As Ralph Medeiros describes it, his life was the tale of two cities growing up.

Medeiros’ family moved to Dartmouth more than 100 years ago. However, his father owned both a house and business in New Bedford, so Medeiros went to school there, but spent his summers at his family’s property in Dartmouth.

Years later, Medeiros moved to Dartmouth to start his own family with his wife Joanne. They would have three children. However, he continued his tale of two cities by owning Ralph’s Auto Center in New Bedford.

It was when his sons got older that he started getting more involved with his fire district. At the time, his son Michael was a part of its junior firefighters program.

“I wanted to get involved in the district and, you know, putting a little back into the community,” Medeiros said.

In his time on the committee, he has seen the committee budget for an extension on the fire house. Now, members are working to get a new fire engine.

However, Medeiros said he’s not sure where the future of the fire district is going because there are less young people moving into the area and volunteering at the department. It means relying more on the two full-time firefighters.

Medeiros said everyone in the district should come out to vote so they understand how the fire department works.

“They should get involved in their communities and see where their money is going,” Medeiros said. “The fire tax generally makes up about 10 percent of your total tax in our district, so it’s something to pay attention to and get involved in.