PRESS RELEASE

BISMARCK, N.D. – The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) announced an award of $11,600,000 to Grand Sky in Grand Forks to enhance emergency response capabilities and improve safety for its growing community by building a new fire station. The new facility will serve as the primary fire response unit for Grand Sky, in addition to the southern portion of Grand Forks Air Force Base (GFAFB).

This award, provided under the Defense Community Infrastructure Program, will ensure GFAFB’s ability to respond adequately and swiftly to emergencies, protect valuable assets, maintain missions, and safeguard the health and well-being of personnel. The groundbreaking of the fire station will commence once all environmental requirements have been met.

U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), issued the following statement regarding the announcement:

“The partnership between Grand Sky and Grand Forks Air Force Base is essential to our state’s defense ecosystem, and with rapid growth comes infrastructure challenges,” said Cramer. “The completion of this fire station will protect our airmen and Grand Sky by improving resiliency and response time. Meeting these infrastructure needs will ensure safety, while supporting the partnership’s potential.”  

Cramer has used his seat on SASC to support military installations and defense ecosystem partnerships in North Dakota. In August, Cramer flipped the switch to bring the Space Development Agency (SDA) Operations Center North online at GFAFB, participated in a Grand Forks Base Retention Committee meeting, toured the University of North Dakota (UND) National Security Corridor, and announced new Navy personnel at GFAFB. Cramer also joined E-Space CEO Greg Wyler in meeting with UND faculty and SDA staff to discuss workforce development and initiatives, and announced educational initiatives between SDA and UND.

Grand Forks Air Force Base

GRAND FORKS AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. — The DOD Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation has has awarded Grand Sky a federal grant of $11 million through the Defense Community Infrastructure Program.

The Defense Community Infrastructure Program addresses deficiencies in community infrastructure supportive of military installations. It aims to enhance military value, cadet training at educational institutions, installation resilience, and military family quality of life.

The grant money will be used to enhance emergency response capabilities and improve safety for the growing community at Grand Sky by building a new fire station.

“Grand Sky needs fire response,” said Thomas Ford, Grand Forks County administrator. “We appreciate our relationship with the city’s fire teams, but a 20-minute response time presents several risks.”

Should they occur, the fire response team at Grand Forks AFB can handle runway fires from crashes or similar emergencies but cannot respond to structural fires due to leased perimeter restrictions.

Planning for the new fire station has been nearly a decade in the making. Grand Sky previously lacked the resources needed to address the absence of nearby fire response.

“It’s been a long time coming, and a lot of people have contributed,” Ford said. “These types of grants are highly competitive, and this is the first one the city of Grand Forks has received, so we’re glad to make good use of it.”

This year saw the highest number of applicants for the program, with about 160 signing up for the federal grant fund, which had $100 million available.

“It’s a big part of helping build resilience and support for our military installations,” said Gracie Lian project coordinator. “Communities the size of Grand Forks don’t always have the resources to spend on large-scale renovations, making grants like this invaluable.”

The new

R. Christian Smith
Chicago Tribune
(TNS)

The Aurora Fire Department unveiled its newest fire truck on Thursday, which officials said is the first to be added to the fleet in over 25 years.

While the Aurora Fire Department has replaced vehicles in that timeframe, Truck 14 represents the first addition of a “water apparatus” to the city’s fleet since 1998, Fire Chief David McCabe announced at a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Thursday. He said the new Truck 14 will serve an area of the city that has never had a dedicated fire truck before.

Currently, the department’s downtown-stationed Truck 2 serves an area that goes all the way up Farnsworth Avenue to the Batavia city limits, McCabe said after the ceremony.

“We need to grow with the city, especially in that area,” he told The Beacon-News. “There’s a lot of large growth up there — the casino, the outlet mall, other plans they have coming — we need to make sure those areas and those people are protected.”

“Currently Truck 2, which is stationed here in downtown, their territory goes all the way up Farnsworth (Avenue) to the Batavia city limits,” McCabe said after the ceremony. “We’ve needed to grow out in that area.”

The truck will eventually be housed at Station 13 when it opens next year, but until then will be located at Station 9, he said during the ceremony. Station 13 will be located at the intersection of Bilter Road and Nan Street, which is north of Interstate 88.

According to McCabe’s speech at the ceremony, the Aurora Fire Department has seen a steady increase in calls since the last time a truck was added to the fleet. In fact, calls have almost doubled since 1998, he said.

Assistant Fire Chief Matt Anslow said during the ceremony that the new fire truck will have enhanced scene lighting, making things safer at incidents for firefighters and making the truck more visible. This will be particularly important when the truck responds to calls along I-88, he said.

Advancements in ergonomics were also implemented into the truck’s design, helping to reduce injuries for firefighters carrying equipment weighing upwards of 80 pounds, Anslow said.

The truck was designed with help from Fire Service, Inc. and was built by E-ONE, he said.

The difference between a fire truck and a fire engine is that a fire truck focuses on rescues at fires and ve

PRESS RELEASE

DEARBORN, Michigan — For the 10th straight year, the Dearborn Fire Department has been awarded a highly competitive grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) totaling nearly $878,000. The Assistance to Firefighters Grant will fund new equipment and training for the Dearborn Fire Department and provide additional essential resources, including physical training and counseling, as well as new equipment for department personnel and public safety.

The Dearborn Fire Department competed against thousands of fire departments nationwide for the Assistance to Firefighters Grant. In Dearborn, the award funds will be utilized to purchase equipment to properly clean and care for personal protection equipment (PPE), purchase new federally compliant portable radios, and fund specialized training for mass casualty events for fire department personnel. Additional funds will go toward firefighter survival and self-rescue courses, technical rescue training, physical fitness assessments and counseling, and endurance training tailored for firefighters.

Mayor Abdullah H. Hammoud stated, “The City of Dearborn is served by a brave and highly effective Fire Department. I am proud to recognize Chief Murray and the entire department for receiving this highly competitive federal grant from FEMA. This vital funding ensures our firefighters have the resources they need to protect the community while keeping themselves and each other safe.” 

Dearborn Fire Chief Joseph Murray added, “This much-needed federal grant will allow us to purchase vital equipment and provide essential training for the safety of our firefighters and those they serve. We are grateful to receive this funding for the tenth consecutive year, and for the help it will provide to our team and community.”

Under the leadership of Fire Chief Murray, the Dearborn Fire Department has applied for and received over $30 million in federal, state, and local grants. These grants have allowed Dearborn Fire to continue to provide best-in-class services.

About the federal Assistance to Firefighters Grant

The FEMA Assistance to Firefighters Grant, established in 2001, assists firefighters and other first responders obtain critically needed resources necessary for protecting the public and emergency personnel from fire and related hazards.

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Ceoli Jacoby
The Frederick News-Post, Md.
(TNS)

The Frederick County Council on Tuesday voted to raise ambulance transport fees by 12% in an effort to offset the increased costs of medical services since rates were last adjusted in 2008.

Under the current fee schedule, the flat rate for one ambulance ride with basic life support is $420. The flat rate for lower-level advanced life support is $600, while the flat rate for higher-level advanced life support is $700.

The current fee schedule also includes a per-mile transport fee of $10.

Under the new fee schedule, which will take effect on Jan. 1, 2025, the flat rate for basic life support will increase to $470. The flat rate for lower-level advanced life support will be $672 and the flat rate for higher-level advanced life support will be $784.

The per-mile transport fee will also increase to $11 per mile.

Tom Coe, the director of the county’s Division of Fire and Rescue Services, told the council during a Sept. 3 meeting that the county uses a “soft billing” approach when collecting ambulance transport fees.

That approach entails trying to recoup the cost of a hospital trip from the insurance company of the patient who was transported, rather than from the patient themselves.

“We do send a notice if something is not covered by the insurance company to the patient, but if nothing is paid, the request for repayment stops there,” Coe said on Sept. 3. “It goes no farther, thus the soft portion of soft billing.”

The council on Tuesday voted 5-1 to adopt the new fee schedule, with Councilmembers Brad Young, Kavonté Duckett, Renee Knapp, Jerry Donald and M.C. Keegan-Ayer in the majority.

Councilmember Mason Carter was opposed to the new fee schedule. Councilmember Steve McKay was absent.

In an interview after the council meeting, Carter said he voted against the measure because it “speaks to a trend we’re seeing in Frederick County of raising every tax and fee we have.”

According to a staff report submitted along with the measure, the new ambulance transport fee schedule is expected to generate an additional $760,000 in gross revenue annually for Frederick County.

Coe has said the fee schedule update is necessary because rates have stayed stagnant for years while the level of care provided on ambulances, the cost of equipment and the volume of calls for service have all increased.

Even the new fees will not fully offset the cost to the county for ambulance transport — the average total cost per trip to the hospital is about $1,700, according to the staff report.

During the Sept. 3 meeting, Coe told the council that revenues from the fee are split between county- and volunteer-operated fire stations based on the percentage of transports they perform.

Coe said the revenues brought in by county-operated fire stations go toward the county’s general fund.

The revenues brought in by volunteer-operated stations are earmarked to cover expenses such as EMS vehicles, medical equipment and training at those particular stations, he said.

“It has been since 2008 since we’ve evaluated this, and our service has evolved very much,” Coe said. “This is just to try to continue to offset the burden to the taxpayer.”

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Jake Goodrick
The Sacramento Bee
(TNS)

Voters in Yuba City will decide at the ballot box in November whether to add an additional 1% sales tax within city limits to address the city’s budget crunch, funding overdue road repairs and public safety expansion.

Although many in the community recognize the need to address damaged roads before their condition worsens, area voters shot down a similar tax two years ago.

The upcoming vote on Measure D follows an unsuccessful bid last election cycle by Sutter County officials, who pushed for a county-wide penny tax that failed by a narrow margin.

The proposed tax is expected to raise about $17.5 million annually, which would primarily go toward dealing with years of underfunded maintenance on city roads as well as investments in law enforcement, addressing homelessness and funding upgrades for the fire department.

City and county officials have reached an unorthodox deal to share the 1% revenue if the vote passes. Under their agreement, the city would claim two thirds of the expected income and the county would take the remaining third, with the purpose of funding projects and services that benefit both the city and county.

“Our understanding is this is extremely unusual for a city to propose to share revenue proceeds with the county,” said Diana Langley, city manager for Yuba City.

With a current sales tax of 7.25%, Yuba City is one of eight California cities at that state-minimum threshold, according to city officials. The extra penny would bring the city on par with neighboring Marysville and Yuba County, which each carry an 8.25% sales tax.

If the vote passes, Sutter County’s 7.25% rate would still apply to in-county transactions made outside the city.

Currently, Yuba City peels 1% from sales tax collections, with 4% going toward the state general fund and most of the remaining 2.25% to the county. Sales tax, along with property tax, is a major contributor to the city’s budget, which officials said has been hit, like consumers’ budgets, by inflation.

Yuba City Council members endorsed the new sales tax at their regular meeting this week, a show of support for the measure they previously voted to put on ballots. A similar 1-cent sales tax pitched by Sutter County officials failed narrowly during the November 2022 election, with more than 48% of voters in favor, shy of the majority needed.

How the tax works

Splitting the sales tax, based on current projections, would leave the city with about $11.7 million and the county with shy of $5.8 million each year. Any collections above the estimated $17.5 million would be split 50-50, with half going to the city and the other half into a joint project fund shared with the county, according to an agreement council members approved earlier this month.

“The funds are to go toward things that benefit Yuba City residents, which are also Sutter County residents,” Langley said.

In future ye