A ceremony was held and the ribbon was cut as city leaders, county leaders and community members gathered to celebrate the grand opening of the Benton Fire Department’s new fire station, BentonCourier.com reported. 

The station is located on the access road near the Saline County Technical Campus at 12700 Interstate 30 North. 

A fire official said the need for this station came with the announcements of the Saline County Career Technical Campus and Benton School District’s new elementary and middle schools going into the area, the report said.

The new station will respond to calls at the SCCTC, the new elementary school and middle school when they open and the surrounding area, the report said. 

The south side of Baldwin County will extend hours of operation in order to have quicker firefighter response time, 41NBC.com reported.

A fire official said Fire Station 4, at 252 Cooper Road, is one of the oldest volunteer run stations. It was only operational for a few hours during the night.

Adding 24/7 personnel means they can save more buildings from being a total loss, the fire official said.

There will be three 24-hour shifts for three firefighters to alternate, the report said.

With the potential hiring of three new firefighters putting a strain on its budget, commissioners for East Manatee Fire Rescue decided during a September 7 budget workshop to delay construction of a new Myakka City fire station, YourObserver.com reported.

Discussion of the station’s groundbreaking isn’t likely to take place until next spring, making it unlikely the station construction would begin in Fiscal Year 2022-2023. The Fiscal Year begins October 1, the report said.

The new station was to be built adjacent to the existing Station 11, which will be torn down, on Wauchula Road.

A fire official said one reason Myakka City is in need of a new station is that if a storm with Category 3-force winds (111 to 129 mph) or higher hits the area, Station 11 would need to be evacuated, with firefighters and staff needing to go to another station, or possibly moving to Myakka City Elementary, which has a higher rating for storms, according to the report.

Another reason for a new station is simply more space. The new structure will be 10,500 square feet as compared to current structure’s 6,500 square feet, the report said.

The cost of the new station is $4 million-plus, with the emphasis on plus during the current period of inflation and construction delays.

The station’s site plan currently is under review by the county, which is a critical step forward, while engineers and architects are currently working on the design, the report said.

Riverside County supervisors signed off Tuesday on an $11 million budget for construction of a replacement fire station in the community of North Shore, though one supervisor lamented the high price, which he said will drain the funds available for another station replacement project, NBCPalmSprings.com reported.

A fire official acknowledged the downside of making the appropriation for a single project, but said that inflation and other factors had driven up the cost of replacing the North Shore station, compared to earlier estimates submitted to the board years ago, the report said.

The North Shore station was constructed in 1964.

A fire official said the Lake Tamarisk Station No. 49 replacement project will have to be put on hold.

A number of manufacturers debuted electric fire apparatus at FDIC International 2022 in April. This month, we asked Advisory Board Members Bill Adams and Ricky Riley: “Is the fire service ready for electric fire apparatus? Do you see any potential for the future?”

I don’t believe the fire service is ready to accept electric fire apparatus. There is a plethora of reasons behind my rationale. To dispel any accusation of me being a traditionalist and the effect of aging on my decision, I am 100% in favor of making firefighters’ jobs easier, safer, and more efficient to accomplish. Should electric fire apparatus meet that criterion, so be it. Buy as many as you want. And, there is no belittling manufacturers that introduce new products that benefit the fire service, regardless of their reasoning. Kudos to them.

If the concept is being promoted strictly because of a political doctrine, I am skeptical. If the real objective for introducing electric apparatus is to satisfy a philosophy or a theory, regardless of being perceived or desired, I am very skeptical. In my opinion, political doctrines, predisposed viewpoints, and subjective hypothesis have no place in determining what kind of apparatus a fire department should purchase.

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Questions from potential purchasers

I will address electric apparatus from the perspective of an open-minded fire chief and an apparatus purchasing committee (APC). For simplicity’s sake, the chief and APC members have no hidden agendas and no preconceived feelings toward or against electric fire apparatus. All want to provide the best possible equipment for the firefighters. They have looked at the brochures and advertisements of the electric fire apparatus manufacturers and have read articles about them in the various trade journals. The chief and the APC are receptive to new ideas yet want to ensure the fire department and taxpayers receive the best value for the monies expended. More importantly, the new purchase must enhance