The village of Harrison, Wisconsin, celebrated its new fire station with a groundbreaking ceremony Aug. 22, 2025.  

According to a wbay.com article, the $11.5 million building will replace the existing station located on Lake Park Road. It will be more than three times the size of the current station.  

Harrison officials say that the location of the new building will be crucial in getting help to people quickly.

Construction on Fire Station 70 is estimated to be completed in July 2026. 

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The Selkirk Fire District broke ground on a new headquarters August 12, 2025. According to a spotlightnews.com article, district officials, elected leaders, and community members gathered at 1160 Route 9W to mark the start of construction. The new property will house the district’s administrative offices and serve as the operational hub.  

Initial plans for a new headquarters date back to 2018, where voters rejected a $17.8 million proposal. Designs had to be scaled back to not result in a tax increase. Two years later, the plans were approved.  

The 21,800-square-foot facility is designed with three double-deep garage bays to accommodate larger fire apparatus. In addition, it will include a radio room, decontamination and laundry facilities, an exercise room, as well as other amenities.  

The Selkirk Fire District operates out of three stations built in 1928, 1952, and 1956. The stations are dated, making it difficult for firefighters to effectively operate out of them. The new headquarters will ensure ample space and resources for staff.  

Project engineer Aaron Jackson shared that intial designs were altered after wetlands were discovered on the site. The current site design spreads parking around the building to compensate for the wetlands.  

District leaders say that this new headquarters will enhance response time, firefighter safety, and ensure that the department can meet service demands.  

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David Floyd
Chattanooga Times Free Press, Tenn.
(TNS)

Since May 2021, Chattanooga fire trucks have not been able to cross the Wilcox Boulevard bridge because of a weight limit on the structure.

However, with stations strategically placed throughout the city, Fire Department spokesperson Lindsey Rogers said there hasn’t been any disruption to service or any impact on the agency’s responses as a result of crews not being able to use the bridge.

Our fire companies use alternate routes, and 911 dispatch sends the closest fire companies to any call, taking into account any construction or road closures,” Rogers said in an email.

Due to structural issues, CARTA buses have similarly not used the bridge for several years, said the agency’s chief of staff, Scott Wilson. That includes both full-size and shorter buses, which are rerouted to ensure the safety of passengers and operators, he said in an email. The transit agency’s offices are just down the road at 1617 Wilcox Blvd.

With their loaded trucks totaling as much as 40 tons, drivers for the Chattanooga-based trucking company Covenant Logistics also avoid the structure, navigation manager Sheldon Paprota said in an email.

After years of deterioration, the 70-year-old bridge spanning the Norfolk Southern Railway’s DeButts Yard on Wilcox Boulevard has a weight limit of 13 tons for two-axle vehicles, such as fire engines, or 23 tons for three-axle vehicles, such as ladder trucks. Fire engines weigh 22 tons with water, and ladder trucks weigh 40 tons with water. A March 2023 inspection by the Tennessee Department of Transportation rated the overall condition as poor, giving it a score of three on a scale of zero to nine.

Officials are now getting ready to replace the bridge, and Rae-Anne Bradley, a spokesperson for TDOT, said the agency anticipates construction will begin in fall 2026. A spokesperson for Mayor Tim Kelly’s office, Eric Holl, recently said on social media the project is expected to be finished in 2029.

“In the meantime, we want to reassure the public that the Wilcox bridge remains safe for travel,” Bradley said in an email. “We are closely monitoring its condition and have taken proactive steps — like lowering speed limits and posting load limits — to reduce stress on the bridge and extend its usability until the new bridge is complete. We appreciate your patience and cooperation as we work to deliver a safer, stronger bridge that will serve the community for decades to come.”

(READ MORE: Before the Walnut Street Bridge became the heart of Chattanooga, it was almost torn down)

In a post on social media, Holl said he and Kelly regularly drive across the bridge.

“The reason we have the annoying bumps and plates on the bridge is to keep it safe to cross until it can be replaced,” Holl said in response to a post expressing concern about the structure. “If we believed it wasn’t safe, we would close it. Period.”

The bridge was built in 1958 and has an estimated annual maintenance cost of $1.3 million, Bradley said. Developing a plan to replace the bridge has required coordination among bridge owner Norfolk Southern; the city of Chattanooga, which owns Wilcox Boulevard; and TDOT, which will manage the development of design plans and administer the construction contract.

A low inspection rating does not mean a bridge is unsafe, Bradley said. Officials consider the structural adequacy, serviceability, obsolescence and its essentialness for public use, she said.

“In simpler terms, we look at all the parts of the bridge to see how old they are and how deteriorated the

A firefighter died Sunday while working the Bivens Creek fire in the Tobacco Root Mountains, according to the Bozeman Daily Chronicle.

The man, who has not been publicly identified, suffered a cardiac arrest while engaged in fire suppression.

Despite immediate aid from an on-scene paramedics, resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful, officials said in a joint release from Northern Rockies Team 6 under Incident Commander Rich Cowger, Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest, USDA Forest Service Northern Region, the Office of Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte, the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, and Bureau of Land Management Western District. The Madison County Sheriff’s Office is investigating.

The Bivens Creek fire, sparked by lightning on Aug. 13, has burned more than 2,200 acres about 15 miles northwest of Virginia City.

Visit the Bozeman Daily Chronicle for more.

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Keeping It Safe Robert Tutterow

The more we learn about sleep deprivation, the more we realize the negative impact it has on people’s overall health. This is particularly true for firefighters. A couple of years ago at the IFSTA Research Symposium, a question was asked to a panel of fire service researchers: “What is the biggest research challenge facing the fire service?” Each panel member said it was sleep deprivation.

The issue is twofold. First, we are just learning about the impact of sleep deprivation and measures to deal with it. Second, and most challenging, is that the fire service is likely not receptive to the solutions. Most career firefighters love their shift schedule with the days off for adventure and second jobs.

What are the negative health impacts of sleep deprivation? The list seems to grow as more research is conducted. I was told about firefighters from a metro fire department who had two serious motor vehicle accidents within a year when the firefighters, who were driving home following shift duty, fell asleep while driving and crashed. Without a doubt, a sleepy person is not as safe as a person who is not sleep deprived. And, lack of sleep impacts negatively on productivity.

There is also a growing list of health problems related to lack of sleep. Research has shown that it is linked to cancer, obesity, suicide, reproductive health, Alzheimer’s, and a weakened immune system. It also impairs one’s cognitive abilities.

According to Business Insider, the Department of Defense’s Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA) is researching ideas “to help tired pilots and worn-out combat troops get better sleep but also stay awake when it’s needed most.” A watchdog report last year found “that lack of sleep contributed to military safety mishaps and multiple deaths.” The report cited that troops complained about “shoddy barracks mattresses” as a deterrent to quality sleep. DARPA does not conduct its own research but sets priorities for contracts with universities and companies to study the issue.

Obviously, an emergency call that disrupts sleep is part of the job whether you are career or volunteer; however, there are some steps that can be taken to improve sleep quality. The layout of a station’s sleeping quarters is controversial, but research has shown that bedrooms are considered better for sleep than the open dorm concept or the partial partition design.

Those who advocate against individual bedrooms say that it has a negative impact on camaraderie. I have often wondered how camaraderie can be developed or harmed while sleeping. Another negative reaction to individual bedrooms is that firefighters will spend tim