Local fire company asks for community support after hundreds of thousands of dollars allegedly stolen

TONAWANDA, N.Y. (WIVB) – They arrive in yellow trucks when you dial 911. Other times, you see them out in the community, putting on demonstrations, sponsoring youth athletics, or donating when others are in need.

Now, a local fire department is the one asking for help.

The Sheridan Park Fire Company reports being out hundreds of thousands of dollars. The company’s president told WIVB News 4 he believes the money was stolen.

“We found out when checks started to bounce,” said Paul Palistrant, Sheridan Park Fire Company president.

Palistrant spoke exclusively with WIVB News 4 about the situation, and how the community can step in to help.

“We donate to, not only our town departments or the Village of Kenmore, we donate to pretty much any fire company that — ya know, they’ll send in a letter that one of their fireman might be sick, or have cancer of some sort and we make a donation to that,” he said. “We just try to help out wherever we can.”

Palistrant said vendors called after the company’s 2025 installation dinner saying they were owed money. After some digging, the volunteer fire company realized hundreds of thousands of dollars were missing.

The account was wiped clean: Palistrant said the remaining balance was under $100.

Authorities told WIVB News 4 they are investigating. Meanwhile, Palistrant said the fire company is grieving what was lost.

“I grew up here,” Palistrant said, getting choked up. “They’re feeling down, betrayed. We got a lot of guys, 50-plus years they have been here, and it hurts. It’s tough. A lot of younger guys too. But we all got taken. It’s a tough thing.”

Despite the loss, Palistrant assures the community this loss will not impact the company’s firefighting.

“Call 911, we’ll still be there no matter what,” he said. “There’s no chance in any response or anything like that.”

Palistrant said there are two separate entities — with two separate accounts — that make up the department: the fire company and the fire district.

The fire company brings in donated dollars – which they believe were stolen. They spend it on a variety of uses, such as their installation dinner and supplies for their annual Lenten fish fry. They have a death benefit if a member passes away, and wanted to plan a celebration for their 100th year in service in 2028. Mainly, they enjoy giving back to the community.

The fire district is in charge of taxpayer dollars — and all firefighting equipment. That’s run by publicly elected officials. Shawn Kauffman, a commissioner of the Sheridan Park Fire District, said the district has not been impacted because their accounts are separate.

“The fire company is derived from donations — fundraisers that we do, which are our fish fries, our raffles that we do throughout the year to gain money,” Palistrant said. “The district end of it purchases everything we need — the maintenance of the hall, the fire trucks, all that is from tax dollars in our community that’s in our district, and that money wasn’t touched at all.”

So how can the community help a group of volunteers that has helped so many?

Palistrant teared up at the question. Supporting their upcoming fish fries is number one on his list.

“It’s close to 30 years that we’ve been doing the fish fry,” he said.

Come out. Buy a dinner. Show your support.

“Which they always have,” Palistrant said. “But now more than ever, we could use their help. It’s just a lot to make up.”

Their annual fish fry starts Friday, March 7. Palistrant said depending on how many people show up, they’ll continue for as many weeks as they can afford.

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Kelsey Anderson is an award-winning anchor who came back home to Buffalo in 2018. See more of her work here and follow her on Twitter.

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