Blood test results show that alcohol was not involved in a fatal crash involving a Wood Lake (MN) Volunteer Fire Department fire apparatus, a Minnesota State Patrol spokesperson said Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, marshallindependent.com reported.

After receiving blood test results, the state patrol updated its online incident page to say that alcohol was not involved in the crash, the report said.

The state patrol and the Yellow Medicine County Sheriff’s Office are investigating a rollover crash that involved a Wood Lake fire apparatus Sept. 26, 2025. Patrick Remiger, 43, of rural Wood Lake, was killed in the crash. Andrew Vanhecke, 37, and Beaux Vanhecke, 6, both of Wood Lake, were injured.

At the time of the crash, the rig was returning from homecoming festivities at Lakeview School. Celebrations included a tradition where members of the Lakeview cross country team run the homecoming game football from the city of Wood Lake to the city of Cottonwood.

Both the state patrol and Yellow Medicine County Sheriff’s Office say the investigation into the crash is ongoing.

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The Beach Haven (NJ) Volunteer Fire Company station, located at 100 South Bay Avenue, flooded during the nor-easter that slammed the Jersey coast Oct. 13, 2025, the company said in a Facebook post.

“Please understand that we planned accordingly to the water rising and expected the tides as they have been so far,” the post said. “Our trucks are staged on higher ground and our high water vehicle is in the engine bay.”

The fire company is still in service and responding to emergency calls.

“Please, stay home! If you MUST drive, please do so on the ocean roads (Atlantic and Beach Avenue). As Bay Avenue and Long Beach Boulevard are closed.”

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Editor’s Opinion | Chris Mc Loone

We are enduring a very frustrating few-year stretch right now when it comes to purchasing fire apparatus. My mantra has been to exercise patience, that this would pass. I still believe it will, and I still am on the patience kick.

However, the longer this takes to rectify itself—the combination of lead times and pricing—the more opportunities arise to point fingers, complain, and theorize on social media how and why we got here. Most recently, as of this writing, a class action suit has been filed against three manufacturers and an industry association, alleging that the four organizations conspired to fix prices and impact supply.

For the life of me, I can’t figure out what lawyer would look at those allegations and say, “Yep. I can work with that.” I can’t figure out why three apparatus manufacturers would get together to try to do that. I’ve toured manufacturing facilities many times, many of them multiple times. I’ve done this on both the apparatus side and apparatus component side, as well as the equipment side.

In every single facility, the workers assembling the products considered themselves an integral part of saving lives. The businesses themselves and their corporate officers also consider themselves important parts of emergency response. Why would any or all of them, considering how they see their role in what we do on a daily basis, intentionally make it more difficult for their customers to purchase the life-saving vehicles and equipment we use every day? To me—and I could be naïve— the answer is: They wouldn’t.

We live in an era where many of us get much of our information from less-than-ac- curate sources. Social media is a quintessential example of how bad playing the game Whisper Down the Lane can be. Everyone has an opinion; everyone has a platform to express that opinion; and, as with many things, the ones that get the most attention are the negative ones.

As an industry, for those of us who are responsible for influencing, approving, or spec’ing apparatus and equipment, it is time for us to take a collective step back and really consider what’s being said.

Consolidation—it happens everywhere. It’s happening in more areas of the fire service than many realize. So to blame that as the whole reason we’re in this situation and to do it so publicly is borderline irresponsible.

I know the current situation is frustrating. I’m experiencing it in my own fire company. We’re expecting a five-year total process to replace our rescue truck at my fire company. We haven’t even started formally discussing the cost. When we bring it to the fire company to approve, there will likely be some very serious discussion about voting to approve the expenditure.

It will no doubt be the most we’ve ever spent on a fire apparatus. But, in some ways, isn’t every new rig going to be the most we’ve ever spent? Things don’t get less expensive. The problem right now is the pace at which prices increased. To me, that’s the hardest one to figure out.

There has been enough “noise” about this at this point that we’ve worked with the Fire Apparatus Manufacturers’ Association (FAMA) to try to tell the real story. We discuss how we got here, why lead times are the way they are, and why the cost of new rigs is where it is today.

Go to www.fireapparatus.com/fama. Have a look. Don’t want to read? There’s a podcast on it. Don’t want to watch/listen? There are three articles on it.

All of this being said, I know what you know: that the fire service always forges ahead. These times are not easy, and they are frustrating. But, that has never stopped us from moving forward.

Pamela McLoughlin
Hartford Courant
(TNS)

There will soon be lots of shiny red toy fire trucks on sale for the holidays, but for those who want to go big and grand, there’s a real fire engine up for auction in Connecticut.

Friday is the deadline to bid online for a 1991 pumper truck owned by the town of Montville that requires a baseline bid of $5,000.

So far there are no takers, but bids often come in it at the last minute, said Greg Barry, CEO of Municibid, the company running the 24/7 online auction.

The used fire truck is likely too old to be certified to fight fires, but people around the country make use of the equipment in creative ways, Barry said .

They buy them for display, to add to collections, to use in parades and even repurpose them into recreational vehicles or campers, Barry said.

Farmers also use the trucks for watering from a pond on their property or by using a second truck in conjunction, he said. Sometimes people even ship the old trucks overseas where the certification standards are lower.

If the truck doesn’t sell, it’s up to Montville what the next move will be, Barry said. If the truck does sell, the town gets every penny and can spend it however they want. There is an extra 9 percent charge to pay Municibid.

Barry said there are lots of trucks and fire apparatus on the market now and low demand.

Here are the specs on the 1991 KME Spartan Engine truck: It has 38,848 miles and features a 350 HP Diesel Engine, automatic transmission, a 1000-gallon poly water tank, and 1,500 gallon per minute top mount pump. The fire truck seats six and also has updated LED emergency and scene lights, a booster reel with hose in the rear compartment, large diameter rear intake, and large diameter front bumper suction. It holds approximately 2000 feet of 5-inch hose and 800 feet of 3-inch hose in the bed.

The online auction is open to the public at Municibid.com and ends Friday, October 17. In this case, the truck has no title.

Barry said his company has auctioned off all kinds of interesting items owned by municipalities, including boats, airplanes, 1990s era arcade games, a diamond ring of more than 2 carats, wood carvings, a knights body armor.

©2025 Hartford Courant. Visit courant.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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Robert Creenan
Niagara Gazette, Niagara Falls, N.Y.
(TNS)

Damon Robertson has always had an itch for restoring historic buildings.

In 1985, his parents bought the Barton Hill Mansion in Lewiston, restoring it over the course of 18 years. Their other efforts include a 1902 Victorian-era home and a 1846 Greek Revival Farmhouse in Wilson.

His latest project is tackling one of Niagara Falls’ still-remaining historic landmarks.

Since 2019, Robertson has worked to restore the old Engine #3 at 1019 Niagara Ave., the oldest such building in the city. Completed and commissioned in 1894 under the name Rapids Hose #3, it operated for 90 years until the city decommissioned it in 1984, with its work and the Highland Avenue firehouse’s moving to the new Fire Station #3 at 11th Street and Ontario Avenue.

The DiCamillos’ company then owned it for the following 35 years.

“Many years ago, I was driving through the city, taking a ride home from work, and happened upon this building boarded up,” Robertson said. “I thought it was beautiful.”

Robertson reached out to DiCamillo’s about acquiring it 10 years ago, but at first, they were not interested in selling. It was only after the roof developed leaks, resulting in water damage on the third floor, that they took Robertson’s offer seriously.

Having been built in 1894, this is the first firehouse created after the City of Niagara Falls was incorporated on March 17, 1892. It was also home to the first fire company, where its members were paid.

Roberston said he bought it because he wanted to save the building, with the City of Niagara Falls having a history of tearing down historic structures like this.

“Bringing history out of the dark and preserving the vessels that hold that history are key lessons for future generations to learn from,” Robertson said. “I believe it is from our history that we grasp the tools and knowledge to find our place in this world.”

The first outside funding this restoration received was a $50,000 Niagara County Facade Program matching grant in 2022, with another grant coming from the Niagara Falls Bridge District DRI Small Project Fund. Most of the funding comes from his small business Dragonfly Jams and Jellies, which is based in Youngstown and sells across the state.

Having started work in 2019, Robertson hired three different masons and a Canadian engineer to restore the brick structure. The west wall has been 90% restored, having deteriorated from the weather and a lack of a gutter spout. The ceiling was lowered by two feet in order to save it.

Robertson is using historic mortar to match the building’s original appearance, with decorative bricks being made for the front facade.

He wants to keep as much of the original structure as possible, like the original flooring, urinals, windows, and the current bay doors. Those date from when the building was modified to have its bell tower removed and bay doors changed to accommodate fire trucks rather than horse-drawn carriages.

“The majority of the character is still there,” Robertson said.

Robertson did not say when he expects this long-term project to be complete, as the building still needs electrical, plumbing, masonry, and sprinkler system work. He does plan on putting his Dragonfly Jams and Jellies operations there, with his jam kitchen and a cafe inside.

© 2025 the Niagara Gazette (Niagara Falls, N.Y.). Visit www.niagara-gazette.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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