Jack Lindner
Marietta Daily Journal, Ga.
(TNS)
MARIETTA — It was the beginning of a new era Tuesday for the Cobb County Fire and Emergency Services with the opening of their newly renovated $23 million training complex.
Trainees now have access to three new buildings to conduct training in addition to a renovated main academy building.
Firefighters will conduct real-world training exercises in the facility’s two-story burn building, as well as their 6-story smoke tower. The third building hosts fire simulation training facilities and classrooms, according to Fire Chief Michael Cunningham.
Each new facility is located at the department’s training complex, located at 2109 Valor Drive, in Marietta, just off County Services Parkway.
The department celebrated the “momentous occasion,” as Cunningham put it, with an open house Tuesday, complete with a cook-out lunch with hamburgers and hot dogs.
“These improvements are more than just bricks and steel and concrete,” Cunningham said. “They represent our continued commitment to excellence and training and preparedness in public safety. With these enhancements, we are now equipped to provide more realistic, rigorous and modern training environments for our firefighters.”
The project has been years in the making, according to Steve Lester, Cobb Fire’s division chief of training.
Originally, the complex was the training grounds for both the Cobb Police and Fire departments, before the police department moved off the property to open their own training facility in 2020.
After the police’s departure, county officials began an immediate renovation project proposal to update and expand the aging training complex, Lester said.
Phase 1 of the project, completed in 2022, saw updates and renovations to the main academy building. The $5 million project was funded through the 2016 SPLOST budget, according to Lester.
The 2022 SPLOST provided an additional $18 million in funding to complete Phase 2 of the project, which included constructing the burn building, smoke tower and additional classroom building.
“The buildings you see before you on these training grounds are the result of two years of planning and hard work,” Lester said.
According to Lester, Phase 3 of the project will construct a multi-purpose building to replace the Cobb County Police firing range. Construction is set to begin after the police department’s new range is completed in November. The cost of Phase 3 is included in the $18 million budget that funded Phase 2, according to the county.
The Cobb Board of Commissioners joined the hundreds of Cobb Fire officials, trainees and family members at the facility’s grand opening.
Chairwoman Lisa Cupid told the crowd she was impressed with the final product, saying the renovations are a “long time coming.”
“The amount of work is truly amazing,” Cupid said. “We could not do this without the support of our citizens … Without (the SPLOST) program, this upgrade to this facility and future upgrades would not be possible, so we thank you for participating in this group project of keeping Cobb County safe.”
During his own speech, Cunningham took a moment to thank Cobb residents for their investment in public safety.
Posted: May 7, 2025
The advanced mobile command solutions, delivered through Atlantic Emergency Solutions, enhance emergency response, intelligence gathering, and crisis negotiation capabilities.
APPLETON, Wis. (May 7, 2025) – Frontline Communications, a division of Pierce Manufacturing, Inc., an Oshkosh Corporation (NYSE:OSK) business, announced the Harford County Sheriff’s Office and the Harford County Department of Emergency Services in Bel Air, Maryland, have taken delivery of a new Frontline™ Communications C-45X-4 Mobile Command Center and a Crisis Negotiation Vehicle. These advanced vehicles, delivered through Frontline Communications dealer Atlantic Emergency Solutions, mark a significant upgrade to both agencies’ operational capabilities, providing state-of-the-art platforms for emergency response, law enforcement coordination, and community engagement.
The mobile command center serves as a shared resource for emergency services across Harford County. Designed for barricaded incidents, critical missing persons cases, and large-scale community events, the command center provides a centralized hub for real-time intelligence and decision-making.
Built on a Freightliner M2-112 chassis and powered by a 25kW generator, the 44’ 7” mobile command vehicle features four slide-out sections, seven dedicated workstations, and a full conference room in the front. The communications area is equipped to support all deployed resources, providing clear communication and coordination during live operations. Integrated technology includes live drone feeds and body camera footage streaming directly into the command center, enabling commanders to assess situations as they unfold.
“We’ve taken a 100 percent leap forward in technology with this new mobile command center,” said Lieutenant Craig Blessing of the Harford County Sheriff’s Office. “Upgrading from our previous system to LEO Satellite and Dejero Gateway LTE connectivity has transformed our ability to operate in areas where we previously had no internet access. This vehicle allows us to gather intelligence efficiently, share real-time updates, and enhance situational awareness across multiple specialized teams.”
Crisis Negotiation Vehicle Expands Tactical Capabilities
In addition to the mobile command vehicle, Harford County has taken delivery of a Frontline Communications Sprinter C-20 Crisis Negotiation Vehicle. This specialized unit supports crisis negotiation teams by providing a dedicated environment for negotiators, mental health professionals, and intelligence officers to collaborate effectively.
The vehicle features two dedicated workstations, an interview room, and an officer workstation. Its technology package includes a Dejero 3 Modem Gateway with integrated Starlink, ensuring seamless communication in critical situations. By separating intelligence gathering from direct negotiations, the unit enhances real-time information sharing between the negotiator and their support team, improving response efficiency in high-risk situations.
Advanced Technology and Customization
Both vehicles are equipped with industry-leading communications and intelligence tools, including:
- Kymeta flat panel satellite antenna and Cradlepoint 5G FirstNet-ready cellular router for uninterrupted connectivity.
- Extron 32×32 video switcher, public address system, and multiple high-resolution displays for real-time coordination.
- WTI Viper HD IP mast camera with 30x zoom, body camera and drone feed integration, and an Axis perimeter camera system for enhanced situational awareness.<
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Posted: May 7, 2025
Daufuskie Island, located between Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, and Savannah, Georgia, is 5-miles-long by 2½-miles-wide with more than 3 miles of beachfront. The island, accessible only by ferry or barge, has a permanent population of fewer than 1,000 residents but is a popular tourist destination for its resorts and environmental preserves.
Daufuskie Island Fire District provides fire suppression, rescue, and emergency medical services (EMS) to the island from a single station staffed by 12 full-time paid firefighters, a chief, an administrator, and five volunteer firefighters, says Chief Shane Comparetto. “We are a very diverse community that gets a good number of tourist visitors every year,” Comparetto observes. “As for our coverage area, half of it has hydrants in the planned developments and our historic district, while the rest of the island has no hydrants.”
Each Daufuskie Island pumper has a Hale DSD 1,500-gpm pump and a UPF Poly 1,500-gallon water tank.
Comparetto says the fire district’s new five-year plan called for replacing a 1996 pumper, a 2000 pumper, and a 1987 tanker, with two new pumpers. “We didn’t want to go with a custom cab and chassis because we didn’t have the staff for them,” he notes. “We needed smaller rigs that could carry big water tanks, and had to be sure that they had the right pump size and enough water for us to maintain our Insurance Services Office (ISO) 3 rating.”
When one of Daufuskie’s older pumpers failed its annual pump test, Comparetto says, “it became a kind of emergency purchase for us. That’s when we found two demo pumpers at US Fire Apparatus.”
The department carries extrication equipment in the rig’s rear compartment, which also has been pre-plumbed for adding a dump valve at a later date. (Photos 3-6 courtesy of Daufuskie Island Fire District)
Brad Williamson, technical sales director for US Fire Apparatus, says Daufuskie wanted smaller, more maneuverable apparatus that would be able to get into the tight areas on the island. “We had built two stock units on Kenworth T480SA two-door cabs and chassis that Daufuskie purchased,” Williamson says. He adds that the overall length on each pumper is 27 feet 11 inches, overall height is 9 feet 8 inches, and wheelbase is 202 inches. They have marine grade aluminum bodies with 6061 extrusions and 3/16-inch aluminum in the floors and sidewalls, a Hale DSD 1,500-gal
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Posted: May 7, 2025
Joey Oliver
mlive.com
(TNS)
BAY CITY, MI – One of Bay City’s commissioners wants to apply a target timeline and deadline for a previously-approved resolution to obtain bids and potential funding sources for roof and interior repairs at the currently defunct Fire Station 5.
Bay City’s 8th Ward Commissioner Joseph Charlebois proposed the resolution, which builds upon the March 3 resolution that required city manager Dana Muscott to obtain bids and potential funding sources for repairs at Fire Station 5.
Charlebois’ resolution, which appears on the Monday, May 5, agenda, aims to direct Muscott to establish a timeline that would provide commissioners access to the completed bids no later than Aug. 15.
It also directs Muscott to provide a report to the commission to include further updates and progress reports on the process.
Read more: Here’s what Bay City officials say it would take to reopen Fire Station 5
Officials previously said it would cost more than $386,000 in renovation and repairs to reopen Fire Station 5 in Bay City’s Banks District, and the price of adding personnel to staff the station would cost the city more than twice that number.
Bay City Department of Public Safety Director Caleb Rowell previously told city commissioners it would cost the city a projected $386,318 for high- and medium-priority repairs on Fire Station 5, 1299 Smith St., and adding the personnel to reopen the fire station would cost the city approximately $1.6 million the first year. That cost would increase to about $2 million by year three.
Related: Plagued by black mold and pungent odor, Bay City fire station’s future is uncertain
Fire Station 5, built in 1965, closed on July 15, leaving the city with two fire stations on the east side of the river and one on the city’s West Side.
The closure was due, in part, to the poor conditions the building is in, officials said previously. It also comes down to money.
Prioritizing maintenance projects means some get done while others cannot. Other fire stations in the city have their own infrastructure issues, and one of them has problems with PFAS contamination.
Call volume was also taken into consideration when deciding which fixes to make. Station 5, officials previously said, has always had the lowest call volume among the city’s fire facilities.
Rowell said roof repairs, asbestos abatement, mold and mildew removal and plumbing are among high priorities required to make Fire Station 5 operational again. Medium-level concerns include concrete repairs and carpet removal.
A vote is expected on Charlebois’ resolution Monday evening. The meeting will be livestreamed here. The agenda is available here.
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