For five years, residents in the Paradise Beach (FL) area have been without a fire station. Station 20 in Paradise Beach was closed by the county after the lease expired on the property, weartv.com reported.

An Escambia County commissioner said the decision by previous county administration to close the facility was a mistake, the report said.

Homeowners say their insurance premiums have skyrocketed because a fire station is not within five miles of their home, the report said.

The commissioner said the county is now trying to negotiate the purchase of land needed to build a new fire station, the report said. The county is very close to making a deal to purchase the land, and expects something within the next six months, according to the report.

The county says they hope to build a new fire station not far from the Southwest Sports Complex in Paradise Beach off of Bauer Road, the report said.

The Dowagiac City Council recently approved an agreement with Frederick Construction to serve as Construction Manager for the Fire Station and Department of Public Service projects, leaderpub.com reported.

After proposals were sought, seven firms expressed interest in serving in this capacity. Interviews were held with two firms and Frederick Construction was hired to provide these services. The firm was the most competitive price of those firms seeking the contract, with a total cost of $597,420, the report said.

While still in the planning phase, the city is eyeing the industrial park as the location for its new fire department, the report said.

Dallas Fire-Rescue battled a three-alarm fire at a shopping center Friday morning, and a fire engine went off the road in responding to it.

The call to the commercial building in the 11000 block of Harry Hines Boulevard came in at about 7 a.m. and quckly escalated to three alarms, WFAA reported.

The first responding crews found a large fire under way and called for more resources, eventually sounding four alarms.

The fire truck accident happened at Joe Field Road and Reeder Road.

No injuries have been reported in the incident.

Dallas Fire Rescue engine ends up in a ditch while heading to the now 3 alarm blaze on Harry Hines. pic.twitter.com/rqeqCPAAuI

— Mike Forbes (@mikeforbeswfaa) December 9, 2022

The Hannibal (MO) Fire Department was awarded $8,726 and will use it to buy some new gear, wgem.com reported.

The fire department applied for a grant through the Missouri Department of Public Safety for technical rescue equipment, the report said.

A fire official said they will use that money to purchase harnesses, rope, rope rescue hardware, helmets and stretchers, according to the report.

The Anniston (AL) City Council voted Tuesday night to replace two aging fire trucks, The Anniston Star reported.

The council passed a resolution authorizing $1,318,000 to purchase two heavy-duty pumper fire engines for the Anniston Fire Department, according to the report. The two Sutphen heavy-duty custom pumpers will be purchased from Williams Fire Apparatus, as a part of the competitive bidding process utilized by the H-GAC purchasing cooperative, the report said.

The fire engines will be purchased with Rescue Act funds along with the fire tax revenue, a city official said.