According to a report from The Gardner News, Gardner, Massachusetts’, Lake Street Fire Station was one of two fire facilities in the town when it was dedicated in 1885, also the year of the town’s centennial.

When construction started in September 1884, The Gardner News reported it as a “substantial brick structure, 64 x 40 feet, with the first floor devoted to the engines–the main room was 49 x 39 feet.”

At the station, the engine held there was the Torrent No. 2, a hand tub used by the hand brigade that was very effective in fighting fires. In addition, Gardner (truck) 4, a ladder truck, and hose reels were all stored in the main room.

The first-floor room featured double doors as well as a repair room, washing facilities, a closet, and a stairway. The hose tower, which opened into the engine room, was one of the station’s best features, offering accommodations for 1,300 feet of hose and arranged with weighted ropes and a tank for washing the hose, so that the amount of work required would be comparatively small.

At the building’s southwest corner was one of the town’s first “lockups” (jails) with two cells. The second floor contained a second repair room and other facilities. The attic was not finished at the time of dedication.

The first Torrent Engine and the Cataract Engine at the South Gardner Fire Station were the two new hand-tubs the town purchased in 1852. The Torrent was kept at Gardner’s first engine house at its center, next to the old library on Pearl Street.

In 1884, during the construction of the Lake Street Station, the Torrent Engine House was sold at auction to George B. Hager for $261 and was scheduled to be moved to North Main Street near the site of the Episcopal Church, where Hager intended to convert it into a store.

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According to a report from WLEN, the Tecumseh, Michigan, city council was approached by a fire truck company regarding a the purchase of a used Demonstration Pierce Ladder Truck, but town officials turned them down.

Tecumseh Mayor Jack Baker said that Tecumseh Fire Department (TFD) members found some things with the truck that do adhere to what they were looking for in a new truck, namely, the truck’s color.

Baker also stated that the TFD would rather look at a brand-new truck later in the future, when they are actually in the market for a new ladder truck than potentially save $60,000, especially when the truck is not what they are looking for.

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According to a report from The Johnson City Press, the Elizabethton (TN) Fire Department’s (EFD’s) latest fire truck, a Pierce, is on schedule to arrive in the state next week.

EFD Chief Barry Carrier said the truck will leave the Pierce Manufacturing assembly line in Florida next week. Originally, the truck was slated to arrive today. Carrier said the truck will be undergoing a predelivery inspection in Piney Flats first.

The truck will be inspected by David Taylor, at the Pierce Service Center. Once it passes, it will head to its new home.

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The La Crosse Fire Department has unveiled plans for a new fire station, reports La Crosse Tribune.

The new facility is expected to replace the 81-year-old existing station. A revamp of the fire station is priced near $5.9 million, although pricing is rising due to the pandemic.

A task force has recommended modernizing all fire stations.

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Officials have approved a new fire truck costing $1.8 million, reports My Muskoka Now.

In the current fleet, a 21-year-old pumper is in need of replacement. There’s also have a need for an aerial fire truck.

The fire department has also applied to receive a share of the $5 million funding the provincial government is offering to the 441 departments in Ontario.

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