Indianapolis EMS were dispatched to nearly 70 overdoses over the course of three days this weekend, a grim reminder of Indiana’s drug epidemic that has surged throughout the pandemic. According to officials, EMS paramedics and EMTs have administered the opioid reversing agent naloxone 255 times in the month of February.
- PUB DATE: 3/1/2022 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WXIN-TV FOX 59 Indianapolis

Firefighters are responding to a large commercial fire in Sunnyside. The fire was reported mid-afternoon Monday at the 1100 block of Midvale Road, the location of Nutrien. The company's property at the Port of Sunnyside is a dry and liquid fertilizer storage distribution facility. Midvale Road to Duffy Road was evacuated, and people were asked to avoid traveling on South First Street to give first responders room.
- PUB DATE: 3/1/2022 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Yakima Herald

Retired fire chief R.E. Dick West, who led efforts to merge and modernize fire departments across central Kitsap County in more than four decades of service, died Feb. 19. He was 77. West, the chairman of Central Kitsap Board of Fire Commissioners, suffered from some long-term health ailments and had to be hospitalized in recent months, board vice chairman Bob Muhleman said.
- PUB DATE: 3/1/2022 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Kitsap Sun - Metered Site

Seven fire agencies in South King County formed Wa Fire Careers in an effort to streamline and simplify the process of becoming a firefighter, making it more affordable, accessible and inclusive for all. Entry Level Firefighter registration is now open online for WAFireCareers partner agencies – Enumclaw Fire Department, King County Fire District #20, Puget Sound Fire, Renton Regional Fire Authority, South King Fire & Rescue, Tukwila Fire Department and Valley Regional Fire Authority.
- PUB DATE: 3/1/2022 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Kent Reporter

The Springfield (IL) Fire Department is getting a series of upgrades in the city’s budget, including $6 million for new apparatus, new stations, and new staff as part of the department’s station and apparatus initiatives, reports newschannel20.com.

“This is a gamechanger for providing services to our community. Thank you from the men and women of the Springfield Fire Department!” the department writes on Facebook.

Officials say the funding is coming at the right time, as 13 of the department’s vehicles are more than 15 years old, and eight are older than 20. A Center for Public Safety Management study suggests 15 as the maximum vehicle age.

The new trucks will cut the department’s average apparatus age in half. The ball is already rolling with regards to the department applying for new rigs, which boast an 18- to 22-month delivery time.

The report notes that the department is still waiting on a new engine and truck bought from last year’s budget, but supply-chain issues slowed production and an end-of-summer delivery is anticipated.

See the entire council meeting here: