Local fire officials say homeowners in they Valley need to be prepared now more than ever as we enter wildfire season. They also say despite the lack of warm weather we have been seeing, there is actually more concern to be had. Nathan Craig, fire chief for the West Valley Fire Department, says “this time most years we’re already starting to dry out, but we’re still growing.
- PUB DATE: 5/13/2022 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KIMA-TV CBS/CW+ 29 Yakima

A new fire truck is now in service at the Jackson Fire Department. The new truck arrived at Fire Station No. 2 earlier this spring.

Late last year, the Jackson City Council approved the use of $700,000 in American Rescue Plan funds toward a 2021 Pierce Enforcement fire engine. It replaces two aging rigs with frequent mechanical issues.

The fire truck is assigned to Fire Station No. 2 on S. Milwaukee Street. That fire station recently reopened for service to provide better fire coverage for the south side of Jackson. The new engine will be used to help firefighters battle fires, but also transport them for other first responder duties.

City council recently approved the purchase of a 2023 pumper for the Chariton Volunteer Fire Department, reports charitonleader.com.

A total of $550,000 from the city’s Fiscal Year 2023 is budgeted for the purchase.

Officials say the Alexis Fire Equipment Company can deliver the new truck within a year for a total of $575,609. Other companies would take two years to produce the pumper, according to the report.

A $208,565 payment must be made when the chassis is finished—August or September 2022—and officials say funds will be available at that time.

Thinning public woodlands to remove millions of dead trees is a way to generate much needed cash to reduce wildfire risks, improve forest health, and protect rural homeowners and farms. It is money the U.S. Forest Service and Washington’s Department of Natural Resources don’t have because the bulk of their funds are tied up fighting fires.
- PUB DATE: 5/12/2022 11:36:00 AM - SOURCE: Kent Reporter

The family of Bill and Carol Olsen recently donated a 1924 American LaFrance fire engine to Birmingham at a city council meeting.

Birmingham Fire Chief Paul Wells and Bill Olsen shared the apparatus’ history at the meeting; see video of it below, starting around the 32-minute mark, to hear its incredible journey.

But, long story short: It was ordered in the summer of 1923 as the department wanted a truck capable of pumping water from a source to complement its fleet of strictly chemical trucks. Olsen’s grandfather, William, was the department chief at the time.

After years of service, the city auctioned off the truck in November 1960, and Olsen’s father, Merritt, bought it for $435. It’s been on family property ever since, Olsen says.

It was a family decision, Olsen says of the one-string-attached donation: The string being the family asked that if the department ever decides to get rid of it it’s first offered back to the Olsens.

The community will be able to see the truck at the Hometown Parade on May 15, and it will then be kept starting in early June at Station 2.

04.25.2022 City Commission Meeting from City of Birmingham on Vimeo.