it hurt a bit of the spark.”

While the consolidations were a secret to no one, Rescue members like Lipczynski and president Earl Cottrell have been fighting to keep their truck in service.

With some of the city’s finest homes and biggest commercial industries in its coverage area, Cottrell believes the moving of their engine hurts residents more than it helps the city’s bottom line.

“Our biggest concern is to let people know that the truck is moved,” he said. “They expect when they call 911 that they’ll see the garage doors go up and the truck to come across the street.”

Instead, residents will see signs on the windows and doors of the hall that say for emergencies, call 911 or pull the emergency radio box in front of the hall.

Fire Chief Gregory Frank said he has heard Rescue’s concerns for months, but in the end, the city will not be any less safe than it was when the company had an engine in its garage. The city is saving money, while providing the same level of service residents come to expect, according to Frank.

“The arguments that were being made were mostly emotional, not factual. The move of Rescue’s truck makes sense,” he said. “This was in the plans for months, to make the department more efficient and effective.”
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