A National Transportation Safety Board report released Thursday says a failure to properly disconnect and secure vehicle batteries led to the 2020 fire aboard vehicle carrier Höegh Xiamen in Blount Island. The June 4th fire resulted in $40 million worth of damages and sent nine Jacksonville firefighters to the hospital.
- PUB DATE: 12/17/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: First Coast News

The City of Seattle announced Thursday that it will expand a unique program that pairs firefighters with social workers. Mayor Jenny Durkan says it will play an important role in the fight against homelessness. Seattle Firefighter Roger Webber has decades of experience on a ladder truck but the Health One mobile unit he is assigned to is far from a typical fire engine.
- PUB DATE: 12/17/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KCPQ-TV FOX 13 Seattle

Just after 7 PM last night Cowlitz 2 Fire & Rescue (C2FR) responded to a reported vehicle into a house in the 1300 block of South Pacific AVE. Initial 911 callers reported the vehicle was occupied, smoking but too far into the house to describe vehicle or patient condition. Cowlitz 2 Fire & Rescue crews arrived within 4 minutes of dispatch to find an SUV completely buried into a garage with significant damage to the residence.
- PUB DATE: 12/17/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KBFF LIVE 95.5 FM Portland

A resolution was recently approved regarding the Rural Fire Truck Acquisition Assistance Program and the purchase of a new apparatus for the Nettleton (MS) Fire Department, reports djournal.com.

In September, the Monroe County Board of Supervisors approved a resolution to request a grant to purchase the truck for the department, and this resolution is the next step in the purchasing process, according to the report.

There’s no set date for the department to take delivery of the apparatus.

South Fulton (GA) city officials approved the fire department’s request to apply for a $1 million FEMA Assistance to Firefighters Grant to replace equipment and apparatus, reports mdjonline.com.

Officials say much of South Fulton Fire Rescue’s equipment was inherited in 2017, and some of it is decades old.

Items needing replacement are: extrication, hazardous material, and monitoring equipment; fire hoses; emergency medical equipment; thermal image cameras, ballistic vests; helmets; and fire investigation equipment, according to the report.

The department also seeks to buy seven support vehicles: three 2021 Ford Explorers and four Ford F-150s. And the final improvement is a request to finance a new Rosenbauer engine through the Georgia Municipal Association, the report says.

The department’s current fleet includes two 2002 engines and one 2006 engine, each of which suffers regular maintenance issues, the report says.