The cost to build four new fire stations in Middletown has increased by $3 million, or about 18 percent of the total cost of the project, according to a report published by Journal News.

According to the report, voters overwhelmingly approved $16.8 million for the project based on costs estimates from 2020 and inflation affected the cost significantly.

City officials are saying the extra money can come out of American Rescue Plan Act funds or a $10 million surplus on the books, the report says.

Other options include building just three station to reduce the costs, or reduce the quality of the stations, having them last 25 years instead of 40 years, the report says.

No decisions were reported by the newspaper.

An ambulance with two firefighter-paramedics inside overturned during a crash Wednesday afternoon, the Litchfield (IL) Fire Department said in a Facebook post.

The ambulance was operating with its lights and sirens responding to a call when it collided with a car on Old Route 66 and Sargent Street. The collision caused the ambulance to land on its roof before coming to rest on a car parked nearby.

Both firefighter-paramedics were able to self-extricate and notify dispatch about the crash. They then began treating the driver of the car that hit them. The driver had to be extricated by additional crews on scene.

There was no patient onboard the ambulance. The person in the car and both firefighter-paramedics were sent to the hospital. The condition of the driver was not released. The two first responders were treated for minor injuries and released from the hospital.

The cause of the crash is under investigation.

By Alan M. Petrillo

Sweet Sparkman Architecture and Interiors was tasked with replacing a 1960s-era, two-bay fire station for the city of Venice, Florida, in addition to renovating the nearby city hall. The firm was working on a site where the plan was to demolish the old fire station and build a new structure adjacent to the existing city hall, while doubling the size of the new station and yet keeping it in approximately the same footprint as the old station.

The city of Venice is on an island accessible by a bridge from mainland Florida. City hall and Fire Station Number 1 are in the center of town. “The structures were planned to be on a campus, but that didn’t really happen when they were built,” observes Karl Bernhard, Sweet Sparkman’s principal. “They both were on the same block, but didn’t function as a campus, so the city wanted to remedy that with the renovation of city hall and the building of the new fire station. They wanted to bring back the campus idea for the area and make it more of a public facility.”

Bartlesville (OK) City Council voted to approve a bid for a 100-foot aerial platform fire apparatus despite the cost being more than $240,000 over budget, according to a report published by the Examiner-Enterprise.

In 2020, voters approved a $16.4 million general obligation bond and the funds for the $1.3 million apparatus are expected to come from that bond issue, according to the report.

Inflation and rising cost in supplies, the aerial is $246,687 over the original budget and the councilors accommodated that increase with unallocated tax funds.

The department got two bids for the new aerial, one was for $1.3 million with a 45 day delivery period and the other was for $1.5 million and the lower bid was selected, according to the report.

The new aerial will replace a 1975 Snorkel apparatus, the report said.                                                                                                                                   

Because the delivery of a new fire truck was delayed, the Hermon (ME) Fire Department decided to buy a $50,000 used apparatus as a stop gap, according to a report published by the Bangor Daily News.

According to the report, the used engine was purchase because the 1996 apparatus in reserve failed inspection because of a rusted frame. Had the new apparatus been delivered by July 1 as expected, the current 2009 front-line engine would have been moved to reserve and the 1996 unit retired, the report said, adding the delivery date for the new apparatus is still to be determined.

In June 2021, voters approved the appropriation of $585,683 for the new engine to be built in Michigan, according to the report that also said the delivery was delayed due to supply chain problems cause by the pandemic.

When the new truck is delivered, the town will sell the used truck, which has been purchased from a municipality in South Carolina, according to the report.