Brooks Johnson – Star Tribune

Thousands of Americans who blame 3M’s PFAS-laden firefighting foams for giving them cancer will present their claims to a jury for the first time this fall.

Unless they reach a settlement with the Maplewood-based company first.

“The worst-kept secret in this litigation right now is that these lawsuits are expected to settle soon,” wrote attorney Ronald Miller, whose firm represents many plaintiffs, in a blog he keeps to track the cases.

Settlement or not, 3M faces potentially billions of dollars in personal injury payouts and in dozens of other PFAS cases. Even after a blockbuster 2023 settlement of $12.5 billion after public systems founds PFAS in their drinking water, the manufacturer might be only halfway through its “forever chemical” liabilities.

Analysts figure there’s $5 billion to $15 billion more in eventual legal payments for PFAS, a family of chemicals 3M pioneered that do not readily break down in the environment and have links to some cancers.

Those payouts will happen through the years if not decades. But the cash drain will undercut CEO Bill Brown’s priority to push out more new products and make 3M an innovation machine.

“Whenever anyone says, ‘None of this litigation will impact operating results,’ they’re correct. But it does impact cash flow, and that also means they have less capital to invest in new products and grow the business,” said RBC Capital Markets analyst Deane Dray. “As for the motivation to settle, I think that’s appropriate.”

3M profited greatly from PFAS in Scotchgard, firefighting foam and thousands of other components and products from the past 70 years. Now 3M is reckoning with what it first realized in the 1970s and ′80s: The chemicals accumulate in both the environment and human bodies, with certain versions posing potential health risks.

Since 3M agreed to an $850 million PFAS contamination settlement with Minnesota in 2018, tens of thousands of suits from governments and individuals have followed.

“We’re taking them piece by piece,” Brown said on a conference call last month.

The firefighting foam cases now number more than 12,000 and have affected firefighters and civilians alike. They combined into a multidistrict litigation proceeding in a South Caroina federal court, and the first “bellwether” trial begins Oct. 20. That should inform a broader settlement and will focus on one or more plaintiffs with kidney cancer.

The lead plaintiffs’ attorneys did not respond to requests for comment about settlement talks. 3M said in a statement the company “will continue to address PFAS litigation” by defending itself “in court or through negotiated resolutions, all as appropriate.”

Federal Judge Richard M. Gergel has assi

Dedicated rescue trucks are being built in a wide range of sizes for fire departments around the country, from large tandem-rear-axle heavy rescues to medium chassis rigs to small pickup-truck-sized vehicles. Departments typically choose the size vehicle by its particular attributes and how those elements meet their needs.

Bill Proft, business unit director of rescue products for Pierce Manufacturing Inc., says Pierce builds a lot of heavy and medium-size rescues, mostly on custom chassis. “We’ve been doing a lot of tandem-rear-axle rescues with our TAK-4® T3 rear steer axle,” Proft points out, “and lately, there has been a tendency toward walk-in rescues again. We build a few small rescues on Ford F-550 chassis each year, usually for those departments that want a very maneuverable rescue that can get into tight spots.”

Proft notes that Pierce recently built a walk-around heavy rescue for the Eastport (NY) Fire Department on an Enforcer™ cab and chassis with a single rear axle and a TAK-4 independent front suspension, carrying a Harrison Hydraulic 10-kW generator and a heavy rescue for the Cambridge (MD) Rescue Fire Company on an Arrow XT™ tandem-rear-axle chassis powered by a 605-horsepower (hp) Cummins X15 engine and an Allison 4000 EVS automatic transmission, with a TAK-4 independent front suspension and carrying a Harrison Hydraulic 20-kWgenerator.

Ernie Young, Rosenbauer’s western regional sales manager, says most of the rescues Rosenbauer builds are heavy rescues on custom cabs and chassis with 24-foot- to 28-foot-long bodies. “Sometimes, a department will want a crane on their rescue to have boat loading and unloading ability and also for urban search and rescue (USAR) work,” Young says. “We’ve built rescues that carry lots of shoring and lumber for collapse work, equipment to cut rebar and concrete, with high anchor points for gin poles and high-angle rescue, on-scene toilets, and small command areas.”

Jason Kline, sales manager for Rosenbauer dealer IKON Fire, says that IKON has built small rescues for Rosenbauer, usually on a Ford F-550 cab and chassis, as well as medium rescues on commercial chassis with 16-to 20-foot bodies. “With the smaller rescues, you’re limited as to how much you can carry by the 19,500-pound gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR),” Kline says. “When you go with a medium commercial chassis, like an International or Kenworth, there are greater options for weight ratings and chassis selection, as well as the vehicle having a larger storage package.”

Chad Newsome, national sales manager for Rescue 1, says the small vs. large rescue debate hinges on how much a department can afford, how much equipment will be carried, staffing limitations, the ability to get into certain areas, and the wear and tear put on the rig. “A heavy-duty dedicated rescue is usually the best choice, but the reality is that a department may not have the staffing for it and may not be able to get it into places it needs to go, especially in rural areas with winding and hilly roads,” Newsome observes. “So, the nice thing about small rescues is that many of the day-to-day calls can be handled easily by them, and the cost of ownership is much less.”

Newsome says that Rescue 1 recently built a heavy rescue for the Somers (NY) Fire District on a Spartan EMFD Metro Star cab and chassis with a 20-foot body and an overall length of 35 feet. Contrasted with that truck is one Rescue 1 built for the Nutley (NJ) Fire Department on a Ford F-550 4×4 four-door cab and chassis with a body length of 12½ feet.

Joel Konecky, vice president of sales at SVI Trucks, says SVI recently built a walk-in heavy rescue for the Durham (NC) Fire Department on a Sutphen two-door cab and chassis with a walk-in body with a roof hatch/skylight and an inflatable raft roof with transferring rollers and tie-downs. He says the rig has a squad bench for four firefighters with four Zico Lock &

Damage and deformation to the helmet and mask were a consequence of the second alarm fire recently in Portland, Maine, the fire department said in a Facebook post.

“The fire on Broadway in the Riverton neighborhood is a sobering demonstration of the harsh conditions our firefighters faced that morning,” the post said.

With one victim rescued from the fire and a confirmed report of a second victim inside, companies faced poor visibility, heavy fire and heat during successive attempts to suppress the fire and locate the unaccounted resident.

Despite the severe damage and equipment failure, no department members suffered injury, and two residents were transported to the hospital from the fire scene.

The post Portland (ME) FD Shares Photos of Helmet Damaged in House Fire appeared first on Fire Apparatus: Fire trucks, fire engines, emergency vehicles, and firefighting equipment.

A Kern County firefighter who was sent to help battle the now 5,370-acre Canyon Fire was hospitalized with major injuries after his pickup truck plunged off the side of a road Friday, Aug. 8, 2025, ktla.com reported.

The firefighter was driving a pickup truck in a remote and rugged area traversing along a ridgeline when his truck veered off the roadway and plummeted about 100-200 feet below, rolling over multiple times down the hillside, the report said.

The Kern County Fire Department made the following Facebook post regarding the rollover accident:

Kern County Fire Department Battalion Chief James Agee was involved in a serious motor vehicle accident while working on the Canyon Fire, which is currently being fought in Ventura and Los Angeles counties.

Chief Agee was driving a pickup truck in the Romero Canyon area when the vehicle was involved in a rollover accident. Incident personnel immediately began providing care on scene before he was transported via air ambulance to Henry Mayo Hospital in Newhall, California, where he is receiving treatment for serious injuries. Family and fellow fire personnel have been by his side and remain there to support him.

The Kern County Fire Department and Kern County Firefighters, IAFF Local 1301 stand united in support of Chief Agee and his loved ones, joined by the tremendous assistance of the Los Angeles County Fire Department, Ventura County Fire Department, and CAL Fire.

“James is a strong man with a big heart, and we know he’s facing this challenge with the same strength and character he’s shown throughout his career. We are grateful for the swift actions of our crews and partner agencies, and for the kindness being shown to James and his family.” – Aaron Duncan, Fire Chief of the Kern County Fire Department.

The department deeply appreciates the outpouring of public support during this difficult time. At this moment, no additional assistance is needed beyond keeping Chief Agee, his family, and all fire personnel in your thoughts and prayers.

Updates will be provided as more information becomes available.

The post CA Firefighter Injured in Vehicle Rollover appeared first on Fire Apparatus: Fire trucks, fire engines, emergency vehicles, and firefighting equipment.

R. Christian Smith
Chicago Tribune
(TNS)

The city of Aurora is considering buying new dispatch and records management software for its public safety departments for just over $4 million.

Through the proposed five-year contract with Mark43, Inc. of New York, Aurora would be replacing its Computer Aided Dispatch system used by both the fire and police departments as well as its Records Management System used just by the police. The $4.02 million price tag includes replacements for both systems as well as any work needed to interface the new software with others the city has.

That’s according to Aurora Police Cmdr. Bryan Handell, who presented the proposal to the Aurora City Council’s Information and Technology Committee late last month. The proposal was unanimously recommended for approval by the committee, so now it is set to go before the Committee of the Whole on Tuesday.

During his presentation, Handell called the software “probably the most vital system for public safety.”

The Computer Aided Dispatch system, also called CAD, is used to dispatch and track calls for service not only for Aurora’s police and fire departments but also for the North Aurora Police Department and the Fox Valley Park District Police Department, according to Handell’s presentation.

He said that police officers and firefighters use a mobile version to get those calls for service plus see additional information such as notes taken by the dispatcher and location data.

The other part of the software, the Records Management System, or RMS, is just for the police department, Handell said. The police and fire departments’ records systems need to be kept separate, he said, because they each contain different types of sensitive information.

Aurora’s current CAD and police RMS systems are from Hexagon, but that software is at the end of its life and will no longer be supported in the near future because the company is looking for its customers to buy its latest software instead, according to Handell. Plus, he said many of the features promised in the initial contract with Hexagon were never provided or did not work to the city’s standards.

A survey of police employees also showed that nearly 80% of those who responded were “very or somewhat dissatisfied” with the system, over 85% wanted the department to look at other options and over 30% could not find one thing they liked about the current system, Handell’s presentation showed.

“Officers have to use this daily for responding to calls, writing reports, and it’s not something that they enjoy using,” he said. “It’s not making their job easier.”

Over the past 10 years of using the software, the city has spent around $8 million on it, which includes a $5 million initial purchase price, according to Handell.

Since the city would have to buy new software even if it stayed with Hexagon, and since “we’re already unhappy” with that company, “why would we re-sign with them?” Handell asked.

Instead, “let’s see what the market has to offer,” he said.

The city asked for proposals for new CAD and RMS systems in 2024, and 10 companies responded — but not Hexagon, according to Handell. He said those 10 companies were eventually narrowed down to just two options through multiple rounds of demos, and using Mark43 for both CAD and RMS stood out as both the better and least-expensive option.

In addition to its “significantly-lower price” as compared to the other option, Mark43’s offerings had a modern, user-friendly design and a seamless integration between CAD and RMS, which may have been more difficult with the other option since it would involve buying the CAD and RMS systems from two different companies, Handell said.

Plus, with just one vendor inste