A fire apparatus overturned in Anderson County, South Carolina, Tuesday, May 13, 2025, wyff4.com reported.

The accident occurred on Fire Station Road in Easley as firefighters were responding to a house fire.

Fire officials said one firefighter has minor injuries, but is expected to recover, the report said.

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Jenna Wilson
St. Joseph News-Press, Mo.
(TNS)

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — City officials agreed on the final location for a new South Side fire station at 303 East Hyde Park Ave. in St. Joseph.

The department recently partnered with the architectural firm SEH to begin conceptual planning for the new Fire Station 10, evaluating three proposed locations in the south side, with this one identified as the most efficient.

“This took a lot of planning and it was a tough decision before we reached one,” said Jamey McVicker, St. Joseph Fire Department interim fire chief. “Our driving force has always been response times. We want to reach the community within four minutes of receiving a call.”

Other potential locations for the fire station included 5008 King Hill Ave. and 212 Alabama St. The challenge with the King Hill Avenue site was its location being too far north, which would hinder a timely response to the south end of the city.

While the 212 Alabama Street site fell within an acceptable response time range, the financial drawback was significant, as the city does not own that property like it does the one at East Hyde Park Avenue.

“The budget for this project was $4.29 million, and I estimate the savings from choosing this location to be between $200,000 and $400,000,” McVicker said.

Placing the fire station at 303 East Hyde Park Ave. also allows for future expansion, should the city continue to grow.

“More importantly, this is about the city’s anticipated future growth,” City Manager Mike Schumacher said. “Fire stations last a long time — 50 years or more. So, it’s not just about what we need today but what we expect to need 25 or 30 years from now. That’s a key part of how this was planned.”

Although discussions are still in the early stages, SJFD is exploring a collaboration with Buchanan County EMS to co-locate the new station under one roof, enhancing team-based response efforts.

© 2025 the St. Joseph News-Press (St. Joseph, Mo.). Visit www.newspressnow.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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Rebuilding in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene’s damage to Ashe County continues, including replacing critical fire and rescue vehicles lost to the flood, Blue Ridge Energy said in a press release.

The Lansing Volunteer Fire and Rescue lost two fire trucks to Helene, putting the area in danger if fire and rescue response is needed. “These were the only four-wheel drive pumper fire trucks we had,” said Chief Jeff Venable, adding that the trucks were under water and flooded.

While one truck is able to be refurbished, the other truck was a total loss from water damage. Furthermore, insurance did not cover the full cost of a new fire truck. In February, Lansing Volunteer Fire and Rescue replaced the damaged truck with a new pumper, which was purchased with the assistance of a $200,000 loan from Blue Ridge Energy. This is the department’s first new truck, and it will provide decades of service to the community.

“We were able to put down $300,000 of the cost for a new truck,” said Venable, “and we’re very blessed the remaining $200,000 is being covered through a seven year, zero-percent interest rate loan from Blue Ridge Energy’s Revolving Loan Fund,” he said.

“This is a great program provided through Blue Ridge Energy and saves taxpayers thousands of dollars through not having to pay interest on the loan,” Venable added.

Blue Ridge Energy’s revolving loan fund has been accumulated over the years from grants awarded by the government’s Rural Economic Development Loan and Grant program (REDLG). REDLG, which is part of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), enables electric cooperatives to support community development projects in their service areas by providing zero-interest loans to qualified entities. Loan funds are repaid over time and then “recycled” to support additional qualifying community development projects.

“Helping ensure emergency response is available in the communities we serve is an important way Blue Ridge Energy seeks to improve quality of life for our members,” said Katie Woodle, Chief Executive Officer of Blue Ridge Energy. “We’re very pleased we can continue helping our service area rebuild and restore after Helene.”

Blue Ridge Energy is an electric cooperative serving some 80,000 members in Caldwell, Watauga, Ashe, and Alleghany counties and parts of Wilkes, Avery, and Alexander counties. It also includes a propane heating fuels subsidiary and a business-to-business telecommunications subsidiary. Learn more at www.BlueRidgeEnergy.com.

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Mike Hendricks
The Kansas City Star
(TNS)

Kansas City won’t pay nearly $1 million to the fire truck driver who killed three people in a 2021 traffic crash in Westport.

The city council’s finance committee rejected the proposed $915,000 settlement to firefighter Dominic Biscari Tuesday after an emotional plea from the owner of the restaurant where two of the victims worked.

Calling the proposed payment “incredible,” Laura Norris said the settlement of Biscari’s legal challenge to the disciplinary actions against him “flies in the face of justice for the innocent victims.”

Committee members retired to closed session after Norris urged them to reject the settlement, and when they came back into open session Mayor Quinton Lucas said the committee had decided to do just that.

“At this point, this committee finds it not appropriate to resolve the litigation,” Lucas said. “Instead, we will hold the item off docket, which, in council parlance, largely means the ordinance is rejected, and we will then continue to hope for the best for all parties involved, but rejecting this item today.”

This is an evolving story and will be updated.

©2025 The Kansas City Star. Visit kansascity.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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