VIDEO: Spokane City Council approved a five-year labor agreement with Local 29, which represents firefighters and dispatchers, to transfer dispatch services from the Spokane Fire Department to the regional agency at SREC. The agreement passed by a vote of 5-1. According to a press release from the City of Spokane, the contract with Local 29 begins to address SFD's reliance on overtime to meet shift staffing needs.
- PUB DATE: 8/16/2022 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KREM-TV CBS 2 Spokane

The Yakima Fire Department was shocked to discover 9 different dumpsters on fire, all within a few streets of each other in Downtown Yakima. Officials say it took them from 10pm last night to 4am this morning to get all the fires out. There were two fires on S. 3rd St., four on S. 4th St., and three on S.
- PUB DATE: 8/16/2022 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KIMA-TV CBS/CW+ 29 Yakima

Between 35 and 45 firefighters from across the Tri-Cities helped contain a massive blaze along I-182 in the Queensgate area on Saturday night. Though its cause hasn’t been discovered yet, Richland fire officials believe it was the culmination of three separate starts along the freeway. KAPP-KVEW’s Rylee Fitzgerald spoke with Deputy Fire Chief Randy Aust of Richland Fire & Emergency Services.
- PUB DATE: 8/15/2022 4:01:28 PM - SOURCE: YakTriNews

Saying they are done with the cost of maintaining the Brunswick (OH) Division of Fire’s squad truck, city councilors have authorized the appropriation of $224,495 for a new unit, according to a report published by Cleveland.com.

According to the report the new squad will be built on an International cab and chassis by Horton Emergency Vehicles with the old vehicle likely sold by auction.

Originally, the city had planned to put the appropriation in the 2023 budget, but that would have delayed delivery until 2024, according to the report that said the new timeline has the new squad in 2023.

The vessel responds on the busiest portions of the massive 54,000-acre lake. SUPERIOR, Wis. (Aug 15, 2022) – Lake Assault Boats, part of Fraser Shipyards and a leading manufacturer of purpose-built, mission-specific fire and rescue boats, placed a 31-foot fireboat into service on Lake of the Ozarks with the Osage Beach Fire Protection District in central Missouri. “We love the new Lake Assault Boats vessel. The advanced technologies it features makes it easy to operate and improves our on-the-water performance,” said Fire Chief Paul Berardi of the Osage Beach Fire Protection District in Missouri. “After having it on duty for the past few months, we wouldn’t buy another fire boat without its state-of-the-art designs.”  “The craft is similar to one that’s on duty south of us in Western Taney County in Branson, Missouri,” added Deputy Fire Chief Steve Lucas. “They graciously allowed us to test their Lake Assault fireboat for a full day. We came away thoroughly impressed with how it handles rough water and cuts through the biggest waves. We figured, why reinvent the wheel?” Engineered on the shores of Lake Superior, the modified V-hull craft is 31-feet long and has a 10-foot, 6-inch beam. The boat’s draft is less than 18-inches with motors trimmed up and 24-inches when trimmed down. The craft includes a dive door on the port side as well as a fold down stair/ladder on the bow to aid in boarding and dis-embarking.  Power is supplied by twin 300 hp four-stroke Mercury outboards that are controlled through the Skyhook Digital Anchor and Joystick Piloting systems. ”The craft is easy to maneuver in tight spaces, and holds its position while the fire pump is operating,” added Deputy Chief Lucas. “Plus, the learning curve for operators is fast, and that’s extremely important.”  The firefighting system includes a Darley PSDE 1,500 GPM fire pump that is driven by a dedicated 6.0L V-8 gas engine. There is an electronically controlled TFT Monsoon 1500 GPM rooftop monitor that offers an unobstructed range of at least 270 degrees and has a vertical coverage of 60 degrees above and five degrees below horizontal. A 5-inch gated discharge on the forward deck supplies water to ground base apparatus. The vessel features a full width and fully enclosed pilothouse with an interior clearance height of 76-inches and a rooftop air conditioning and heating system. There is bench seating with storage underneath along the aft wall. The dash console provides ample room for fire pump controls and monitors, and includes two Garmin touchscreens that operate GPS, structure scan sonar, Chart Plotting, and forward-looking infrared (FLIR).  The department’s protection area is 105 square miles, and includes the busiest sections of Lake of the Ozarks, with 7,500 residents and up to 80,000 visitors from across the region on busy summer weekends.  About Lake Assault Boats Lake Assault Boats are born in a shipyard, designed for a mission, tested on Lake Superior, and custom engineered using technology and resources unmatched in the fireboat industry. Lake Assault offers a wide range of custom hull designs and configurations suitable for use on inland lakes and rivers, and intercoastal and offshore waters, to meet the needs of first responders. What mission can we help you perform? For more information visit www.lakeassault.com.