The cost of replacing Richmond’s oldest fire station will be more expensive than the city originally expected, Richmond.com reported.

On Monday, the Richmond City Council approved an unplanned $4 million bond issue after project bids for the replacement of Fire Station No. 12 at 2223 West Cary Street came over the city’s budget allocation for it, according to an administration staff report.

Budget records show that the city estimated that it would cost $9.3 million and increased funding for it during in the previous fiscal year to complete the project by 2022, the report said. The city previously planned to gradually raise the funds through 2024.

The council approved the bond issue without discussing it, according to the report. The item was approved as part of a bloc vote with several other items, the report said.

The city is seeking to replace the fire station, which opened 114 years ago, due to its old design and lack of separate sleeping and restroom accommodations for men and women who work there, according to the report.

Phoenix Fire Station 12 crews rescued a tiny tortoise from being run over, AZFamily.com reported.

Crews were returning to the station after a structure fire when one of the firefighters yelled “Stop!” They had seen a small tortoise trying to cross the road in front of the fire truck, heading toward a busy street, the report said. The crews jumped into action to scoop up the tortoise and started knocking on doors. Eventually, the crews were able to return the tortoise to its owner.

The Phoenix Fire Department shared the rescue story on social media and said, “Service comes in many shapes, sizes, and forms, and on this day, like many others, the crew of station 12 truly lived up to the PFD code of Preventing Harm, Surviving, and Being Nice.”

Service comes in many shapes, sizes and forms. Recently the crew of station 12 truly lived up to the PFD code of: Preventing Harm, Surviving & Being Nice when they rescued this small tortoise as it crossed the street in from of their fire truck!🚒#phoenixfire@cityofphoenixaz pic.twitter.com/kkRThljR7s

— Phoenix Fire Dept. (@PHXFire) September 26, 2022

A new fire station in Poinsett County may save money for the residents of Harrisburg (AR), KAIT8.com reported.

Construction has begun on the new Harrisburg Fire Station, located off Highway 1. The new state-of-the-art facility will expand their force and hopefully lower their Insurance Services Office (ISO) Rating, the report said.

A city official said its ISO rating may potentially go down which will lower premiums for the city of Harrisburg and surrounding areas, the report said.

The city official said they are building the facility with the plan of moving to a full-time fire department and adding space for living quarters, the report said.

Construction on the exterior of the building is expected to be completed by winter, according to the report.

Fire officials are warning city leaders that supply chain challenges could delay the shipment of much needed replacement vehicles unless orders are placed well ahead of time, WAER.org reported.

The need to place an order so early creates some budget headaches for the city, the report said. Fire officials are asking the councilor’s permission at Monday’s meeting to issue $2.6 million in bonds for two fire engines, even though the rigs likely won’t be ready until 2025.

City fire and budget officials said chances are very slim that the orders will be filled early, forcing the city to issue bonds sooner than expected, according to the report. Councilors are expected to act on the fire department’s request during its Monday meeting.

The Mentor Fire Department recently added two engines to its current roster and is awaiting the delivery of a breathing apparatus/rehab truck, News-Herald.com reported.

Mentor 1157 is a heavy rescue/special services unit which officials noted is the only such vehicle in the region. In late 2019, the city was awarded a federal grant providing up to $545,454 toward the purchase of this vehicle with a city match of just over $54,000, according to the report.

The city also accepted delivery of Mentor 1133. The cost was $602,000 and was paid for from the Mentor fire levy, the report said.

A fire official said 1157 is equipped with special lighting, a breathing air cascade system, confined space rescue capabilities, heavy rescue equipment special torches and cutting equipment, concrete saws, jack hammers and special heavy-lifting equipment, ropes for high-angle recuses, winches for extrication and complex transportation accidents and an array of tools, according to the report.

A fire official said rescue fire engine 1133 was custom built by Sutphen Monarch, the report said. It is a 2,000-gallon-per-minute pumper with special rescue capabilities. It carries rescue tools, consisting of the new generation jaws of life which are light-weight battery-powered cutters and spreaders for motor vehicle and industrial accidents; has full fire-fighting capabilities; and will be staffed by paramedics and outfitted with state-of-the-art advance life support equipment making it a rescue/fire engine.

The department is also receiving a new breathing apparatus/rehab truck that will be used to fill air bottles and provide support services at fires and at other hazardous zones, the report said. This truck, which will replace a 1985 vehicle, cost $277,316 and was 100 percent covered by grant funding.