DETROIT – Firefighters in Detroit face many obstacles. They save lives and battle dangerous flames.
But, many say they return to the station to find a shortage of basic supplies like toilet paper and soap.
"I challenge you to find any fire department or any EMS or police department in the country that has the problem. It's only here. They have no respect for us," said Dan McNamara, the president of the Detroit Fire Fighters Association.
McNamara says firefighters are dealing with a shortage of soap, cleansers, hand towels and yes, even toilet paper at fire houses.
He says firefighters are all too familiar with making due with less.
"It's embarrassing for us to even talk about this. I would rather be talking about how many people we need to do this job," McNamara said.
He says firefighters are paying out of pocket to buy supplies.
"If the firefighters didn't put their own money into these firehouses, this fire department would crumble," he said.
McNamara says this has been an on going battle for years and now it's getting worse.
"People would have to ask themselves when's the last time they have to negotiate with their boss to get toilet paper," said McNamara.
He says the union will continue to put pressure on the city to supply them with the basic necessities.