WARREN DILLAWAY
Star Beacon, Ashtabula, Ohio
(TNS)
ORWELL — Village officials announced Friday an Aug. 4 roadway incident involving a fire truck responding to a call on Route 322 and their response to it.
“On August 5, village management was formally notified by the Ohio State [Highway] Patrol and Ashtabula County Sheriff’s Department that a collision had occurred on Route 322 involving an Orwell Fire Department vehicle responding to the emergency call,” a press release from the village states.
The vehicle was traveling through a construction zone and struck multiple construction barrels, according to the release. Two senior department officials were placed on administrative suspension.
“The Village’s policy clearly states any employee involved in a workplace accident is required to immediately report the incident and undergo standard post-incident testing,” the release states.
The release said first responders on the scene failed to report the incident to village management, resulting in administrative suspensions pending investigation.
“Following a review of dispatch logs, video footage, and witness testimony from the construction site, it was confirmed that the fire truck was traveling at a high rate of speed and caused damage upon impact with construction safety equipment,” the release states.
“The village places the highest priority on the safety of our residents, our emergency responders, and the broader community they serve,” Village Council President Christopher Ruks said in the release. “Massive fire trucks traveling at unsafe speeds, particularly through active construction areas, present a significant hazard.
“We regret that this incident placed construction workers at risk, and we are grateful no lives were lost. The Village is taking immediate steps to reinforce training, review operational procedures, and implement stronger accountability measures to prevent a recurrence.”
Because of staffing issues caused by the suspensions, the village received assistance from the Windsor the Wayne fire departments and recruited new firefighters, the release states.
“Shane Gregory stepped forward as Interim Fire Chief and worked in close coordination with Village Manager Sean Ratican to stabilize staffing levels,” Ruks said in the release.
The new staff have fire fighter II certifications and are certified EMTs, he said.
“This represents a significant upgrade for our department and positions us to deliver a stronger, more reliable level of service to the residents of Orwell moving forward.” he said.
During the course of the investigation, Assistant Fire Chief Scott Merlino tendered his resignation, according to the release.
Merlino did not return a message seeking comment.
© 2025 the Star Beacon (Ashtabula, Ohio). Visit www.starbeacon.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
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Posted: Aug 31, 2025
The Vine Grove Fire Department made the following Facebook post Thursday, Aug. 28, 2025:
It was confirmed in the official report by the Kentucky State Fire Marshal’s office that the cause of the fire at Vine Grove Station No. 3 was the result of a lightning strike.
We are currently working with our insurance companies and will hopefully have all things settled in the next few weeks. With that being said, we don’t want to wait to start working on replacing the Santa Truck items (all lights, sound board and speakers, bubble machines). These items were not covered by our insurance. If you would like to make a financial contribution to helping with this effort, you can do so at Vine Grove City Hall. Make sure you designate this donation to The Santa Truck fund. Thank you all for your support during this difficult time.
The department posted the following on Thursday, Aug. 21, 2025:
The Vine Grove Fire Department experienced a tremendous loss in the early morning hours of Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025. Station No. 3 sustained the total loss of the station and the three trucks that were inside. The greatest of these losses is the 1941 Howe vintage fire truck that was a huge part of the fire department’s history. In recent years it has been used in local parades and for firefighter funerals. Along with the loss of vehicles, we also lost all of the lights and sound equipment that was used to furnish the Santa Truck. This is another hard hit for our community as the Santa Truck is loved by so many.
We are so grateful that with the temperatures of the last week, and the amount of fire present, no one on the department was injured. Trucks and buildings can be replaced, people cannot.
We want to thank the citizens of Vine Grove for their concern and acknowledgment of the loss that the community has sustained. We have received calls and texts from all over the county and state lending their support to us as well. We also want to thank Tiffany’s Café, The Venue on Main, and the American Red Cross for supplying food and drinks to the department. And most importantly, we want to thank the firefighters of the VGFD, Flaherty FD, and Rineyville FD who bravely fought the blaze to bring it under control so that no other property was damaged. Members of these departments answered the call with determination and selflessness, battling not only the fire but the anxiety and uncertainty that came with it. Amidst the chaos, neighbors came together—offering words of encouragement, small acts of kindness, and a steady presence that reminded us all of the true spirit of Vine Grove.
The post Cause of Fire That Destroyed FD Station, Vehicles Revealed appeared first on Fire Apparatus: Fire trucks, fire engines, emergency vehicles, and firefighting equipment.
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Posted: Aug 30, 2025
St. Joseph News-Press, Mo.
(TNS)
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — The St. Joseph Fire Department received a Military Community Reinvestment Grant aimed at assisting communities that provide support to military programs and bases.
The $117,000 grant was awarded by the Missouri Department of Economic Development.
The grant funds, along with matching funding from the city, will be used to build a live fire training facility near Rosecrans Memorial Airport. The starter facility is expected to be complete by May 2026, according to a City of St. Joseph press release.
Firefighters with SJFD currently have to use other facilities for this type of training, which makes it difficult for all of them to earn the desired three hours of live fire training a year.
“The St. Joseph Fire Department, City of St Joseph as well as the 139th are very excited about this opportunity to build a live burn training facility here in St Joseph,” St. Joseph Fire Chief Ivan Klippenstein said. “This is a tool our fire departments have always been in need to have an accessible facility. We are not only excited about the opportunity to train, but to create relationships with old and new partners in the emergency services.”
SJFD is advocating for the future facility to be made the regional training facility that can be used by other area entities such as the 139th Airlift Wing and Missouri Western State University, according to a press release.
© 2025 the St. Joseph News-Press (St. Joseph, Mo.). Visit www.newspressnow.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
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Posted: Aug 30, 2025
Editor’s note: A story as told to Ron Heal by his friend and retired Elgin (IL) Fire Department firefighter John Tobin. Tobin was on the job for 34 years. He also worked with the Seagrave organization on his days off.
Fire service tradition runs deep. There are those who strive and pass on these traditions to those who follow. Some things should never die. This certainly applies to the Fire Department of New York (FDNY) cab restorations described in this feature.
With enough patience and time, we can revive these almost-human machines. The “click clack” of the warning lights become like a beating heart. The red lights flashing in rhythm is mimicking breathing. The restoration takes on a personality of its own. If the cab could only talk, it would tell stories of countless fires, cold winter nights, and finally the silence of a junkyard where they will be sent to the melting pot. To be able to preserve a little piece of history for future generations is truly a special undertaking.
People have asked John Tobin, retired Elgin (IL) firefighter, why he goes through so much pain, dragging what looks like a piece of junk out of a junkyard, soliciting the help of others to renew it, only to give it away.
Others say it is just another needless expenditure of energy. After 9/11, it finally dawned on him that he was acting out. He had not rid himself of the grief he suffered when three of his childhood idols died working for his dad’s fire department so long ago. To this day, Tobin can see them being hauled out in body bags from the basement of the Ben Franklin Five and Dime Store in Palatine, Illinois. Not only were the deaths of the three firefighters tragic, but the guilt, sorrow, and the baggage still being carried are almost as tragic as the loss of life. Tobin saw what the deaths did to his father. He wanted to somehow comfort those in New York who had lost so much that September day.
The Rebirth of a Workhorse
Heading up to the Seagrave factory in Clintonville, Wisconsin, a fire chief friend insisted that they stop at a junkyard after Tobin had mentioned that there were several old FDNY aerial ladder units waiting to be scrapped out. The former FDNY rigs had been at Highway Truck Parts in New London, Wisconsin, for several years. The site was pitiful. An old workhorse SL8018 sat waiting for its final fate. The windshields, motor, aerial ladder, wheels, and tires were long gone. The hubs dug into the ground where the end loader had dropped the remains off. Looking into the cab from the front, Tobin could almost hear the sounds of a big city—the radio traffic of the rigs responding all those years ago. He wondered where the firefighters who broke the rig in back in 1981 were now, the ones that operated the rig, pounding down the streets of New York—the busiest fire department in the world.
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Posted: Aug 29, 2025
You know, I went on vacation for one week—just one week—and I come back to find out that a class action lawsuit has been filed by a midwestern town against three OEMs and an industry association. The lawsuit contends that the four entities have been conspiring and that where we are right now with lead times and costs is a result of their getting together. Now, I’m sure there will be those out there who disagree with me completely on this, but I really think it’s time that we all step back, take a deep breath, and really look at the situation and how we landed here.
Fire departments across the country are frustrated, and they have every right to be. It’s taking what feels like forever to get a fire truck right now. We are used to getting a new rig in 18 or so months after placing the order. We are used to paying a lot less for them than we are right now. It is rough out there. Small fire departments that are already stretching their front-line fire apparatus as far as they possibly can while remaining compliant with applicable standards—and many times, by necessity, not being compliant—are looking at apparatus costs and wondering how they will update their small fleets. Larger departments that have pretty set replacement cycles are just now taking delivery of orders placed three years ago. It’s not easy, and it has required fire departments to adapt across the board.
We know that the federal government has gotten involved and also, of course, the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF). There have been various media reports covering what is happening, and in some cases these reports have painted a picture that connects dots that are not really there.
Amidst all of this, Fire Apparatus & Emergency Equipment has been following this topic and recently worked with the Fire Apparatus Manufacturers Association (FAMA) to provide more insight into why the situation is the way it is. Some might think that we are both in cahoots with the manufacturers so, of course, we’re going to claim this, that, and the other thing. But that’s not what these articles are about. Where we are right now is not the result of one singular event. Coming out of the COVID-19 Pandemic, a confluence of factors rolled together to bring us to where we are today. My ask is that you take a look at what we’ve put together with an open mind. It likely will not satisfy everyone, but there’s a lot more to all this than meets the eye.
As you move into your next purchasing phase, try to set aside all the noise you’re hearing and take a look at the following resources we’ve compiled:
Remember, consolidation happens in every market, and while some apparatus manufacturer consolidation is getting a lot of attention, there are other areas in the fire service market where consolidation has occurred—and you might not even realize where.
My hope is that we can all take a minute and check into many of the reasons we are where we’re at. If you disagree, I’m OK with that. But, at least take a look at the
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