CHRISTINE COMPTON
Independent Record, Helena, Mont.
(TNS)

Helena city commissioners approved $325,600 to replace a fire station’s nearly-50-year-old boiler system.

The boiler system, installed in 1976 at the 300 Neill Ave. Helena Fire station, is “beyond (its) expected life,” city documents state.

The systems fail often due to their age and inefficiency, it puts plainly.

The current model’s biggest risk is that it only uses one actual boiler, so if it fails, the entire facility loses hot water.

The Helena Fire Department

The Helena Fire Department Station No. 1 at 300 Neil Ave.

A $325,600 bid would replace the boiler system with a new, 98% thermally efficient redundant boiler system, so if one part fails, another part could take over.

It’d also replace nonfunctioning heater units, upgrade the air handlers and upgrade the air-based controls to digital controls.

Of the two bids submitted, Helena-based Tri-County Mechanical and Electrical offered the lowest bid at $325,649.

City commissioners heard the bid at a Monday meeting and asked about the replacement’s cost savings and lifespan.

While there aren’t any exact figures, the new boiler system is expected to be far more energy efficient, likely saving costs, Community Facilities Manager Bridget Johnston said. The lifespan is also unknown, but the current boiler had an estimated 30- to 50-year lifespan.

Commissioners voted to award the bid 4-0. City Commissioner Melinda Reed was absent.

© 2025 the Independent Record (Helena, Mont.). Visit www.helenair.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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The West Manchester Township (PA) Fire Department is asking for the public’s help in locating equipment that was lost during recent storms, fox43.com reported. 

The department said a yellow and black tote containing water rescue equipment was blown off its pumper. The bin included two black and yellow Mustang personal floatation devices (PFDs) and a yellow throw bag with an orange floating rope. 

“A very critical water rescue bin has blown off the top of our engine,” the department said in a Facebook post. “If anyone has found this tote please notify the WMT office at (717) 792-3505 and ask for Chief Laughman.”

The post Water Rescue Bin Blows Off the Top of Pumper; FD Wants It Back appeared first on Fire Apparatus: Fire trucks, fire engines, emergency vehicles, and firefighting equipment.

Three new Oshkosh Airport Products Striker^® ARFF vehicles provide strong emergency response, outstanding operational uptime, and support the airport’s future growth.

APPLETON, Wisconsin (July 15th, 2025) – Oshkosh Airport Products, an Oshkosh Corporation (NYSE: OSK) business, is proud to announce the delivery of three state-of-the-art Striker^® Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF) vehicles to Bradley International Airport (BDL) in Windsor Locks, Connecticut. The new additions to BDL’s fleet represent a major investment in safety, service reliability, and operational agility.

The delivery, managed in partnership with Oshkosh Airport Products’ regional dealer Firematic Supply Co. Inc., includes one Striker 6×6 with a Snozzle^® High Reach Extendable Turret (HRET), one Striker 4×4 with a Snozzle HRET, and one Striker 4×4 with a roof turret. Each unit is engineered with next-generation technology to meet the growing demands of a high-traffic, safety-first airport.

“This addition reflects our commitment to delivering a seamless experience to passengers and airline partners,” said Raymond Muller, Vice President, Service & Technology at Firematic Supply Co. Inc. “The new rescue vehicles will enable high in-service rates, exceptional maintenance efficiency, and support the airport’s growing traffic needs.”

All three units are powered by a Scania DC16/V8 670 HP Tier 4 Final engine and feature TAK- 4^® Independent Suspension for enhanced stability and off-road performance. Advanced operator awareness and control capabilities are built into each vehicle, including 360-degree camera systems, digital video recorders, exterior water/foam level lights, and an engine fast- start button on the side of each cab.

Additionally, the three vehicles feature slightly different specifications:

Striker 6×6 with Snozzle HRET:

• 3,000-gallon water capacity
• 440-gallon foam capacity
• 550 pounds of dry chemical capacity
• Snozzle HRET
• Low attack bumper turret
• In-cab EMS storage

Striker 4×4 with Snozzle HRET:

• 1,500-gallon water capacity
• 220-gallon foam capacity
• 550 pounds of dry chemical capacity
• Snozzle HRET and bumper turret
• In-cab EMS storage

Striker 4×4 with Roof Turret:

• 1,500-gallon water capacity
• 220-gallon foam capacity
• 550 pounds of dry chemical capacity
• Roof and bumper turrets
• Digital monitoring and recording systems

BDL is the largest airport in Connecticut and the second largest in New England, serving more than 6.7 million passengers annually. The production and delivery process for the airport’s new Striker ARFF vehicles was managed through a collaborative partnership between Firematic Supply Co., the engineering and technical support teams at Oshkosh Airport Products, and Bradley International Airport’s internal stakeholders.

“From initial consultation to final delivery, the sales and technical support teams played a critical role in ensuring the success of the project,” added Muller. “The seamless coordination ensured the process remained on time and within budget.”

For more information about Oshkosh Airport Products and the new Striker ARFF vehicles at Bradley International Airport, visit www.oshkoshairport.com.

About Oshkosh Airport Products

Oshkosh Airport Products, a division of Pierce Manufacturing Inc.