The Unity (ME) fire chief and fire department are in hot water with the town’s officials after he allegedly misused fire trucks by going to a Fourth of July parade without authorization and using a tanker truck to fill his swimming pool, according to a report published by the Kennebec Journal and Morning Sentinel.

According to the report, Fire Chief Blaine Parsons took the town’s ladder truck to a parade in a neighboring town even though he was allegedly told by the selectboard to take a smaller truck to the parade because of the high costs of fuel. The chief also acknowledged a Unity tanker truck was used to fill his swimming pool, but said the exercise was being used for training purposes and it just happened to be his swimming pool, according to the report, which also indicated the selectboard said town equipment shouldn’t be used for private uses.

The chief also said, according to the publish report, that the fire department requires its members to have driver training and he suggested that having the fire truck drive slowly in a parade used less fuel than it would being driven on the open road.

The Unity selectboard did not immediately decide what, if any actions, it would take against the chief, but did decide to work on a policy regarding use of fire apparatus for the town, according to the report.

Gilbert (AZ) Fire and Rescue has signed on to buy a Volterra electric fire truck from Pierce manufacturing with delivery expected in 2024, according to a report published by East Valley Tribune.

Gilbert was given assurances by Pierce that they could return the truck anytime during the first five years of service if it didn’t work for the community and, at the end of the five-year contract, Gilbert would own the apparatus for $775,000, about half the cost of $1.4 million, according to the report. In exchange, Pierce would collect information about the battery performance in a hot climate, the report added.

In addition, the department will spend $270,000 for the electric vehicle charger, according to the published report.

Further, Gilbert expects to save money on maintenance costs and reduce emissions as a result of the decision to acquire the electric pumper, says the report. Additionally, Pierce has agreed to give Gilbert a $50,000 discount on each of the electric trucks it buys in the future, up to 10, the report added.

Petersburg firefighters say the department’s fleet of apparatus has suffered from a years-long problem with its maintenance program.

The problem has left the department relying far too often on mutual aid to handle calls when its apparatus is out of service.

The department has a new chief who has been on the job for six months. The firefighters say they took their complaints public and to the city leadership so it could be resolved for good.

The Erie City Fire Station will soon have a reliable source of back-up power during outages, reports yourerie.com, as a new system of rooftop solar panels will soon be installed. The system will provide 100% of the electricity at the facility.

Officials say the installation process will begin within the next two months.

The project is partly funded by a $200,000 Green Mountain Energy grant. The city also received grants from Penelec and the Pennsylvania Energy Development Authority, according to the report.

The battery storage will keep the department running—even at night and during cloudy days—for up to seven days, the report notes.

Officials say there could even be some excess electricity created, which will be sold to Penelec to provide revenue to the city. They add that if this project is successful it could lead to more eco-friendly projects.

Florence is in the process of securing land—the former site of the Knights Inn—for a new fire station on its east side, reports linknky.com.

City council Tuesday approved a municipal order to purchase 8049 Dream St. Officials say that negotiations for the property had been going on for months. They add that the station is necessary to address an abundance of calls on the expressway; the location is just two minutes from U.S. 42.

The next steps, officials say, include finalizing the sale and beginning to lay out plans for the new facility. A ground-breaking ceremony for the station is expected in 2023.