Officials unanimously voted to accept a total of $69,000 in donations that will increase the fire station budget, reports YourObserver.com.

Siesta Key Fire Rescue Advisory Council is donating $16,000 for gym equipment. The Gulf & Bay Condominium Association is donating $53,000. The two donations increased the project’s overall not-to-exceed limit from $5,923,707 to $5,992,707.

The $53,000 donation will be used to construct the wall while the county will pay for redesign and permitting from its existing contingency. The wall is mandated by county regulations.

Construction of the wall will be rolled in with construction of the 10,500-square-foot facility, which is expected to be complete this summer.

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Town officials have agreed to include office space as part of the new station design after it was determined the cost of separate projects would be comparable to including office space in the new building, reports Greenfield Reporter.

Firefighters had expressed that including updated office space in the new design is a priority. This addition raised the estimated cost from roughly $1.9 million to about $2.4 million.

The updated Fire Station design plans will be uploaded to the town website, townofbernardston.org, and posted in the Bernardston town newsletter

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According to a report from Carteret County News-Times, the Morehead City, North Carolina, City Council will meet at 10 a.m. Thursday to hear and discuss the results of a study ion the potential staffing and space needs for Fire Station No. 3.

The meeting will take place in the council chambers of the municipal building at 202 S. 8th Street. The meeting will also be broadcast live on Zoom.

Representatives from N.C. Fire Chief Consulting, which performed a staffing and apparatus study for the Morehead City Fire/EMS (MCFEMS) Department, will present their results at the special meeting. MCFEMS Chief Jamie Fulk as well as other members will also be in attendance.

Moorhead City officials commissioned the study to look at options for Fire Station No. 3, located at 5293 Highway 70, after it was severely damaged during Hurricane Florence in 2018, which forced officials to accelerate plans to find a new location for the building. The station serves the west end of town, including much of the surrounding unincorporated areas.

Currently, Morehead City leases Fire Station No. 3 from Carteret County as part of an agreement with the Wildwood Community Organization (WCO) after a 2014 agreement merged the MCFEMS and the Wildwood Fire Department. In November 2020, the city entered into an agreement with the town of Wildwood to lease an additional building owned by the WCO that is located behind the main station. The lease is for $1,300 a month.

The city is using the building, previously used as a Morehead City substation, as extra bay space and crew bunks. However, Fulk indicated that this is just a temporary fix until the city finds a permanent home for the new station.

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According to a report from STUFF, a $500,000 Ashburton (New Zealand) Volunteer Fire Brigade (AVFB) truck was destroyed while firefighters fought a paddock fire earlier this week. The incident triggered an internal inquiry by Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ).

Steven Greenyer, FENZ Mid-South Canterbury area manager, said about seven crews were called to a harvester that was on fire in a paddock off Stanley Road in Dromore, just north of Ashburton, at 4.21pm on Monday.

Initially, three AVFB crews were dispatched to battle the fire, but another four from Pendarves, Hinds, and Ashburton were sent. According to reports, they had extinguished the fire by 5.50pm.

Greenyer said FENZ was investigating the cause of the fire and how the AVFB’s truck was destroyed.

The engine was one of three Iveco model engines that operate from the Ashburton station, worth about $500,000 each. Two of those trucks were added in 2019, while another was added in 2020.

Despite the loss of the truck, Greenyer said no one was injured during the incident, which is considered a “good outcome” for the AVFB.

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Oshkosh Airport Products, LLC, an Oshkosh Corporation (NYSE: OSK) Company announced today that the company has achieved TRUE (Total Resource Use and Efficiency) Zero Waste Certification at the Gold level. TRUE certification is administered by Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI), an organization that independently recognizes excellence in green business industry performance and practice globally. GBCI’s work helps facilities define, pursue, and achieve their zero waste goals, cut their carbon footprint, and support public health. Certification is based on a point system—the number of points a project earns determines the level of certification it receives.

The TRUE Gold level certification recognizes Oshkosh Airport Products’ goal of diverting more than 90% of the waste generated through processes from the landfill.

“A zero-waste goal goes far beyond increasing recycling and requires a holistic approach,” said Jack Bermingham, business unit director for Oshkosh Airport Products. “Sustainability is a team effort, and this certification requires collaboration from all of our team members. We’re not just working to get the trash to go to a different place; it’s about engaging people, rethinking processes, and reducing waste.”

Oshkosh Airport Products received credit for innovation after researching and discovering alternatives to throwing away plastic film. Team members developed a system to collect various forms of plastic, created training materials, and coordinated with other facilities to maximize impact. The result was a successful diversion of material totaling 29,200 pounds of plastic in the program’s first month.

Other high-impact waste diversion efforts for Oshkosh Airport Products have included collaborating with vendors and suppliers to educate each on the facility’s program, metrics and goals in order to accomplish these goals and identify outlets for recycling or material reuse. Trash Can-tipping events engage our Team Members and provide information that can be used to sort contents into specific waste streams, see where waste is being misplaced, and correct disposal behaviors.

Bermingham added, “Seeking certification isn’t about checking a box or the recognition itself; the activities and requirements of the certifications challenge us to improve. The recognition shows all our team members that their efforts make a difference and move us closer to our waste diversion goals.”

Meeting stringent standards to achieve TRUE certification at the Gold level has provided the Oshkosh Airport Products team with the opportunity to collaborate and rethink waste management processes, serve the environment better, and continually improve sustainable manufacturing practices.

To learn more about Oshkosh Airport Products and the TRUE Gold level certification, visit www.oshkoshairport.com.

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