A new push in Olympia could make a temporary program permanent, allowing rural fire districts to call in aircraft early during wildfires. Building on the success of a 2023 pilot program that improved wildland fire response efficiency, House Bill 2014 sponsor Rep. Tom Dent (R-Moses Lake) emphasized the program’s effectiveness, saying it saves money and stops fires from becoming major incidents.

“These small rural fire departments can call, and they can request air asset support to come in on a — when a fire begins, and quite often we can knock these fires down really fast,” Dent said in a release. “We’ve done a lot of fires, we’ve knocked down quickly, and we’ve kept our rural fire departments economically whole. Everybody loves it because it works.”

KHQ-TV NBC 6 Spokane

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Spartan Emergency Response built this 2,000/750 pumper for the Woodbridge Fire Department, Middlesex County, New Jersey, on a Spartan Metro Star MFD cab and chassis.

The post Fire Apparatus of the Day: Dec. 31, 2025 appeared first on Fire Apparatus: Fire trucks, fire engines, emergency vehicles, and firefighting equipment.

Lorain County officials in Ohio completed testing of a new emergency communication system, evaluating 92 facilities. Eighty-three met coverage standards, while nine require further testing.

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On December 29, in Waterbury, an American Medical Response ambulance slid into a parked car while responding to an emergency during a snowstorm, but no injuries were reported.

The post Snowy Conditions Led to CT Ambulance Crash, Officials Say appeared first on Fire Apparatus: Fire trucks, fire engines, emergency vehicles, and firefighting equipment.

PHOTOS: Winter weather caused a series of accidents along I-196 near Saugatuck, including a major truck crash. Smoke and flames covered the icy roadways early Monday morning, after a tandem trailer semi-truck barreled through thick concrete barriers and exploded on impact with the ground below.

Saugatuck Fire Chief Greg Janik says the call came in around 7 a.m. when high winds and icy conditions created low visibility for drivers. Witnesses say the truck was driving alone in the northbound lanes when it suddenly jackknifed, sending it off the highway and onto Old Allegan Road.

Jared Slenker was stuck in standstill traffic in the southbound lanes when he saw the crash happen in a matter of seconds. “When he hit the ground and the fireball went up for the first time, I felt it through the windows of my van,” he said. Slenker was one of several bystanders who took the unconscious driver up the hill. Shortly after, Slenker heard the second explosion.

WWMT-TV CBS 3 Kalamazoo

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