The flames firefighters battle is only one danger of the job. Increasingly, other threats are waiting for them inside their own fire stations.

“I’m telling you the fire stations are in crisis right now,” said Lt. Jason Burns, a Fall River firefighter.

Burns has been a firefighter for two decades. During his time with the Fall River Fire Department, he’s gotten used to deteriorating conditions. Sinks and showers are broken. Windows don’t open and buckets are littered throughout the station to catch leaking water.

“You almost get a little desensitized to it,” Burns admitted.

Rodent droppings are common in one room and it’s rare for paint chips not to flake off the ceiling.

“It’s shocking,” Burns said. “It’s not okay to have these conditions.”

The hazards aren’t just aesthetically displ

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