While Graham Fire & Rescue crew members were shopping for dinner at Safeway Wednesday, thieves robbed their fire truck of “an essential piece of equipment that is used to rescue trapped firefighters, our Rapid Intervention Team (RIT) bag.”

A report in komonews.com says the equipment is worth $8,000. The theft occurred after the firefighters wrapped up a training exercise. The company was able to replace the equipment with a bag from another rig, but now they’re short a backup.

State officials have introduced a bill to stiffen penalties for people who steal from firefighters, as such crimes have become more common in the area.

The Avondale Fire-Medical Department invites the public to tour its newest public safety facility, Fire Station 175, on Saturday, March 26, 2022. Tours will take place from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the new station, located at 12495 W. Van Buren Street.

Completed in February 2022, the $12.4 million, 17,000-square-foot facility includes three bays, office space, sleeping quarters, a kitchen/dining room, training area, exercise room, and spaces for public service outreach programs. Visitors will learn about the fire station’s modern safety features and see the fire apparatus, and kids will received a fire helmet and sticker badge. Light refreshments will be served.

“Fire Station 175 — the city’s fifth fire station — is strategically located to ensure efficient response times to serve our community of 90,000 residents,” said Avondale Chief of Public Safety, Dale Nannenga. He added that Avondale hired 14 new firefighters last year through a SAFER grant in preparation for the opening of the new fire station.

In September 2020, the City was awarded a $3 million Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant from the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) to hire 14 new firefighter positions. New personnel hired to staff Fire Station 175 graduated fire academy training in May 2021.

Additionally, the public is invited to watch a livestream of the official ribbon-cutting ceremony for Fire Station 175 on March 24 at 10 a.m. on the Avondale EDGE Facebook page.

The Cowlitz Indian Tribe recently purchased Engine 23, a Rosenbauer fire truck, for Clark-Cowlitz Fire Rescue.

Related: Holy Cow(litz)! Clark-Cowlitz (WA) Fire Rescue Receives First of Four New Engines

The tribe also blessed the new engine, which will replace the 20-year-old apparatus housed at Station 23; it will be the first-due apparatus for emergencies in the La Center community and throughout the Cowlitz Indian tribal lands.

A Springfield fire truck collided with an SUV Thursday morning, reports newschannel20.com.

Fire officials says the accident happened around 8:45 a.m. near the intersection of MLK and Cook Street.

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The SUV hit the engine and then crashed into a light pole, according to the report. No firefighters were injured, but the driver of the SUV was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

The fire truck sustained significant damage to its front end.

Sutphen Corporation to display new Tractor-Drawn Aerial in Booth #3324

DUBLIN, OHIO – Sutphen Corporation, the largest family-owned fire apparatus manufacturer in the nation, announces that FDIC 2022 will be the showcase venue for Sutphen’s new Tractor-Drawn Aerial.

The tractor-drawn aerial will add to Sutphen’s already extensive product lineup and will be the first Sutphen TDA since the 1990s.

“We cannot wait to showcase this new product at FDIC 2022,” said fourth-generation family member and Sutphen vice president, Julie Sutphen Phelps. “We know this will be the talk of the show, and we are excited to unveil the Sutphen TDA in front of such a large audience.”

Related: FDIC 2022 Preview

The truck, destined for DeKalb County Fire Rescue in Dekalb County, Georgia, will be available to see in Sutphen Booth #3324 in the Indiana Convention Center Thursday, April 28 through Saturday, April 30.

“This is why people go to FDIC,” said Sutphen’s director of sales and marketing, Zach Rudy. “People go to FDIC for the excitement and the unveiling of new products across the fire industry. We know that the Indiana Convention Center and Lucas Oil Stadium will be abuzz with talk of the Sutphen Tractor Drawn Aerial.”

If customers have questions or would like additional details about the apparatus prior to the show, they are encouraged to contact their Sutphen dealer.

Customers can find their Sutphen dealer by following the link here: https://www.sutphen.com/locations/

About Sutphen: Sutphen Corporation is an Ohio-based, privately held, family-owned business that has manufactured the highest-quality, heavy-duty, custom-built emergency response vehicles since 1890. The company’s headquarters are located in Dublin, Ohio, a northwest suburb of Columbus.