By Alan M. Petrillo

Fluvanna (NY) Fire Department needed a rescue-pumper with a large water tank, plenty of storage capacity, and lots of LED lighting to cover the variety of fire suppression and rescue situations that it experiences in the Chautauqua Lake area of western New York State, so to fulfill those particular requirements the department turned to HME Ahrens-Fox.

Walid Al-Jabiri, Fluvanna’s first assistant chief, says the department provides fire, rescue and EMS services to four townships along the eastern coast of Chautauqua Lake where there are only dry hydrants. Fluvanna is an all volunteer department with 40 active firefighters operating out of two stations that houses two engines, one tanker, an ambulance and a rescue truck supplied by the county that protect a combination of suburban and rural residences, commercial structures, schools, nursing homes, the Jamestown airport, and two major state highways.

“We needed to replace an aging mid-1990s Pierce engine that had been eaten away by the salt and snow that we get out here in western New York,” Al-Jabiri observes. “Besides, the old engine only had seating for four firefighters.”

Russell Chick, HME Ahrens-Fox’s marketing and communications director, says HME built a rescue-pumper for the department on an HME AF1 chassis and MFDxl-12 cab with a galvanized frame, stainless steel body, and a one-piece windshield, with seating for six firefighters, five of them in H.O. Bostrom SCBA (self contained breathing apparatus) seats.

Chick says the rescue-pumper has a wheelbase of 194 inches, an overall length of 32 feet 8 inches, and an overall height of 9 feet 7 inches, powered by a Cummins L9 diesel engine, and an Allison 3000 EVS automatic transmission. He notes that the Fluvanna rescue-pumper has a Hale Qmax 1,500 gallon per minute (gpm) pump, a 1,000-gallon water tank, a 30-gallon UPF Poly® foam tank, and a Hale FoamLogix 2.1 foam proportioning system.

Al-Jabiri says the new rescue-pumper has a front bumper line of 100 feet of 1-3/4-inch hose; three cross lays, two 1-3/4-inch and one 2-1/2-inch hose lines of 215 feet each; and a Task Force Tips deck gun with Extend-a-Gun fixture.

“We carry 1,000 feet of 4-inch LDH (large diameter hose) in our hose bed, along with 300 feet of 2-1/2-inch dead lay, and 300 feet of 3-inch dead lay,” h

Fall brings with it cooler temperatures and lots of fall festivals, hay rides and, of course, Oktoberfest celebrations in communities across the U.S. This weekend, locals interested in sharing in the annual tradition can head to Selinsgrove for the DH&L (Dauntless Hook and Ladder) Fire Company’s Second Annual Oktoberfest, which will be held noon-5 p.m. Saturday at the fire company, 713 Bridge Street, DailyItem.com reported.

Tickets are $50 for general admission. Money from the event will go towards the cost of a new $1.5 million truck to replace a 1998 ladder truck, the report said. They hope to be able to buy the truck in 2023.

The event will feature four different types of beer, a commemorative Oktoberfest mug (glass mason jar mug), access to five food trucks and live music. A $10 voucher for food also comes with the ticket. Designated driver tickets are available for $30 and also include the food voucher. You must be 21 or over to attend, the report said.

The three live bands include Becky Blue Band, Kinzey, and Nate Myers and the Aces.

Food trucks on site for the day will be Son of a Butcher, Big Mambos, Sparky’s Donuts — crowd favorites, according to Christine — as well as Heimbach’s Country Store and Rolling Cones Ice Cream.

Funds raised by the company also help cover day to day operations and special events like banquets, the report said.

For more information on Oktoberfest, the DH&L Fire Company or to purchase tickets, visit https://dhlfire.com/events.

The Springfield Fire Department hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony October 6 for the rebuilt Station 4, KY3.com reported.

The fire department had the former station demolished to make room for the new one. A voter-approved property tax generated the money for the $3 million for the project, the report said.

The tax generates around $8.5 million per year for the entire department. Fire department leaders say other stations will be renovated, including Station 10 on Galloway Street and a rebuild of Station 7 on Sunshine Street, according to the report.

The Sandy Springs City Council recently approved an $8 million construction contract with Cooper and Company to build a new fire station at 7800 Mount Vernon Road, AJC.com reported.

The 11,500 square-foot Fire Station No. 5 will be constructed to blend in with the residential character of the neighborhood at the intersection of Spalding Drive and Mount Vernon Road, the report said.

The fire station will be a two-story structure containing a two-bay apparatus storage room, decontamination showers, gear wash areas, gear storage, and other associated spaces, according to the report.

This new fire station is expected to reduce response time. Current response time to reach some areas within this district can take as much as 10 to 15 minutes, the report said.

The Columbus City Council on October 4 voted 5-1 to spend $975,000 on a new truck for Columbus Fire and Rescue. Although the city has some of the money to cover the cost in hand, the source for the rest isn’t clear, CDispatch.com reported.

A fire official told the council that Engine 23, based at Fire Station 3 on 31st Avenue North — which serves much of Highway 45 and North Columbus — was at the very end of its service life and needs to be replaced, the report said.

CFR has a custom truck being built now, the fire official said, set to go to First Station 5 when it’s delivered in December. That station is currently relying on a 7-year-old used truck. The manufacturer building that vehicle contacted him and told him they had an identical truck in production, and offered it to CFR for $975,000, the report said.

The city has $350,000 in state appropriations from the last legislative session to put toward a new truck but lacks the remaining $625,000 in the fiscal year budget, according to the report.

A city official said it could use the fire insurance rebate funds, which amounts to between $130,000 and $140,000 a year, to make payments for a short-term lease-purchase, the report said. The city could also dip into its capital reserve fund, which currently holds about $1 million, if necessary, the report said.