Zachariah Hughes
Anchorage Daily News, Alaska
(TNS)

Sep. 14—The Municipality of Anchorage has some clunkers in its vehicle fleet.

A dump truck with a quarter-million miles. Snow graders with engines in desperate need of a rebuild. A boiler truck from the Reagan administration.

Many of these machines are so old and used up that they are breaking down, which is delaying, diminishing and degrading essential services. Deferred maintenance and years of budget reductions amount to what city leaders recently characterized as a systematic underinvestment in machinery that is essential for infrastructure and public safety.

“The equipment that we are actually putting out on the street is in a pretty significant state of under-repair, of disrepair and underinvestment,” Chief Administrative Officer Bill Falsey said during an Assembly work session in August.

Some of the most dramatic examples of fleet failure are within the Anchorage Police Department. Many of the department’s cruisers have been pushed well beyond their limits, which means the city is continually sinking money into an accumulating pile of repairs. At a Public Safety Committee meeting last fall, the department showed Assembly members pictures of cars coming apart at the seams, with warped exterior panels, shredded interior upholstery, pits of rust and odometers with more than 200,000 miles clocked — double the upper-end of industry standards.

“I have plenty of accounts of officers telling me that they couldn’t find a vehicle for several hours of their shift when theirs broke down, or caught on fire en route to a call and had to pull off to the side of the road,” Capt. Josh Nolder told the committee. “They’re not being able to respond to calls as fast as they likely could.”

The city owns a lot of motors: 416 cars and trucks, 130 pieces of heavy equipment like dump trucks and snow blowers, and then all 571 of the Anchorage Police Department’s vehicles. Some departments that run big machines, like fire and garbage utility, purchase and maintain their vehicles separately from the rest of the fleet.

In a lengthy transition report prepared by the outgoing Bronson administration, Maintenance and Operations Director Shay Throop identified one of the department’s main challenges as “(The) imminent collapse of the ability of the Municipality to provide basic government services (APD, Street Maintenance) due to the aged state of the fleet without additional funding replacement.”

[Previous coverage: Transition documents expose big staffing, financial problems across Anchorage city government, threatening core services]

Other department directors cited similar issues, from aging vehicles to neglected maintenance to having so many machines sidelined that workers were not able to do their jobs.

The reliability of the Anchorage Fire Department’s fleet, for example, has eroded to the point they cannot pull firefighting apparatuses out of rotation for preventive maintenance work.

“There have been many days when we did not have an apparatus for crews to respond with,” Fire Chief Doug Schrage wrote in the report. “There are numerous new engines and ambulances in various stages of construction, but long lead times, component shortages, and increased costs beyond available funding have created a situation where we haven’t been able to get back on replacement schedule. This is exacerbated by increased call volumes, adding to maintenance and repair needs.”

During the August meeting, Municipal Manager Becky Windt Pearson said the report painted a picture of the city as “in a state of crisis across a couple of axes,” with the looming f

PRESS RELEASE

CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee (Sept. 13, 2024) – Tennessee American Water is awarding over $22,000 to multiple firefighting agencies in the area through the Company’s 2024 Firefighting Support Grant program. The grants provide supplemental funding to emergency responders for items such as critical equipment, training and community education.  

“As we remember 9-11 this week, we think of our first responders who stand ready to serve our residents during emergency situations,” said Grant Evitts, president of Tennessee American Water.  “We are proud to support our local firefighters with additional gear and resources to save lives and protect our community.”

The following area departments will receive up to $1,000.00:

Hamilton County, TN

• Chattanooga Airport Fire Department
• Chattanooga Fire Department
• City of East Ridge Fire Department
• Elder Mountain Volunteer Fire & Rescue
• Town of Lookout Mountain Fire Department
• City of Red Bank Fire Department
• Signal Mountain Fire Department
• Tri-Community Volunteer Fire Department
• Walden’s Ridge Emergency Services Inc.

Northwest Georgia

• Catoosa County Fire Department
• Dade County Fire Department
• Lookout Mountain Georgia Police and Fire Department
• Walker County Fire Rescue
• Rossville Fire Department

Sequatchie Valley in TN

• Crossroads Volunteer Fire Department
• Foster Falls Volunteer Fire Department
• Haletown Volunteer Fire Department
• Jasper Highlands Volunteer Fire Department
• Mullins Cove Volunteer Fire Department
• Sequatchie Area Volunteer Fire Department
• Southend Volunteer Fire Department
• West Valley Volunteer Fire Department
• Whitwell Volunteer Fire Department
• Whitwell Mountain Fire Department

The Firefighting Support Grants provide financial assistance to uniformed, professional and volunteer fire departments serving communities in the company’s designated service territories. More information is available at the Company’s website tennesseeamwater.com.

About American Water

American Water (NYSE: AWK) is the largest regulated water and wastewater utility company in the United States. With a history dating back to 1886, We Keep Life Flowing® by providing safe, clean, reliable and affordable drinking water and wastewater services to more than 14 million people with regulated operations in 14 states and on 18 military installations. American Water’s 6,500 talented professionals leverage their significant expertise and the company’s national size and scale to achieve excellent outcomes for the benefit of customers, employees, investors and other stakeholders.

For more information, visit amwater.com and join American Water on LinkedIn, Facebook, X and Instagram.

About Tennessee American Water

Tennessee American Water, a subsidiary of American Water (NYSE: AWK), is the largest regulated water uti

By Chris Mc Loone

I was part of a conversation not long ago about the number of fire apparatus manufacturers in 1980 vs. today. We rattled off names like Hahn, Mack, 3D, Luverne, Peter Pirsch, American LaFrance, and others that don’t exist anymore. 1980 doesn’t feel like that long ago to me, but it has been 44 years, and we’ve lost more than a few fire truck makers in that time. However, 50 years ago, we gained an apparatus manufacturer that has withstood the test of time by continually innovating, cultivating its employee atmosphere, and nurturing its dealer network—E-ONE. In March, it kicked off its 50th anniversary celebration with an event at its Ocala, Florida, headquarters, which highlighted its employees, dealers, and loyal customers.

• Podcast: Five Questions for E-ONE at its 50th Anniversary Kickoff
• E-ONE Celebrates 50 years in Business
• E-ONE Event Celebrates 50 Years of Fire Industry Leadership and Innovation

GARAGE START

Originally known as Emergency One, E-ONE was founded by Bob Wormser in 1974. He designed and manufactured the first modular extruded aluminum fire truck body in his garage, according to Chris McClung, vice president of sales, REV Fire Group. “It was a game changer for the fire industry at that time,” he says. “It has continued to be so for the last 50 years. This launched the company’s reputation for pioneering innovation and is still evidenced 50 years later in the fire apparatus we produce for fire departments around the world.”

Early on, Wormser moved the company’s operations to a small facility in downtown Ocala. It wasn’t long before he moved the company to an 82,000-square-foot production facility in 1978. In 1990, the company added an additional 65,000 square feet, the Welcome Center, and Delivery Center. And, the company added a facility in Hamburg, New York, in 2010 to serve its Northeast United States dealers and customers. What began as a 25-employee company has evolved into a company with more than 1,000 employees in two facilities.

HISTORY OF INNOVATION

From the beginning, E-ONE has innovated. “Let’s start with Bob Wormser’s manufacturing the first modular extruded aluminum fire truck and body, the first in the industry,” says McClung. “Also important is our first 110-foot welded extruded aluminum aerial with integral torque box chassis.” The preceding product arrived in 1981. McClung also counts E-ONE’s TITAN 4×4 Air Transportable (AT) aircraft rescue and firefighting (ARFF) vehicle, introduced in 2020, as one of the company’s most important innovations. “This reduced size aircraft firefighting rescue vehicle is designed to fit on a C-130 Hercules aircraft and be transported to military bases around the world,” he says. “It is used by both the U.S. military and the Canadian Department of National Defen

Aaron Curtis
The Sun, Lowell, Mass.
(TNS)

DRACUT — In a nod to tradition, the Dracut Fire Department celebrated the arrival of two new fire trucks recently purchased by the town with a “push-in” ceremony on Wednesday.

According to the Dracut Fire Department, the ceremony is a tradition that dates back to the era of horse-drawn fire carriages, which were detached from the horses and manually pushed back into the fire stations, as horses cannot walk backward.

As part of the ceremony, Fire Department Chaplain Rev. Larry Zimmerman led firefighters in a prayer to bless the two new trucks.

Both trucks are Ford F-550 all-wheel-drive vehicles, each carrying 330 gallons of water, 30 gallons of Class A foam, and capable of pumping 1,250 gallons of water per minute. Designed as multi-purpose vehicles, they can respond to the myriad emergencies Dracut firefighters face daily.

Each truck cost about $400,000, and were purchased as part of the town’s capital expenditure plan.

Fire Chief Richard Patterson stated that the primary mission of the trucks is to respond to medical emergencies. However, both vehicles are also equipped to fight building fires, brush fires, and to tow the department’s marine units to water incidents.

“These trucks do not replace traditional, full-sized pumper trucks, but they will greatly reduce wear and tear on our pumper trucks, which cost about a million dollars each,” Patterson said in a press release. “We expect the Squad 1 and Squad 3 trucks to help us extend the life expectancy of our pumper trucks by about five years.”

Patterson thanked the town for purchasing the two new trucks, which he said will increase the department’s abilities to efficiently respond to calls.

“Responding to medical calls is a major part of what we do, and these two new trucks will enable us to respond to those calls without tying up our pumper trucks and larger equipment,” Patterson said.

Follow Aaron Curtis on X, formerly known as Twitter, @aselahcurtis

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(c)2024 The Sun, Lowell, Mass.

Visit The Sun, Lowell, Mass. at https://www.lowellsun.com/

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

VINCE RICHARDSON
Skagit Valley Herald, Mount Vernon, Wash.
(TNS)

SEDRO-WOOLLEY — The Sedro-Woolley City Council authorized the city’s fire department Wednesday to purchase a stretcher, and Mayor Julia Johnson swore in 10 fire department personnel as well as a police officer.

The $30,000 purchase price of the Stryker Pro Stretcher raised some eyebrows.

“They are spendy,” Fire Chief Frank Wagner said. “Even the manual ones are way up there now in price. The last manual one we purchased that had no bells, whistles or hydraulics or anything was I believe about $17,000.”

Wagner said this is the fourth such stretcher for the department.

The high-tech stretcher has the ability to lift 700 pounds.

“Even a 200-pound person, if you are taking them in and out of a house and up and down stairs it’s already hard enough,” Wagner said. “With this stretcher, you can make the transition with only two people, instead of four, five or six.

“So it also helps manage resources when you are short on staffing and responding to multiple calls.”

The new stretcher should make things easier on the fire department’s personnel.

Wagner said the department had a firefighter unable to work for about a year after severely injuring a shoulder while transporting a patient.

“You figure one full-time employee, you lose them for a year the amount of overtime you pay not to mention some of these folks never recover and never get to come back to work,” Wagner said.

“It does hurt when you start looking at the bottom of that invoice, but when look at what is saves, it’s worth the price.”

Also Wednesday, the city welcomed 10 fire department personnel — firefighter/EMTs Devon Heckard, Jacob Braaten, LaRen Gevaart-Rossie, Jack Cole, Dillon Russell, Drew Jenkins, Bobby Castilleja and Sean O’Neill, and firefighter/paramedics Brandon Paulson and Philip Chong — and police officer Joseph Eggert.

The city was able to add to its fire department after residents passed a levy for additional funding.

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(c)2024 the Skagit Valley Herald (Mount Vernon, Wash.)

Visit the Skagit Valley Herald (Mount Vernon, Wash.) at www.goskagit.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.