The Contra Costa County Fire Protection District hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony Monday to officially reopen its Station 4 in Walnut Creek (CA), NBCBayArea.com reported.

The station, at 700 Hawthorne Drive, has been closed for nine years, due to recession cutbacks, the report said. It will once again serve the southern portions of unincorporated Walnut Creek and surrounding areas.

Con Fire said in a statement the station’s operational status is expected to reduce response times in its service area, reducing the need for responses to fire, medical and other emergencies from other nearby stations.

Last month, the district finalized its long-awaited merger with the East Contra Costa Fire Protection District, bringing 128,000 residents of East Contra Costa under the purview of the larger district, now serving 753,000 residents. The move is expected to improve and streamline service. The merger expanded the district from 304 to 553 square miles, according to the report.

The district also opened new Fire Station 95 in Oakley on June 1 and completed new station 86 in Bay Point, the report said. Planning for two new stations in Brentwood is also underway, with the district opening both in 2024.

Frostburg (MD) city councilors are balking at the Frostburg Volunteer Fire Department’s request for $750,000 of American Rescue Plan money for a new aerial truck, according to report published by Cumberland Times News.

In the report, councilors said they are willing to contribute some amount of money, but they are worried the firefighters haven’t been forthcoming with their financial numbers the councilors want an audit of the finances before giving any money.

The report said the fire department has been given a state grant of $500,000 for capital improvements, including a ladder truck and they have $160,000 in a truck reserve fund and firefighters have said a new aerial will cost about $1.6 million.

No final decisions were made regarding the money and the next steps to take.

Midwest Fire—Forest Waverly Fire Department, Onaway, MI, pumper/tanker. Freightliner M2106 cab and chassis; Cummins L9 350-hp engine; Hale Qmax 1,250-gpm pump; APR 2,000-gallon polypropylene water tank; Newton 10-inch stainless-steel dump valve; Zico electric portable tank carrier and 2,100-gallon portable tank; All-Poly™ tank and body construction. Dealer: Brett Jensen, Midwest Fire, Luverne, MN.

PREVIOUS PHOTO OF THE DAY >>

MORE FIRE APPARATUS ARTICLES >>

Firefighters in Schoharie (NY) got a hard lesson in apparatus placement after a live powerline fell on a fire truck as they fought a structure fire, according to a report published by KMPH Fox26 News. No one was hurt.

The high voltage line fell on the Dodge 5500 heavy-duty mini pumper and melted several components on the apparatus and equipment inside the body, according to the report, which added that as so as the line landed on the truck and grounded, everything in the path of the electricity melted.

The garage working on the truck said truck still runs and pumps and most of the damage was cosmetic, although extensive, according to a report from Millertown Garage’s Facebook page.

The apparatus was parked on a long, narrow driveway making it difficult to avoid the incident, according to reports.  

According to a report from The Chicago Sun Times, two men, ages 19 and 31, sought help at a Chicago (IL) Fire Department station after being shot Monday night in Back of the Yards on the city’s south side.

The two men were attacked at around 8:20 p.m. in the 4600 block of South Winchester Avenue, Chicago police said. They then went to a nearby CFD station for assistance. They were transported to Stroger Hospital, where they are now listed in “good” condition.

The 19-year-old was shot in the right forearm, while the 31-year-old man had a gunshot wound to the hip, police said.

As of Tuesday, no one has been charged in the crime.