Two years after flames tore through a firehouse in Dutchess County, the Tivoli Fire Department is back and even better after it recently received a new truck to accompany its newly repaired building. 

In July 2019, a fire believed to have been started by a truck's onboard battery charger gutted the firehouse. It destroyed a truck and the village's lone ambulance.

"This is our second home. So to see your own home burn up, it was emotional. But at the same time, we knew we had a service we had to provide to a community," says Tivoli Fire Department Chief Marc Hildenbrand. "We still had one truck left, and we had a UTV we could run around the village with if there was a disaster...And you know we weren't going to go out of service because that's just who we are."

Tivoli's volunteer firefighters continued responding thanks in part to other local departments and county government lending a hand - and an emergency vehicle or two.

"These guys definitely stepped up. They helped us out. We cross-trained with each other. And like I said, the relationships have never been better than they ever were prior," says Hildenbrand.

The building was officially repaired last summer.

The fire department is hoping it can continue growing by adding an expansion. Tivoli is expected to announce a fundraising campaign to build the addition on the firehouse soon.