PRESS RELEASE

CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee (Sept. 13, 2024) – Tennessee American Water is awarding over $22,000 to multiple firefighting agencies in the area through the Company’s 2024 Firefighting Support Grant program. The grants provide supplemental funding to emergency responders for items such as critical equipment, training and community education.  

“As we remember 9-11 this week, we think of our first responders who stand ready to serve our residents during emergency situations,” said Grant Evitts, president of Tennessee American Water.  “We are proud to support our local firefighters with additional gear and resources to save lives and protect our community.”

The following area departments will receive up to $1,000.00:

Hamilton County, TN

• Chattanooga Airport Fire Department
• Chattanooga Fire Department
• City of East Ridge Fire Department
• Elder Mountain Volunteer Fire & Rescue
• Town of Lookout Mountain Fire Department
• City of Red Bank Fire Department
• Signal Mountain Fire Department
• Tri-Community Volunteer Fire Department
• Walden’s Ridge Emergency Services Inc.

Northwest Georgia

• Catoosa County Fire Department
• Dade County Fire Department
• Lookout Mountain Georgia Police and Fire Department
• Walker County Fire Rescue
• Rossville Fire Department

Sequatchie Valley in TN

• Crossroads Volunteer Fire Department
• Foster Falls Volunteer Fire Department
• Haletown Volunteer Fire Department
• Jasper Highlands Volunteer Fire Department
• Mullins Cove Volunteer Fire Department
• Sequatchie Area Volunteer Fire Department
• Southend Volunteer Fire Department
• West Valley Volunteer Fire Department
• Whitwell Volunteer Fire Department
• Whitwell Mountain Fire Department

The Firefighting Support Grants provide financial assistance to uniformed, professional and volunteer fire departments serving communities in the company’s designated service territories. More information is available at the Company’s website tennesseeamwater.com.

About American Water

American Water (NYSE: AWK) is the largest regulated water and wastewater utility company in the United States. With a history dating back to 1886, We Keep Life Flowing® by providing safe, clean, reliable and affordable drinking water and wastewater services to more than 14 million people with regulated operations in 14 states and on 18 military installations. American Water’s 6,500 talented professionals leverage their significant expertise and the company’s national size and scale to achieve excellent outcomes for the benefit of customers, employees, investors and other stakeholders.

For more information, visit amwater.com and join American Water on LinkedIn, Facebook, X and Instagram.

About Tennessee American Water

Tennessee American Water, a subsidiary of American Water (NYSE: AWK), is the largest regulated water uti

By Chris Mc Loone

I was part of a conversation not long ago about the number of fire apparatus manufacturers in 1980 vs. today. We rattled off names like Hahn, Mack, 3D, Luverne, Peter Pirsch, American LaFrance, and others that don’t exist anymore. 1980 doesn’t feel like that long ago to me, but it has been 44 years, and we’ve lost more than a few fire truck makers in that time. However, 50 years ago, we gained an apparatus manufacturer that has withstood the test of time by continually innovating, cultivating its employee atmosphere, and nurturing its dealer network—E-ONE. In March, it kicked off its 50th anniversary celebration with an event at its Ocala, Florida, headquarters, which highlighted its employees, dealers, and loyal customers.

• Podcast: Five Questions for E-ONE at its 50th Anniversary Kickoff
• E-ONE Celebrates 50 years in Business
• E-ONE Event Celebrates 50 Years of Fire Industry Leadership and Innovation

GARAGE START

Originally known as Emergency One, E-ONE was founded by Bob Wormser in 1974. He designed and manufactured the first modular extruded aluminum fire truck body in his garage, according to Chris McClung, vice president of sales, REV Fire Group. “It was a game changer for the fire industry at that time,” he says. “It has continued to be so for the last 50 years. This launched the company’s reputation for pioneering innovation and is still evidenced 50 years later in the fire apparatus we produce for fire departments around the world.”

Early on, Wormser moved the company’s operations to a small facility in downtown Ocala. It wasn’t long before he moved the company to an 82,000-square-foot production facility in 1978. In 1990, the company added an additional 65,000 square feet, the Welcome Center, and Delivery Center. And, the company added a facility in Hamburg, New York, in 2010 to serve its Northeast United States dealers and customers. What began as a 25-employee company has evolved into a company with more than 1,000 employees in two facilities.

HISTORY OF INNOVATION

From the beginning, E-ONE has innovated. “Let’s start with Bob Wormser’s manufacturing the first modular extruded aluminum fire truck and body, the first in the industry,” says McClung. “Also important is our first 110-foot welded extruded aluminum aerial with integral torque box chassis.” The preceding product arrived in 1981. McClung also counts E-ONE’s TITAN 4×4 Air Transportable (AT) aircraft rescue and firefighting (ARFF) vehicle, introduced in 2020, as one of the company’s most important innovations. “This reduced size aircraft firefighting rescue vehicle is designed to fit on a C-130 Hercules aircraft and be transported to military bases around the world,” he says. “It is used by both the U.S. military and the Canadian Department of National Defen

Aaron Curtis
The Sun, Lowell, Mass.
(TNS)

DRACUT — In a nod to tradition, the Dracut Fire Department celebrated the arrival of two new fire trucks recently purchased by the town with a “push-in” ceremony on Wednesday.

According to the Dracut Fire Department, the ceremony is a tradition that dates back to the era of horse-drawn fire carriages, which were detached from the horses and manually pushed back into the fire stations, as horses cannot walk backward.

As part of the ceremony, Fire Department Chaplain Rev. Larry Zimmerman led firefighters in a prayer to bless the two new trucks.

Both trucks are Ford F-550 all-wheel-drive vehicles, each carrying 330 gallons of water, 30 gallons of Class A foam, and capable of pumping 1,250 gallons of water per minute. Designed as multi-purpose vehicles, they can respond to the myriad emergencies Dracut firefighters face daily.

Each truck cost about $400,000, and were purchased as part of the town’s capital expenditure plan.

Fire Chief Richard Patterson stated that the primary mission of the trucks is to respond to medical emergencies. However, both vehicles are also equipped to fight building fires, brush fires, and to tow the department’s marine units to water incidents.

“These trucks do not replace traditional, full-sized pumper trucks, but they will greatly reduce wear and tear on our pumper trucks, which cost about a million dollars each,” Patterson said in a press release. “We expect the Squad 1 and Squad 3 trucks to help us extend the life expectancy of our pumper trucks by about five years.”

Patterson thanked the town for purchasing the two new trucks, which he said will increase the department’s abilities to efficiently respond to calls.

“Responding to medical calls is a major part of what we do, and these two new trucks will enable us to respond to those calls without tying up our pumper trucks and larger equipment,” Patterson said.

Follow Aaron Curtis on X, formerly known as Twitter, @aselahcurtis

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(c)2024 The Sun, Lowell, Mass.

Visit The Sun, Lowell, Mass. at https://www.lowellsun.com/

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

VINCE RICHARDSON
Skagit Valley Herald, Mount Vernon, Wash.
(TNS)

SEDRO-WOOLLEY — The Sedro-Woolley City Council authorized the city’s fire department Wednesday to purchase a stretcher, and Mayor Julia Johnson swore in 10 fire department personnel as well as a police officer.

The $30,000 purchase price of the Stryker Pro Stretcher raised some eyebrows.

“They are spendy,” Fire Chief Frank Wagner said. “Even the manual ones are way up there now in price. The last manual one we purchased that had no bells, whistles or hydraulics or anything was I believe about $17,000.”

Wagner said this is the fourth such stretcher for the department.

The high-tech stretcher has the ability to lift 700 pounds.

“Even a 200-pound person, if you are taking them in and out of a house and up and down stairs it’s already hard enough,” Wagner said. “With this stretcher, you can make the transition with only two people, instead of four, five or six.

“So it also helps manage resources when you are short on staffing and responding to multiple calls.”

The new stretcher should make things easier on the fire department’s personnel.

Wagner said the department had a firefighter unable to work for about a year after severely injuring a shoulder while transporting a patient.

“You figure one full-time employee, you lose them for a year the amount of overtime you pay not to mention some of these folks never recover and never get to come back to work,” Wagner said.

“It does hurt when you start looking at the bottom of that invoice, but when look at what is saves, it’s worth the price.”

Also Wednesday, the city welcomed 10 fire department personnel — firefighter/EMTs Devon Heckard, Jacob Braaten, LaRen Gevaart-Rossie, Jack Cole, Dillon Russell, Drew Jenkins, Bobby Castilleja and Sean O’Neill, and firefighter/paramedics Brandon Paulson and Philip Chong — and police officer Joseph Eggert.

The city was able to add to its fire department after residents passed a levy for additional funding.

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(c)2024 the Skagit Valley Herald (Mount Vernon, Wash.)

Visit the Skagit Valley Herald (Mount Vernon, Wash.) at www.goskagit.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Vanderburgh County dispatch confirms there was a working commercial structure fire Saturday at Pike’s Mattress. According to dispatch, the call came in at 4:09 p.m. Black smoke seen even from the Lloyd Expressway filled the sky and sirens started to fill Division Street in Evansville as Pike’s Mattress became engulfed in flames.
- PUB DATE: 9/16/2024 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WFIE-TV NBC 14 Evansville