Quincy (MA) Mayor Thomas Koch was joined by state, local, and national firefighter leaders Thursday, Aug. 21, 2025, to announce an investigation and potential action into companies that provided safety gear for Quincy firefighters that was promised to be free of dangerous chemicals known as PFAS but which independent testing showed actually contained substantial levels of the toxins.

“This is just a first step, and we do not yet know how far this goes,” Koch said in the press conference. “But we will not stop until we get to the bottom this – and will do everything in our power to ensure Quincy’s firefighters have the safest gear possible – which is what they were promised.

“The new gear we bought — sold to us on the premise it had no PFAS in it, PFAS-free, that’s how it was advertised — was recently independently tested and came back highly positive with PFAS components in the gear.”

Testing was conducted on one of 30 sets of protective gear bought by the city in the last two years. Koch said the city has now sent out additional sets of gear for testing.

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The post Quincy (MA) to Investigate Why Turnout Gear Tested Positive for PFAS appeared first on Fire Apparatus: Fire trucks, fire engines, emergency vehicles, and firefighting equipment.

When firefighters transition into a department’s fleet or apparatus division, they do so with the expectation that they will receive sufficient instruction and training so that they can become productive and successful members within their new role in the organization.

When new members are most fortunate, they are also assisted by their new peers and colleagues, in addition to the training provided by their supervisors. Fire chiefs face critical considerations related to the training and development of new or recently promoted employees within the fleet division.

FLEET DIVISION TRAINING—WHY IT MATTERS

As a result of the increasing number of duties, roles, and responsibilities that fire departments are tasked with today, training and development of employees, at times, takes a back seat to other priorities. Although reallocating resources away from training to more immediate needs may fix short-term problems, it has a detrimental overall effect on the long-term success of any organization.

Training programs are essential within the fire department fleet division for a number of reasons.

• They assist new employees in learning the unique processes, specialized equipment, and standard operating procedures of the fleet division.
• They assist existing fleet division employees transitioning into a new role in adapting to their new tasks and responsibilities.
• They help to ensure employees are up to date on applicable laws, procedures, and knowledge related to the fleet division, the fire department as a whole, and their particular job.
• They help ensure that all team members understand the mission and strategic actions required to keep the department on a path toward success. This is especially important for mission-critical positions.
• When employees feel supported by such a program, it helps ensure that top talent stays committed to the department because they know the organization is investing in them.

This article examines two components of a comprehensive training program that can be done in-house within most fire department fleet divisions with minimal impact on fixed budgets: on-the-job training and mentorship.

ON-THE-JOB TRAINING

By far the most common training technique used by fleet divisions around the country is on-the-job training, which is customized job instruction that is either intermittent or continuous and involves detailed monitoring followed by constructive feedback. On-the-job training works well because the monitoring and feedback methodology very often leads to rapid improvement of basic skills. On-the-job training involves an employee learning the job by applying formal knowledge and general principles directly to the actual tasks while developing skills related to modern technological systems, tools, regulations, or fleet division procedures. Successful on-the-job training requires other employees or supervisors acting as coaches to the trainee. Quality on-the-job training involves a guided approach to learning the job. Although on-the-job training at its very essence is knowledge gained through the performance of the job, it is also important to reinforce that learning with formal instructional periods.

As on-the-job training concerns knowledge tied to specific positions within the fleet division, it is best delivered by those currently or recently in the same position as the trainee. Coaching is a great method to provide on-the-job training, which requires the assistance of a more experienced employee to help new members master their craft. On-the-job training is most successful when an employee feels supported by peers and supervisors rather than a proverbial sink-or-swim situation.

Often, on-the-job training involves a one-student-to-one-instructor ratio, which helps the t

The Corpus Christi Fire Department is proud to announce the arrival of a new fire truck, the first of two recently purchased from Metro Fire Apparatus, the city said in a press release. This latest addition enhances the department’s ability to protect lives and property with advanced technology, improved efficiency, and greater capacity.

“We are excited to give you a first look at our latest CCFD Engine 8 proudly aboard the USS Lexington,” the fire department said in a Facebook post. “This new addition is more than just an engine, it is a testament to the trust and investment that our Corpus Christi community and city have in our department and our firefighters/paramedics.”

The new fire truck is a Spartan chassis and features a 750-gallon water tank, an increase from the department’s previous standard of 500 gallons. It also includes a 40-gallon Class B foam tank designed to combat fires that are difficult to penetrate. With the ability to stream 2,000 gallons of water per minute, the truck is among the most powerful in the fleet. 

The truck is part of the department’s transition to an updated all-red paint scheme, a standard design across the fleet. Several medic units and fire trucks have already adopted the new look. 

Additional upgrades include:

• Lower hose bed and side mount pump panel for improved ergonomics and quicker deployment.
• Four firefighter seats with pre-mounted air packs for faster readiness.
• Comprehensive medical equipment to provide life-saving care before an ambulance arrives. 

“This new fire truck represents another step in our commitment to providing the highest level of service and safety to Corpus Christi residents,” said Fire Chief Brandon Wade. “Every investment we make in modern equipment directly strengthens our ability to protect lives and property.” 

The new apparatus will be stationed at Fire Station 8 on Kostoryz Road in Council District 2, ensuring residents in the area benefit directly from the department’s continued investment in modern, efficient equipment.

The post Corpus Christi (TX) FD Welcomes New 2,000/750 Pumper appeared first on Fire Apparatus: Fire trucks, fire engines, emergency vehicles, and firefighting equipment.

Sandra Diamond Fox
Journal Inquirer, Manchester, Conn.
(TNS)

Aug. 21—RIDGEFIELD — After voters rejected an $85.6 million plan to build a new public safety complex in Ridgefield by 71 votes in February, town officials went back to the drawing board and lowered the proposal’s cost by $8.2 million.

The new price tag is $77.4 million for the proposed police and fire facility, which would be built on a town-owned wooded area at 36 Old Quarry Road.

The town cut 3,500 square feet of space from the planned 70,000-square-foot building, reducing it to 66,500 square feet. The new plan eliminates a previously planned parking garage and no longer relocates the town’s emergency response center to the new building.

Work on a new plan began immediately after the first plan failed, Ridgefield First Selectperson Rudy Marconi said.

“We started right away, having multiple meetings with architects, a working group (of the Fire and Police Commissions and Board of Selectpersons), made revisions. We heard a lot from the public,” Marconi said.

“We’re going to do it once and we’re going to do it right,” he said of the new facility. “This building is going to be here forever. And we want to be sure that the site, that the location in the future, will be able to grow, if we have to.”

The Board of Selectpersons will set a date for a new referendum on the revised plan at its Sept. 3 meeting. Information will be presented at public information sessions scheduled for Sept. 6, Sept. 27, Oct. 4 and Oct. 25.

Ridgefield’s police station is located at 76 East Ridge Road inside a house built in the late 1800s, while the fire station is over 120 years old. The facilities have issues with flooding, heating and cooling, noncompliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and inadequate parking.

The original plan for the police and fire complex included moving in the emergency operations center, now at Yanity Gym at 60 Prospect St.

“We took that out of the plan,” Marconi said. “Ever since we opened, it’s been at Yanity. We just put some money into it. It’s perfect for us.”

Costs were also reduced in an area of the new building that Marconi referred to as the “apparatus bay.”

“It was (to be) a garage for the (fire) chief’s car, the assistant chief’s car, the fire department, as well as a shift commander” and rescue apparatus, he said.

However, the fire chiefs take their cars home at night, so a garage isn’t needed, Marconi said.

Also, the complex would be about 17 feet higher than first planned, he said.

“Originally, this building was all one level and there was an entrance with a parking garage deck that wrapped around the building with parking underneath. So it was like a parking garage with a tremendous amount of concrete. We eliminated all of that,” Marconi said.

“We’re using the topography to terrace the parking, thereby eliminating the need for a parking garage and a vast amount of concrete,” he said.

When town officials began planning the new police and fire complex six years ago, they created a grid of the town and saw each assisted living nursing facility generates 275 to 300 calls a year, Marconi said.

“We have a ton of calls from Laurel Ridge (Health Care Center) and (Benchmark at) Ridgefield Crossings — an assisted living and a nursing facility. So to move the building farther south to that direction toward Wilton would only make our response time go up, on the average,” he said.

Town officials also reviewed about nine possible locations for the new public safety complex, and w

Sofia Acosta Silva
The Day, New London, Conn.
(TNS)

Waterford — The decision on whether the town will approve a $12.6 million bond to build a new station for Oswegatchie Fire Company No. 4 is likely to be made at the Representative Town Meeting on Oct. 6.

If the RTM approves the bonding, the town would then seek bids for the project.

At an Aug. 4 RTM meeting at a packed Town Hall auditorium, the Oswegatchie Fire Station Building Committee, Silver Petrucelli Associates, and Downs Construction presented an overview of the fire station’s design and costs, including a virtual walk through of the proposed station.

I would hope that we never end up in this situation again, where we have this historic opportunity to build a new firehouse, which is a very rare thing,” said Director of Fire Service Chris Haley, responding to Representative Mary Child’s concern about the other neglected firehouses. “And I hope that we do not end up in this situation again.”

The current deteriorating station, which is 94 years old, has gone through many temporary fixes to keep it open and functioning. The four other fire stations in town also have problems that need attention, such as lack of heating and cooling, sewer backups, cracks in structures and leaks.

“What got us to this point is what we’re trying to avoid going forward, the total neglect of the stations,” said Haley about the failure to maintain the firehouses.

The proposed 9,988-square-foot station would be built in the parking lot of the current station, which will allow it to remain open during construction. The interior would include spaces such a as training/public meeting room and offices which could be accessed by the public.

Spaces for firefighters and employees that would require keycard access include bunk rooms, a kitchen, an exercise room.

The truck bays, will include bi-fold doors, with an opening time of 7 to 8 seconds, which is about half the time it takes for typical overhead doors to open, and will require less maintenance.

The new station would have a colonial home design with a red “barn” section for the apparatus bays and a white “house” section for the living quarters. It will incorporate LED lighting with automatic and dimming controls.

During the almost two-hour discussion following the presentation, Haley said a big misconception about the project is that the cost is financially irresponsible. But he called the cost of the new building as an investment that will provide 50 to 75 years of service.

Haley promised to be transparent about the cost of the project as way to demonstrate the long-term value of the investment.

He said another misconception is that building the new fire station means the other four firehouses will be neglected and therefore shut down. He stressed no firehouse would be closed.

“There’s a lot of attachment and a lot of pride associated with the firehouses, but there’s also a lot of fear. And what I hope to do is take some of the fear out,” said Haley. “Tell me what you’re worried about … And how that may impact your vote. And hopefully, I can educate you onto why this is so important to us and why it is so important to all of you as a town, and how that this station is going to benefit the entire town.

Since 2019, when the town chartered a municipal fire department — the Waterford Fire Department — the five, individually-owned, fire companies have consolidated and merged all operations under the new fire department.

Haley says he is working to fully establish and build out the Waterford Fire Department as a unified entity, a process with was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. He said