HOISINGTON – From the heavy-duty bunker gear worn to a fire call to the ever-rising price of equipment, the business of fighting fires has evolved dramatically in the past 30 years, Hoisington Fire Chief Jerry Stricker said Wednesday night. In light of this, veteran firefighter Stricker was making an impassioned appeal for the formation of a rural fire district in north central Barton County. He addressed city and township officials from the area crowded into a truck bay at the Hoisington Fire Station.