FORT DRUM, N.Y. (Feb. 7, 2022) – Fort Drum firefighters at Station 3 took ownership of a new fire engine that will increase their capabilities and the overall safety of Wheeler-Sack Army Airfield (WSAAF).

The 2021 Pierce Saber fire engine has a 600-gallon water tank, a 1,500-gallon-per-minute pump and six-person cab. Fort Drum Fire Chief Jason Brunet said that Engine 3 will be a critical apparatus for firefighters responding to structural fires in the WSAAF footprint, which includes the airfield, barracks, hangars and other facilities.

“This engine is the missing piece of the puzzle for us,” Brunet said. “It fills a huge void. We were running multiple apparatus on calls that we won’t have to do anymore. Now, all the firefighters can operate out of one piece of equipment.”

Since the fire engine arrived Jan. 31, the crew has washed the engine several times. At first, it was just to remove the film of oil that covered it during transport. After that, it was just a matter of pride.

“It’s always a morale-booster when we get new equipment,” said Fire Lt. Jeremy Bourquin. “It makes you feel more capable of doing your job, and you don’t have the worry of doing more with less. Honestly, we’ve been down an engine for so long and this really brings us back to standard.”

He said that they were able to make due with another apparatus in the interim, but it did not have quite the same capabilities as a standard fire engine. When the new engine was delivered on Jan. 31, it was a welcomed sight for the entire Fort Drum Fire and Emergency Services team.

“All three fire stations are now equipped with newer engines, and we still have a spare in case one goes down or in maintenance,” Bourquin said.

The last new fire engine was delivered to Fire Station 2 in March 2021.

Brunet said that he couldn’t be more appreciative of the efforts from the garrison command team in securing the new fire engine.

“We are incredibly grateful for their support,” he said. “This absolutely gets us where we need to be to operate efficiently right now.”

Residents and first responders in northwest Dallas (TX) want answers as to why Station 30 has remained closed since before the pandemic started, reports Fox4news.com.

The facility was shuttered in November 2019—which has impacted response times in the area—after foundation issues were deemed to be a safety issue, the report says.

Now, the inside has been vandalized, drug paraphernalia was found inside, and the outside is littered with trash and debris.

The Bella Vista (AR) Fire Department recently christened its new home, Station 3.

Located in the Highlands near Branchwood, Station 3 replaces its predecessor which was in service since 1986 and sits across the street.

A pair of construction projects received the green light at last week’s Hinesville (GA) city council meeting, with a new Hinesville fire station highlighting the duo, reports wtoc.com.

The station cleared its last obstacle, and its construction bid was granted to Lavender and Associates for a shade under $7.5 million, according to the report.

Ground is expected to be broken on the new facility in the coming months.

The other project is a new Southside Park, on which officials broke ground a couple of weeks ago, the report says.

The entire council meeting can be seen here:

A Tri-Township (IL) Fire Department apparatus en route to a call was hit by a Quincy driver Friday morning, reports whig.com.

Officials say the truck was responding to a call for mutual aid around 7:45 a.m. in Lincoln Hills after leaving a call at Titan International. Headed south on 30th Street with lights and sirens on, the apparatus was hit by Amy M. Carter’s 2015 Buick Enclave turning south off Broadway, the report says.

The 32-year-old said she didn’t hear or see the truck, though she was still issued a citation for failure to yield to an emergency vehicle.

The Enclave had to be towed from the scene, but the fire truck was drivable. Officials say some repairs are necessary to the apparatus’ front right bumper before it can get back into service.

No injuries were reported.