On Friday, March 25 at 1 p.m., South Frontenac Council, Fire and Rescue personnel, and Township staff gathered at 4490 Battersea Road. to officially break ground on construction of the new Station 8 fire facility.

“This is an exciting time to be a resident of South Frontenac,” said Mayor Ron Vandewal. “Council is honored to be able to break ground and start construction on the new Station 8 Fire Hall, as public safety is a responsibility we take seriously in this community,” explained Vandewal. “Being committed to the protection of our residents means having the infrastructure and resources needed to respond to emergencies effectively and efficiently – this new facility will ensure our fire service can continue to provide the level of service residents have come to rely on.”

With a total of 8 stations across the Township, this new building will be of similar design to the Perth Road Station that opened in 2018 and will act as a replacement for the current Station 8 in Sunbury and former station 9 on Burnt Hills Rd. Geographically central to future growth in the Township’s east end, the new facility will ensure the fire service is properly equipped to meet the needs of current residents as well as those moving into new housing in the area.

“As one of our most active stations, the additional space that is being added to both the garage bays and training room will be of great use to our fire services,” said Chief Darcy Knott, Director of Fire and Emergency Services. “Since 2018 SFFR has conducted consistent recruitment campaigns to ensure we have enough volunteer fire fighters to maintain our levels of service. While we provide an extensive training program for all recruits, it is also our responsibility to ensure stations are strategically located and designed to bolster our emergency response operations,” explained Chief Knott.

The new firehall is being built by Bourgon Construction and will cost approximately $3.3 million to construct. This 7,600 sq ft, single storey facility will contain three drive-thru truck bays and house a variety of emergency response equipment. The new Station 8 will also have a dedicated training area and provide office space for meetings, administrative staff, and Platoon Chief offices. 

“In addition to the slightly larger building footprint, the other major difference in this new build is the inclusion of several design elements that will allow the facility to operate more efficiently,” explained Mayor Vandewal. “We are excited to incorporate energy efficient and sustainable elements like roof mounted solar panels, LED lighting, an air-source heat pump, and the potential for net metering with Hydro One in order to offset energy costs” said Vandewal. “Council made a commitment in our Strategic Plan to promote and support growth that meets the community’s needs while maintaining the integrity of our natural environment – and this is South Frontenac continuing to move in that direction.”

It is anticipated that the new facility will be completed and ready for active service in late 2022, until then Station 8 crews will continue to operate out of the Storrington Centre at 3910 Battersea Rd. (current station 8).

In addition to Council and SFFR Senior Officers, Deputy Fire Chief Alex Bennett, Louise Fragnito, South Frontenac’s Interim C

The Rush City Fire Department has been expecting a new fire truck, but what it wasn’t expecting was a rise in the overall cost of the apparatus. Well, a chassis issue has done just that, reports hometownsource.com.

During a recent city council meeting, a Custom Fire rep broke the news that the Kenworth truck the department ordered would increase by $24,207.

Back in August the projected total of the chassis was $106,412, but it was discontinued and added supply-chain issues have made the replacement chassis $130,619. Council unanimously approved the new total cost, the report says.

The original order for the truck was a total of $410,000, the report notes, but the discontinuation added not only a price increase but also a $3,500 surcharge.

The original delivery date was on or before June 30, 2022, and the new one isn’t too far off: August.

Medford firefighters recently welcomed Ladder 2 to its new home at Station 3.

“Today we welcomed the newest addition to the Medford Fire Department fleet—a brand new ladder truck that will be housed at Station 3,” Medford Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn writes on Facebook.

“We secured funding for this truck in 2019 when I was on the City Council and I’m thrilled that our department now has access to this state-of-the-art vehicle that will help keep our community and fire fighters safe.

“Thank you to Chief Freedman and the crew at Station 3 for giving me a tour of the new truck!”

The new fire truck has already seen action:

Nanaimo Fire Rescue is getting ready to move into its new facility. Station 1 will open in April and be fully operational by August, officials said at a recent city council meeting. Ground was broken in July 2020.

Council approved the final step in the nearly $20 million project—borrowing $280,269 from the Municipal Finance Authority of B.C.

“Approve borrowing two hundred eighty thousand, two hundred and sixty nine dollars ($280,269) from the Municipal Finance Authority of British Columbia, as part of the 2022 fall Borrowing Session and as authorized through ‘Fire Station #1 Borrowing Bylaw 2018 No. 7257’; and, that the Regional District of Nanaimo be requested to consent to the City of Nanaimo borrowing the two hundred eighty thousand, two hundred and sixty nine dollars ($280,269) over a 20-year term and include the borrowing in a Security Issuing Bylaw,” the council says.

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Demolition of old Station 1, built in 1967 at 666 Fitzwilliam St., will start in May, council notes.

In addition, the department recently put into service two new fire trucks:

Today, our new Fire Engines were put into service at our Fire Station 1 and 2. Following a long standing Fire Department tradition, our @IAFF905 Firefighters pushed the trucks into service. This tradition has been carried over from when Fire apparatuses were pulled by horses. pic.twitter.com/6Cv4YK7bIC

— Nanaimo Fire Rescue (@NanaimoFire) March 22, 2022

Continues Founding Purpose to Protect First Responders

March 28, 2022, Dover, NH – Air Vacuum Corporation is celebrating its 28th Anniversary today, the 28th of March. Since installing the first AIRVAC® 911 System more than a quarter of a century ago, the team has been protecting first responders worldwide by reducing their exposure to hazardous gases and particulate with proven technology.

“We are excited to celebrate this milestone by returning to some more events this year. First responders have given so much during the last few years as they have worked tirelessly to keep their communities safe. There’s so much out of their control and the COVID-19 pandemic has further highlighted the extent to which they put their lives and health at risk every day,” said Tom Vitko, President. “I am personally looking forward to connecting with first responders that I’ve come to call friends over the years and meeting people in person.”

AIRVAC® 911 is a hose-free, ceiling-hung system that was deliberately designed to not require any ducting or outside exhausting, making it easy to add to existing stations, incorporate in renovations and build into new station designs. The AIRVAC® 911 system has a sophisticated 4-stage air filtration process that includes a MERV-16 rated filter for removing contaminant particles as small as 0.3 microns. In addition to addressing the toxins found in exhaust, this filter helps to mitigate the spread of illnesses such as COVID-19. Every time a vehicle enters or leaves, the AIRVAC® 911 system automatically activates so that first responders can feel confident that they are breathing clean air.

“Hearing back from stations who have installed our system is the best part of our work, that’s when we truly know that we are making a difference,” added Tom.

He shared some recent feedback:

“The wellness of personnel is paramount and the reduction in carcinogens throughout the station is an obvious benefit. Being able to utilize an exhaust system without the need for hoses increases personnel safety while working and training in the apparatus bays. It eliminates the need for personnel to be in direct contact with the exhaust system when hooking up hoses as with some other systems. Due to the system working as well as it has, we are comfortable utilizing a mezzanine for training. Air quality has been above acceptable levels while several apparatus have responded at the same time.”

– Assistant Fire Chief, Auburn Fire Department, Auburn, NY

“We did a lot of research on the AIRVAC® 911 System as well as other units on the market. We realized that for the construction of our new building, the AIRVAC® 911 System was our best choice. Besides the cleaner air, we like that we didn’t have to retrofit vehicles to fit hoses. It was nice being able to find a product that could be placed into the construction of a new facility and knowing that the air is better to breath because it’s filtered through an innovative system. The system seems to work flawlessly when activated. Also, you can notice the difference when it’s activated as there is no smell from the starting of the trucks to small equipment.”

– Chief, Cleveland Twp Fire Department, Elkhart, IN

“Air Vacuum Corporation is a great company to work with. The overall smell from equipment returning after a fire is gone. We have noticed cleaner walls and the office staff also notice that the smell is gone. The installation took less than 3 days, the system is easy to maintain and its overall cost is low.”
– Chief, Resort Bear Creek Fire Department, Petoskey, MI

Air Vaccum Corporation will be exhibiting at the following upcoming conferences. Please stop by to learn more. We are happy to answer any questions and w