According to a report from The Wickenburg Sun, the next fiscal year should bring the start of construction on the Wickenburg (AZ) Fire Department’s new northern station. However, Town Manager Vince Lorefice said there’s still plenty to do to make it happen.

The new station could be in operation within the next two years.

The town is still attempting to acquire the future site property from Wickenburg Ranch developer Van Tuyl Companies. Contracts for the design, engineering, and construction will follow.

Plans call for the station to be fully staffed with an engine company and new apparatus and equipment, allowing coverage and reducing response times for the northern division and U.S. 93.

The original plans had the station costing more than $4 million, but the town’s staff has worked to reduce the cost to $3 million, sharing the cost with Van Tuyl Companies and the Rural Fire District.

Once completed, the town’s northern and southern fire stations will serve as each other’s backup on service calls.

The post Wickenburg (AZ) Continues Work on New Fire Station appeared first on Fire Apparatus.

Engine 4 with the Orange Beach, AL, was added to the Orange Beach Fire Department fleet after a dedication and push-in ceremony earlier this month, according to a report published by GulfcoastNewsToday.com.

The new engine will be stationed on Ono Island outside of the Orange Beach Fire Department service area, according to the report published on the internet. As part of an agreement between island and city officials, the city purchased the new engine and equipment for about $550,000 and the island residents will repay the investment over 10 years.

The post Orange Beach (AL) Adds New Engine to Fleet appeared first on Fire Apparatus.

According to a report from WVLT, the Cosby (TN) Volunteer Fire Department (CVFD) in Cocke County took in its first new fire truck in 35 years through a $280,000 Federal Emergency Management Agency grant.

The CVFD responds to an average of 320 calls a year, helping extinguish structure, brush, and car fires as well as tending to motor vehicle accidents.

The CVFD has typically received “hand-me down” equipment or were forced to reconfigure an old school bus into a fire truck, which CVFD Fire Chief Michael Shelton said was “designed to haul kids to school, not 1,500 gallons of water.”

CVFD member Paul Bryant said that the department began in 1986 with a 1955 Ford engine that they purchased from Happy Valley.

The post FEMA Grant Gives Cosby (TN) Volunteer Fire Department First New Truck in 35 years appeared first on Fire Apparatus.

By Bill Adkins

Shuttling water is a right of passage when fighting fire in rural communities. When hydrants are not available, we must use tankers/tenders to shuttle the water from either a hydrant miles away or find a nearby static water source. To effectively shuttle water from either choice you need to have the proper equipment ready for the task.

Not all departments have in their budget to build a top-of-the-line type of tanker. Depending on the departments current resources, sometimes all that is needed is a chassis and a tank. Either way, you will not want to simply tell a manufacture to sell you a tanker that fits their needs. It is time to tell the manufacture to sell you a tanker that will work best for your needs.

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Taking a closer look of functions a shuttling tanker will do. 1) Dumping its water into a dump tank. 2) Receiving water from a hydrant or from a fill site apparatus and 3) Possibly driving or backing down narrow roadways and driveways.

Dumping Water

Tankers should be able to dump water on three sides of the apparatus (usually rear and both sides). You will see some tankers have electronic or pneumatic controlled dumps that can easily be dumped from the cab of the truck. This makes for the ability to dump from multiple sides into multiple tanks at the same time. I would recommend getting the largest dump valve you can afford. Another option is to get multiple dumps on each side. This allows you to dump at a quicker rate. Again the goal here is to dump as quickly as you can so you can return to the fill site.

If you are building a tanker on a budget, ordering electronic or pneumatic dumps may not be an option for you, however you are still able to order a dump that allows you to dump on all sides. One option is the Newton swivel dump. This is one of the most cost-effective options currently in the industry today.

Receiving Water

Setting your tanker to receive water depends on what supply line you and your mutual aid departments use. Take the time to think of your neighboring departments when ordering your fittings. Even if you normally use LDH doesn’t mean you will always use LDH on every water shuttle. Depending on your personnel LDH, even though it flows more water, may not be the most practical. For example, in rural areas we do not always have the option to have all our members that are young, strong, and physically fit. It may be more practical for your shuttle tanker to have multiple 2 ½- or 3- inch inlets ins

VIDEO: About 150 firefighters worked feverishly to put out a massive fire at a waste management facility in the Brighton Park neighborhood Tuesday. The wind-blown fire started around 4 p.m. in a prairie near the railway about a block away from Waste Management of Illinois, Inc.'s recycling facility near 48th Place and Christiana Avenue, according to a statement from the company.
- PUB DATE: 3/31/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WLS-TV ABC 7 Chicago