Plans to construct a 3,500-square-foot second fire station have been put on hold after estimates came in $1 million higher than expected, reports Daily Journal.

The village had anticipated costs to be in the range of $1.7 million. The bid package coordinated by PSI Inc., the project’s construction manager, instead came in at $2,737,543.

Bids were difficult to gain as many contractors are busy due to the abundance of work associated with the governmental COVID relief stimulus funding.

The village still plans to redevelop an existing 4,200-square-foot building to accommodate fire service.

The Cowlitz 2 Fire & Rescue is holding an open house a year after the fire station opened, reports The Daily News.

The fire department posted to Facebook, “Completed in April of 2020, the Lexington Station is a beautiful and functional fire station. Now staffed 24/7, it houses Medic 25, Engine 25, Brush 25, Tender 25 and HazMat 25. At 11am there will be a small ceremony to officially open the station to the public. After that, there will be guided tours, children’s activities, and best of all, ice pops and popcorn!”

The City of Fort Worth and the Fort Worth Fire Department held a ground-breaking ceremony for a new fire station, reports NBCDFW.

The 10,000 square feet fire station will have three apparatus bays to allow for future growth. Construction is expected to take 12 months for the single-story prototype floor plan and will cost about $4.6 million.

Firefighters and the public had two events to celebrate this past weekend in New Braunfels, TX, according to a newspaper report published by the New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung.

A “topping out” ceremony was held on Friday, July 23 as the final roof beam was placed on the future Fire Station No. 7, a $7.6 million structure for living quarters, a kitchen, dayroom and gym and four apparatus, the newspaper reported.

Then on Saturday, the public was invited to Station 6 for a wet-down and push in ceremony for a new fire truck, the paper reported.

People again gathered on Saturday at Fire Station No. 6 for a traditional wet-down and push-in ceremony for the department’s newest fire apparatus.

The 2020 quint was built by Pierce and is equipped with a 107-foot aerial and a 1,500-gallon-per-minute pump, the paper reported, noting the apparatus was designated as Truck 7 and comes with a price tag of $1.4 million, with equipment.

Panasonic System Solutions Company of North America, Division of Panasonic Corporation of North America, announced availability of the new Panasonic TOUGHBOOK G2 product in the U.S. and Canada, which is a fully rugged 2-in-1 detachable tablet with optional keyboard that features an innovative modular design and user-removable expansion packs (xPAK’s). Built on the TOUGHBOOK brand’s legacy of durability and reliability, the TOUGHBOOK G2 is designed to address the evolving needs of today’s mobile workforce and help users tackle the toughest, mission-critical jobs and assignments.

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            “The TOUGHBOOK team continues to innovate and lead the rugged industry with a relentless focus on providing world-class hardware, software, professional services and turn-key solutions for our enterprise, mission-critical channel partners and customers,” said Craig Jackowski, Group Manager, Product Management at Panasonic. “The new TOUGHBOOK G2 delivers next level versatility for enterprise mobile computing, with vertical solution-based customization combined with enhanced technology features such as increased performance and storage capabilities, wireless enhancements and backwards compatibility, to make the TOUGHBOOK G2 a trusted tool for enterprise workers in the harshest working environments.”  

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            The 2-in-1 detachable design allows users to operate the device both in laptop and tablet modes, with the ability to seamlessly dock or mount the device on forklifts, emergency vehicles and desktops. The TOUGHBOOK G2 supports digital transformation across the enterprise, enabling seamless collaboration, and providing real-time visibility for inventory control, logistics management, field services, tactical operations and more.

            “As we celebrate the 25^th anniversary of the TOUGHBOOK brand this year, we continue to address the ever-changing needs of our valued customers through the development and deployment of innovative solutions,” added Jackowski.

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