On November’s ballot, the city of Flagstaff will be asking voters to approve a $5.287 million bond to address local fire, flood and wastewater infrastructure needs, AZDailySun.com reported.

If passed, Proposition 441 would fund $2,185,000 in replacements for four of the city’s fire response vehicles – two 21-year-old engines and two 22-year-old water tenders, the report said.

Replacements would mean “reliable, safer and more advanced equipment to protect Flagstaff from wildland fire and its devastating impacts,” a fire official said.

The city’s current wildland fire fleet is experiencing up to 35% downtimes due to breakdown, meaning a reduced, less-effective response to fire, according to the report.

The city budgeted more than $3 million for other fire equipment replacements in the 2022 and 2023 fiscal years, but does not have resources available to replace the vehicles, the report said. While it has considered alternate funding sources, impact fees are only available for new or additional units (which does not include replacements) and the city has not yet obtained grant funding, according to the report.

An $875,000 bond ordinance introduced unanimously October 3 provides for various local improvements including funding for the fire, police, and public works departments, and improvements to the Pascack Road-Washington Avenue intersection and town hall grounds, ThePressGroup.net reported.

The first group of upgrades estimated at $298,200 ($284,000 in bonds) goes to the fire department for Scott packs with bottles and masks, the report said.

The bond ordinance sets aside $195,000 ($186,200 in bonds) for new computer equipment for the police department and new portable radios for the fire department, according to the report.

A Moline Central Fire Station official said the old downtown building that houses the fire department has “exhausted its use,” QCTimes.com reported. 

Located at 1630 Eighth Avenue, a few blocks from City Hall and the police station, the brown-brick building houses emergency vehicles, administrative offices and the city’s finance department.

From the outside, the building looks well put together, the report said. A six-bay apparatus garage and bright red lettering over beige paint tell passersby it’s the Moline Central Fire Station.

But the inside, the boiler from the 1970s no longer has available replacement parts; the dated HVAC system units have water leaking from them constantly; lead must be abated; plumbing needs to be repaired; pieces of flooring are missing; sleeping quarters are above the garage, according to the report. 

City officials have made clear that a new fire station is needed, especially because of firefighters utilizing the building 24/7. A relocation study currently is underway, and results are to be presented to council by December, a city official said.

The estimated construction cost is between $10 and $15 million with demolition costing $440,000. To help cover the costs, the project would require a tax-levy increase projected at $0.10-$0.15 on 20-year bonds at a 4.2% interest rate, the report said.  

The Alcoa Fire Department said recently that two of its trucks — one manufactured in 1995 and the other in 2004 — were past due for replacement, TheDailyTimes.com reported.

After a needs analysis and multiple rounds of approval, the fire department took possession in late September of two brand new fire trucks from Pierce Manufacturing, the report said. After a long process of outfitting and moving over equipment from old to new vehicles, the last of the two finally entered service Thursday, October 21.

Each truck cost $750,000, the report said. Every compartment has been customized to the needs of the department, and firefighters were even able to choose the cabin layout for the trucks.

All fire trucks are expected to last 20 years as a front-line vehicle, the report said. After trucks becomes too old to use every day, the department uses them as backup in case of emergency calls. After being decommissioned, trucks are often donated to volunteer fire departments. One of the old AFD trucks, for example, is being donated to the Tellico Village Volunteer Fire Department.

There is a rusty 1946 Mack fire truck permanently on display at the Easton (CT) Volunteer Fire Department and will possibly get a much-needed makeover or be restored through fundraising events, EastonCourier.News reported.

After the old truck was retired from service, the once bright red truck leap-frogged around town because no one knew exactly what to do with it. Many hands have tinkered with it. It’s been bought, then sold, and bought again. No one knew if they really wanted it, the report said.

Around 2009, the department bought the truck for $5,000, 11 years after firefighters voted to get rid of it, according to the report.

A fire official said the fire department should keep its original fire apparatus because it is part of the department’s history and can inspire future firefighters to join the ranks, the report said.