The sale of a used aerial to Sutherland (IA) Fire & Ambulance Department has been put on hold temporarily because of an issue with the ownership title, according to a report published by the nwestiowa.com web site.

The chief told city official he finds the department in a “weird” situation where the seller can’t produce the title and the department doesn’t move forward with the purchase until it see the title, the report says, adding that the intentions was to close on the deal this spring.

The department hopes to buy a used aerial from a seller in Connecticut, but the deal is in “limbo” for now, according to the report.

At $55,000 for the ladder truck and a budget of $20,000 upgrades and equipment, the rig is considerably another used aerial the department had considered at $149,000, according to the report. The department doesn’t want to back out of the deal and has given the seller a bit more time to find the title, according to the published report which indicated the city council is expected to meet again on June 6 to discuss the next move in the purchase.

United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the appropriation of $3 million for a new fire station in Rose Hill (NC), according to a report published by WITN.

The funding will come from the USDA Rural Development program and will be used to help pay for a station with five vehicle bays, a training room, kitchen bunk quarters and office space, according to the report.

The Palm Coast Fire Department hosted a Gold Star Dedication ceremony in which they dedicated a new Fire Engine in memory of Marine Lance Corporal John T. Schmidt III on this past weekend. The ceremony took place at Fire Station 21 with the family and friends of Lance Corporal Schmidt, Gold Star Families, and Fire Department personnel.

The Fire Department took delivery of a 2021- Pierce Enforcer Fire Engine earlier this year. The Fire Engine was placed into front line service at Fire Station 21, affectionately known as The Lion’s Den, located at 9 Corporate Drive.

Lance Corporal Schmidt was born in Carmel, New York and graduated from Oviedo High School in 2001; his family lived here in Palm Coast.  Schmidt joined the Marines at age 19 and was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Lejeune, N.C. He left for his first tour on January 2005 to Al Anbar Province, Iraq with his 3/8 buddies.  On the first day of elections, just two weeks after his arrival to Iraq, he was critically injured in a blast.

He was brought back to the states and taken to Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonino, Texas.  He sustained a chemical injury to both lungs; he later died from those injuries on May 11. Lance Corporal Schmidt was laid to rest with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery. He was awarded the Purple Heart. John was known for his love of the Marine Corps; his family shared a story that while in intensive care he was visited by the Commandant of the Marine Corps while under sedation. When coming to and being shown the Commandants Challenge Coin, John immediately wanted to know if his hair was “high and tight.”

The idea for dedicating a fire truck to the memory of a Fallen Solider was proposed by Firefighter-Paramedic Christopher Strozier, who is a Navy Veteran. Firefighter Strozier stated, “We often forget why we have the rights and freedoms we do. Dedicating the fire engine to the memory of a Gold Star Families is a small way to show our appreciation for what they have sacrificed.”

The Fire Department plans each Memorial Day to dedicate a Fire Engine to a Gold Star Recipient whose name is inscribed in the Veterans Memorial at Heroes Memorial Park. In 2021, Ladder 25 was dedicated to the memory of Marine Sergeant Zachary J Walters; which weeks after the dedication, Ladder 25 was involved in a high profile rescue of a juvenile threating to jump off an overpass.

“John’s Engine will be first in and last out to all the calls for one of our busiest zones and second due to everywhere in the city,” stated Fire Chief Jerry Forte. Chief Forte added, “we will send Johns truck to ease the pain, suffering and anxiety of those in distress or perhaps just make their day better; just as he set out to leave this world a better place, by his willingness to defend this great nation. We’re forever grateful for his supreme sacrifice.”

The event was live-streamed on the Palm Coast Fire Department’s Facebook page. Additional photos are also available there. 

Middletown (CT) firefighters are raising funds to restore a 1930 American LaFrance tiller aerial to its former glory when it was in service with the department decades ago, according to a report published by Fox 61.

The aerial, which was in service with the Middletown Fire Department from when it was new in 1930 until it was taken out of service in 1963, was found in a lot in Binghamton, NY, the report said.

A group of retired firefighters and their friends arranged have the tiller aerial returned to Middletown and are now working to raise about $100,000 to have it restored, according to Fox 61.

The public will have chance to see the apparatus while it’s parked in front of the Main Street fire station during the annual Memorial Day parade, the report said, adding that although the aerial does run and drive, it needs work before it is roadworthy.

A special fire truck, showing Tiger Pride, was unveiled Monday by the Memphis (TN) Fire Department, according to a report published by ABC 24 Local Memphis.

The new truck, striped blue with the Tiger logo on the side, was unveiled by Fire Chief Gina Sweat before it was put in service.

The Blue Tiger is the mascot for the University of Memphis sports teams.