The Orange Volunteer Fireman's Carnival got underway Thursday.

The carnival is the largest fundraiser for the Orange Fire Department.

There are a couple hundred volunteers working this weekend. The department itself is made up of 70 volunteers.

The fire department runs separately from the town and has a budget of close to $500,000. The event helps provide funds for new equipment like firetrucks. The department only gets a $170,000 donation from the town per year.

First Selectman Jim Zeoli says due to state budgets cuts for local towns, it has become very difficult to get funding for the department. He says he's very grateful for everything the fire department does for the town.

"We have a great group of men and women and their families that step up and sometimes it’s in the night and sometimes it’s in the daytime," Zeoli said. "Those calls come in, you never know when it's going to happen and they're there for our people."

In addition to food, fun and games, there are also raffles. Tickets are $5 each and the winner could get a $7,000 Visa gift card.

The carnival runs through Sunday. Admission and parking are free.