The Falmouth Planning Board this week granted final approval to plans for a new $10 million, 10,250-square-foot, three-bay garage fire station on Sandwich Road, CapeNews.net reported.

Plans for the new firehouse include a vestibule for patients in need of minor emergency care, six firefighter dorms, a kitchen and dining area, showers, lockers, a wellness room, a patio area and a decontamination area with lockers and showers, the report said.

The new station will have three paved entrances: the northernmost drive will be a service drive for returning fire engines to enter the bay and for staff parking behind the station; the apron at the center of the site is where trucks will emerge from the bay, and a southerly drive will be for a four-space visitors parking lot, according to the report.

​Henrietta’s new Fire Station 6 is now open and serving the growing southwest corner of town, SpectrumLocalNews.com reported.

The firehouse, located at 60 Erie Station Road, has a drive-through apparatus bay, on-site living quarters and a new firefighting training facility, according to the report.

Henrietta Fire District now has seven fire stations. It took over the West Brighton fire protection so now covers more than 40 square miles with four staffed and three volunteer stations, the report said.

The state-of-the-art station features upgrades in gear, kitchen, ventilation system, fitness room, new training area, burning tower and storage barn, the report said.

The Fire District will be holding a ribbon cutting ceremony officially opening your new fire station and firefighter training facility this Saturday October 15, 2022 at 11:00 am. After the ribbon stay for our annual open house which will run until 3:00 pm. pic.twitter.com/Gb3ZrtDa98

— Henrietta Fire Dist (@HenriettaFire) October 11, 2022

Crews from Lowe’s Home Improvement stopped by the Penn Wynne-Overbrook Hills Fire Company in Lower Merion this week to renovate their decades-old kitchen, MainLineMedianNews.com reported.

A fire official said the company has wanted to upgrade the kitchen for some time, but they’d rather spend their limited resources on things like safety equipment and community outreach programs, the report said.

The Lowe’s grant program is designed to help out various service organizations throughout the country. According to information provided by Lowe’s, “The five-year, $100 million program’s goal is to make a positive impact on millions of Americans.”

Tuesday, crews from Lowe’s Home Improvement were removing old cabinets and tearing out some of the walls in the kitchen area. In the coming days, the crews will be replacing those old cabinets, enlarging the kitchen, getting new appliances, and other upgrades, according to the report.

According to information on Lowe’s website about the project, the work crews will renovate the kitchen area with key structural and aesthetic renovations to increase accessibility and energy conservation while transforming an ill-placed kitchen that also serves as the firehouse’s public entrance, the report said.

Oswego Fire Department was granted bonds by the city October 11 to buy a new vehicle that will replace its last remaining yellow fire truck, Oswegian.com reported. 

The engine being replaced is a 1986 heavy rescue truck that is currently out of commission, according to a fire official.

With the old truck unusable, the fire official said it is a major issue for OFD because they do not necessarily have the equipment they need at the scene. Firefighters currently have to leave the scene and go back to the station to find what they need, load it onto the truck and then go back, the report said.

The city is currently looking to cover the cost of the new truck, a total price of around $1 million, according to a fire official. OFD hopes the new truck will be in Oswego by mid-November, if the bonds are approved this month, and will be fully operational and in use by December 1.

Plans for the vacant lot owned by the city of Holtville north of Holt Park was again the subject of debate, dividing the city council 4-1 over the proposed footprint of the Public Safety Building, HoltvilleTribune.com reported.

The debate centered on whether the Public Safety Building would have its fire apparatus bay exit onto Sixth Street, which is a busy road, or Pine Avenue, into a neighborhood, the report said.

Their solution was to install four-way stop signs on Sixth Street at both Pine Avenue and the neighboring Holt Avenue, thereby slowing down traffic along Sixth Street, which would make it safer for the fire vehicles to pull out onto the street, the report said.

Discussions surrounding these issues will continue into the next city council meeting, including discussion around whether the stop signs will change the options in plans for the Public Safety Building lot, according to the report.