As an integral part of the Chester County Rescue Task Force, the volunteers at the Fame Fire Company No. 3 of West Chester run toward danger, while the rest of us run away from it.

In fact, extinguishing fires is just one aspect of their job, as they are specially trained to rescue those trapped in ice, floods, and trenches and cars, machinery, and other confined spaces.

Fame is one of just 11 stations that protect the half-million people who inhabit the 760 square miles of the county.

Now, though, Fame, which incorporated when James Buchanan was president in 1859, needs your help.

Simply put, the current station, built in 1973 and located on Rosedale Avenue, cannot accommodate the diversity of emergency-response equipment needed for the rescue operations Fame provides.

Co-chairs Don Powers and Bill Ronayne launched a capital campaign in 2014 with the goal of renovating and building a two-story, 8,000-square-foot addition onto the fire station.

The price tag for such work is $2.5 million.

“We’re in the final phase (of the capital campaign),” said the 61-year-old Ronayne, owner of Brandywine Valley Heating & Air Conditioning and a volunteer firefighter for 42 years. “We hope to break ground as quickly as possible, since we need to have the footers, the structure of the addition in place before the bad weather comes. We’re now about $400,000 short of moving forward.

“We’ve raised about $1.7 million so far, and the fundraising experts have told us that we can go ahead and break ground once we’re within $400,000 of our initial goal. We’ve talked to three builders, and submitted our plans to the township and county. We have all of our approvals.”

VISTA Today’s recent tour of the Fame Fire Company revealed a building that is bulging with equipment. Its limited space and facilities slow down the members, causing critical delays.

As the community has grown, so has the demand for an expanding set of emergency services. Fame has responded to this regional need by adding training and specialized equipment to handle a variety of complex rescue scenarios.

As the menu of rescue services has expanded, so has Fame’s need for updated quarters. Its personnel operate in cramped spaces. And its HVAC system is outdated and inefficient.

“When a young man or woman comes in here to become a firefighter, they have to spend 180 hours training,” said Ronayne. “It’s important that the youth spend their time doing that training, not fundraising.”

Fame has been recognized by the Internal Revenue Service as a 501(c)(3) organization and accepts tax-deductible donations. Click here to contribute.

“We’re shovel-ready,” said Ronayne. “We just need a few more dollars.”

Help the volunteers who help you.