The Edwardsville (IL) Fire Department is seeking approval for a new $650,000 custom pumper, according to a report published by The Edwardsville Intelligencer.

The department made a pitch to the city’s public safety committee recently to purchase a Rosenbauer EXT custom pumper built on a Commander cab and chassis, the report said.

If approved, the new truck would be purchased using the Houston-Galveston Area Council program and payments would be split between the current fiscal year and next year’s fiscal year budget, according to the newspaper.

When delivered, the new pumper will replace a 2000 model year unit that is at the end of its service life, the paper reported, adding that the used apparatus still has some value that can be credited to the department.

Firefighters from Bowling Green (OH) recently performed a traditional push-in ceremony of a new $750,000 rescue pumper, according to a story published by the BG Independent News.

The new rescue pumper was designed by city firefighters to meet the needs of the Bowling Green Fire Department, the report said, noting that it was outfitted to meet virtually every conceivable need.

The 35-foot fire truck carries life support equipment, foam, extrication equipment and lifting equipment and has space for four bulletproof vests, according to the news report.

Until the economic downturn in 2008, the city had purchased a new apparatus every five years, but that stopped, according to the report which added the new apparatus will be around for about 25 years.

Two Houston (TX) fire trucks were hit by suspected drunk drivers in two separate crashes minutes apart early in the morning on Friday, Sept. 3, according to a report from KHOU11.

The report said the crashes happened minutes apart shortly before 4 am. One crash happened when a Houston fire truck was blocking lanes at a previous crash in the southbound lanes of I-45. The driver, allegedly intoxicated, was taken into custody after the crash, the television station reported.

In the other wreck, a woman, who also was allegedly intoxicated, slammed into a fire truck that was working at the scene of a car fire on Eastex Freeway at Crosstimbers, according to KHOU 11. That driver was also taken into custody for suspected driving while intoxicated.

The television station reported there were no serious injuries reported in either incident.

After witnessing a driver lose control of a car and crash into flames, a Eugene Springfield (OR) Fire crew rushed into action and used the Jaws of Life to extricate the driver early Thursday morning.

The driver suffered “serious injuries” in the accident, which happened on Cardinal Way near Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway—fortunately near Sacred Heart Medical Center at RiverBend and other medical offices.

Police officials say the car, a Chevrolet S10 pickup, hit the median, which caused the driver to lose control and strike a tree, igniting the fire.

Firefighters—already on scene—saved the driver from the wreckage with the Jaws of Life, and dispatch logs show the crash was reported as a vehicle fire at 2:11 a.m.

The victim was later transported via air ambulance from RiverBend to a burn unit in Portland. The driver’s identity and the cause of the crash are not yet known.

Police officials notified the Major Accident Investigation Team to begin the investigation, which leads to a belief that alcohol was a contributing factor in the crash.

A motorist was killed in a collision with a fire truck in Akron, OH, according to a report from Cleveland 19.

According to the television station the Akron Fire Department apparatus was returning from a call for service at about 10:30 pm Thursday night (Sept. 2) when it appears a vehicle crossed the center line and collided with the side of a fire truck.

The driver, who was not identified was killed and a child of unknown age was injured and transported to a local hospital for treatment, according to Cleveland 19.

The crash occurred in the 260 block of East North Street, according to the report.