The Brazos County District Two Volunteer Fire Department received a new firefighting resource that will provide enhanced fire protection for the citizens of district two but also Brazos County as a whole, KBTX.com reported.

District Two serves the northeastern portions of Brazos County near the Edge, Kurten, and Wixon Valley communities.

The new water tanker holds 3,000 gallons of water, 1,000 gallons more than its predecessor, according to the report.

Previously, there was only one 3,000-gallon tender in Brazos County which was located at Station 5 in College Station on William D. Fitch Parkway.

A VFD official said the extra 1,000 gallons will go a long way in fighting fires in areas of the county where hydrants are scarce or nonexistent.

The report said the new truck was made possible in part by a voter-approved 1.5% sales tax in 2020 that also allowed the department to begin hiring paid firefighters.

A vehicle fire Wednesday morning caused some delays on US 2 near Cashmere. Fire crews and the state patrol responded about 8:20 a.m. to the vehicle fire at milepost 114. Four people in the vehicle were able to get out safely before the vehicle was fully-engulfed in flames. The driver was able to pull to the shoulder and the vehicle was not blocking traffic.
- PUB DATE: 8/31/2022 11:12:00 AM - SOURCE: iFiber One News Radio

Derry (PA) Volunteer Fire Company’s new engine rescue truck arrived Aug. 26, making it the first new truck for the department since 1994, LatrobeBulletin.com reported Wednesday.

The new truck has turned a lot of heads. It also has the department’s members wanting to get in and try it out, the report said. A fire official said the firefighters feel like kids at Christmas.

The nearly $1 million truck would not have been possible without the community’s generosity, the fire official said. The truck is a symbol of the hard work everyone put in to make it a reality and the generosity of the community, the report said.

Even though it is still weeks from responding to its first call – equipment needs to be fitted and firefighters need training on its operation – the truck has become a point of pride for the department, the report said.

As an engine rescue truck, the fire apparatus comes equipped with a 500-gallon water tank. Water pumps on the truck are able to hook up to fire hydrants and push water out at a rate of 1,500 gallons a minute, according to the report.

New hoses will be added to the truck (and all of the fire company’s trucks) due to a federal grant it received last year. The department and seven other local volunteer fire departments will soon be outfitted with new radios thanks to a nearly $800,000 grant awarded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency two weeks ago, the report said.

Members of the community will be able to check out the new fire truck at the Derry Railroad Days Sept. 17-18. The fire department will be selling hot dogs and hamburgers.

The Blaine (KY) Volunteer Fire Department has received a $750,000 grant to build a new fire station replacing one that burned nine years ago, according to a report published by WYMT Mountain News.

According to the report the department has been working out of a draft two-bay garage with equipment and apparatus stored at various locations across the town and the community center is used for training.

Fire officials have called the state grant game changing and will help put the department back together, all in one location, according to the report.

Firefighters are still patrolling for hotspots but a wildfire Tuesday north of Chelan was kept to about 25 acres and no homes were damaged. Fire districts from Chelan and Douglas counties, the U.S. Forest Service, state Department of Natural Resources and Bureau of Land Management, along with air support, all responded to the fire Tuesday afternoon burning along Union Valley Road.
- PUB DATE: 8/31/2022 8:19:00 AM - SOURCE: iFiber One News Radio