The Shreveport (LA) Fire Department says the microchip and supply chain shortage is affecting their ability to take delivery of staff vehicles and repair apparatus, reports ksla.com.

Related: Supply Problems Causing Issues in Ambulance Replacements

Officials say the department ordered vehicles at the beginning of 2021, but they didn’t arrive until December, which, of course, made things hectic.

Delayed parts has been another challenge, as officials say some trucks have a 90- to 120-day lead time on parts. However, the shortage is not expected to impact department response time, according to the report.

On the heels of a few accidents over the last year, the Denton (TX) Fire Department has implemented $170,000 Blocker 3, a highway blocker truck which is housed at Station 3.

That 46-foot truck, which will be used at any call on a roadway with at least a 60mph limit, aims to protect crews as well as the other vehicle, as it aims to reduce impact, officials say.

Related Articles:
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Firefighter Injured and Two Denton (TX) Fire Apparatus Damaged in Accident with Semi

The Peterbilt-designed Blocker 3 “is tested to withstand a 61,000-pound impact, has multiple on-board cameras, and has a programmable message board with radar display. Please, slow down and move over!” the department writes on Facebook.

Officials add that it will be used for police responses, too.

Pasco Fire officials say the damage is extensive at the facility and will get costly. Smoke was seen boiling up into the darkening sky, and upon arrival units from Pasco found one unit completely engulfed. Fire units from Kennewick and Richland joined in the efforts, and Ben Franklin Transit brought in a bus to help firefighters shift in and out to get warm.
- PUB DATE: 1/7/2022 3:44:16 PM - SOURCE: KFLD-AM 870 Pasco

Firefighter Cody Kahl’s next court date is January 13, reports wbrz.com. The 24-year-old was arrested after his fire engine fatally struck two vehicles in June on a highway in Livingston Parish (LA), FA reported at the time.

Kahl tested positive for THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, after the crash which left 85-year-old Gail Rippel dead. He was charged with vehicular homicide and reckless operation, the report says.

Earlier: Car Collides Head-On with Livingston Parish (LA) Fire Apparatus

The Denham Springs resident was heading south on Pete’s Highway Sunday morning when an apparatus from Fire Protection District No. 5 in the northbound lane crashed into the rear of a trailer. The two vehicles crossed the centerline, colliding with Rippel’s car.

Officials say that the apparatus was driving the speed limit at the time of the crash. They add that the driver of a fourth car tried to make a left turn into the northbound lane of the highway in front of a vehicle towing a trailer, which sandwiched the trailer-towing vehicle between the engine and the turning car, FA reported.

Los Angeles (CA) and Rancho Cucamonga will get the first electric fire trucks—costing $900,000 apiece, bare bones—in all of North America, with the former intending to put its in Hollywood this year and Rancho Cucamonga opting for a station set to open in late 2023, reports pe.com.

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Dubbed the future of firefighting by department officials, the apparatus will be produced by Rosenbauer and the first apparatus to incorporate an all-electric drivetrain, the report says. However, both will come with a small diesel engine, in case of emergency.

There are only three such fire trucks, Revolutionary Technology, in the world: One’s in Berlin, another is in Amsterdam, and Dubai houses the third, according to the report.

With the desired equipment, the trucks will be just under $1.3 million each.