TRENTON, Michigan (May 20, 2025) — The city of Trenton announced the future site of the new Trenton Fire Department headquarters at the corner of West Road and Veteran’s Parkway. This strategically selected location will serve as a centralized hub to significantly improve emergency response times and operational efficiency across the city.

The site was chosen following a comprehensive study of citywide emergency response patterns and community coverage needs, conducted in collaboration with public safety experts and urban planners. The city successfully secured the location through purchase agreements with the Trenton Motor Inn and the Trenton VFW organization, whose partnership was instrumental in making this vision a reality.

“These new stations are a generational investment in Trenton’s public safety,” said Mayor Steven Rzeppa. “Through detailed analysis, planning, and negotiations, we know these locations will enhance the ability of our first responders to serve our community better than ever before. This project will completely transform that intersection into something Trenton residents will be proud of for decades to come. We can’t thank the voters enough for putting their faith in us to get this done.”

Mayor Pro-Tem Richard Benedetti, himself a retired firefighter stated, “I was pleased with the hard work and dedication that the Mayor and Administration put towards improving our service and response to the residents.”

Fire Chief Keith Anderson stated “The consolidation of our two fire stations into a new, state-of-the-art central facility marks a major step forward for Trenton. This move enhances our ability to respond more efficiently across the city, improves coordination among our crews, and ensures the highest level of service and safety for our residents. It’s a smart investment in both our infrastructure and our community’s future.”

Police Chief Mike Hawkins stated that “Building our new station is more than just bricks and mortar, it is a step toward a safer, stronger and inviting future for our community.” 

The city of Trenton extends its heartfelt gratitude to the Trenton Motor Inn and Trenton VFW for their cooperation and commitment to the community’s safety. Construction planning will commence in the coming months, with regular updates provided to residents throughout the process.

In addition, the Trenton Police Department is excited to announce plans for a new station within a “municipal complex” near 3rd St. and Maple St. in the downtown district. Developed in partnership with city engineers and architectural firms, this modern facility will provide officers with state-of-the-art spaces aligned with best practices in policing. The new police station will also feature a training and community use room, available to residents for public engagement and events.

The City of Trenton, located along the Detroit River, is a vibrant community committed to enhancing the quality of life for its residents through strategic investments in public safety, infrastructure, and community engagement.

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The city of Florence (SC) Fire Department celebrated the addition of Engine 151 and Engine 161 to the fleet Wednesday, May 21, the department said in a Facebook post.

In January, Engine 151 was placed in service. The Pierce pumper holds 750 gallons of water with a 1,500-gallon-per-minute (gpm) pump, meeting the capabilities of the rest of the fleet.

In April, Engine 161 was placed in service. The Pierce pumper also holds 750 gallons of water with a 1,500-gpm pump.

“This would not have been possible without support from the mayor and city council, city manager, and our state representatives,” the post said. “We are proud to continue serving our community through the addition of these state-of-the-art apparatus, which support the city’s ongoing efforts to provide high-quality emergency response and public safety services.”

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As fire chiefs explore options for new fire apparatus, stock rigs present an attractive alternative to custom builds. Departments face budget constraints, especially in the current climate where some government funding has been exhausted. Stock rigs can offer a more economical solution without compromising on features. For fire departments navigating the complexities of the current market, stock rigs have emerged as a practical, efficient, and valuable solution. Today’s stock rigs can offer customization, immediate availability, and cost-effectiveness that modern fire services demand.

An important point discussed in the podcast relates to the vital role of dealers in the fire apparatus procurement process. As representatives of their local markets, dealers provide valuable insights into the specific needs of fire departments in their regions. Treadle elaborated on the collaboration between HME and dealers, emphasizing that these relationships allow manufacturers to adapt and customize stock rig offerings more effectively.

For more information on HME fire apparatus, visit www.firetrucks.com.

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Keeping It Safe Robert Tutterow

I recently had a change of mind about a safety item involving slide poles. This prompted me to write this column, as mind changing is difficult for many, especially for health and safety concerns.

Yes, I realize most fire stations are single-story and a slide pole is unnecessary. But, the intent of this month’s column is to discuss the difficulty in changing one’s mind. I was against slide poles, and there was a trend a few years ago to do away with them, and I thought this was good. However, watching a presentation involving this subject made me change my mind. More on this later.

Let me set the stage for why I was against slide poles. In looking at the history of the Charlotte (NC) Fire Department, where I was the health and safety officer for 24 years, here is how I became “vaccinated” against them. From the fire department’s history book, the following was written: “…became the Department’s seventh on-duty fatality when he died at Station 4 on April 1, 1934. He had pulled an extra shift, and Engine 4 had been busy that night. An alarm came in; he got up out of bed, tripped over the suspenders on his quick-hitch pants, and fell headfirst down the pole hole. He died later in the day of a fractured skull.” This story also highlights the issue of possible sleep deprivation, the unhealthy practice of keeping turnout gear by the bed (I did this as a volunteer firefighter for 10 years; did this contribute to my bout with cancer?), the location of the slide pole, and the guards around the pole.

Then, during my tenure as safety officer, we had three more slide pole incidents at Station 1. A civilian employee decided to slide the pole (without any training or supervision) and did not know how to control her descent. She ended up paralyzed from the waist down. When I retired, this incident was the most expensive workers’ compensation claim the fire department had ever had. Then, a captain broke an ankle when he landed at the bottom of the pole. And then, a kid slid the pole (again, untrained and unsupervised). His hands got hot from “braking,” and he let go, falling hard to the floor. He was transported to the hospital, where he was checked out and released. With all that tragic background, I felt that slide poles were an unnecessary hazard. We had a couple of other two-story stations without slide poles, and there were no injuries from using the stairs.

Now to today. I had the privilege to see Rob Manns, of Manns Woodward Studios, an architectural firm out of the Baltimore, Maryland, area, present on how fire station design can be a positive factor in reducing response times. Rob’s specialty is fire station design. Part of his presentation is about slide poles, and he shows where they can be located (not beside the apparatus), how they should be designed within context of the station, and how to protect firefighters from accidental falls. He has conducted some time studies in at least six stations and shows that slide poles are four times faster than stairs. And, that is for an entire company deployment. For one person, I suspect that time is even faster.

I saw this presentation at the F.I.E.R.O. Fire Station Symposium last year and found it interesting. I then saw it again at the Fire Department Safety Officers Association’s Annual Conference earlier this year, and I told him afterward he had changed my mind on slide poles. With his photos, diagrams, and science-based data, his presentation was compelling.

As I reflected on my change of mind, I could not help but think that this happened because stubbornness is in my DNA. I th

The city of Green Bay, Wisconsin’s vision for a fire station/apartment complex combo has its first renderings, fox11online.com reported.

General Capital Group, from Milwaukee, was selected out of 11 developers that vied for the project, the report said.

The three-story fire station will combine operations from the now-shuttered 100-year-old Fire Station 1 on Washington Street and 88-year-old Fire Station 3 on Shawano Avenue.

The 93 apartment units will be one to three bedrooms. Eight units will be for people making 30% of the area median income (AMI), which is $62,546, according to the most recent census data, according to the report. 73 units will be 60% of the AMI and 12 units will be 80% of the AMI.

The apartments part of the development is expected to cost $25.2 million. The city is hoping to keep the fire station price to about $15 million.

The hope is to break ground before the end of the year, the report said.

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