On any given night the Porter Volunteer Fire Department is ready to get the phone call.
Doors come up, fire trucks come swing out, but that's a completely different story now.
Eight of the firefighters, the volunteer ones and the fire chief, have all resigned.
Mayor: "If you're going to come in here and start something I'm going to recommend you."
Former Chief: "I wish you would Steve because you don't want to hear the truth do you?"
In the last 24 hours, more than half of the volunteer fire department's firefighters left with the chief in solidarity.
"We have never, never, ever done anything outside of what that fire department wanted," Steve Dickey said.
The former fire chief parted ways with the city after a dispute over plans to build a new building.
Neighboring volunteer departments like Tullahassee - who had to leave from the meeting for a fire call - wanted to know what was going to happen if Porter's fire department doesn't respond to calls.
People in the community are saddened and scared that they won't get the fire service they need.
"It's not like having a family here and we're all family," said Porter fire supporter McGee.
Before leaving the meeting, the former chief left this message to the town:
"Hang in there. We're doing everything we can possibly do. We are walking a straight line. We have been asked to do something and told to do something that is not right, and we cannot do that we will not do that. We're not going to walk through with our eyes shut. We are going to walk high and proud like we always have for this town."
While the dispute is being settled, nearby Tullahassee and Redbird Fire Departments will help assist Porter.
When it comes to EMS services, Muskogee and Wagoner County EMS will continue to respond to the area.
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