The $534 million station being built on Barnett Street in Montego Bay, St. James, Jamaica, is on track for completion within the next two months, say officials, who add that upon completion the new digs will be the most modern in the Caribbean.

Despite construction delays due to the coronavirus, Minister of Local Government and Rural Development Hon. Desmond McKenzie says “the contractors have been able to keep the project within budget. So there is no overrun… and we will complete the project in a timely manner.”

The facility’s construction, which commenced in June 2019, is headed by JSIF under its Disaster Vulnerability Reduction Program. Once finished, the station will have dormitory facilities, adequate administrative facilities, and parking bays for trucks and other emergency vehicles.

“If we are asking the members of the Jamaica Fire Brigade (JFB) to put their lives on the line, at least what the Government can do is to provide the proper environment for them to work in,” McKenzie says, while noting that the Administration has spent close to $1.7 billion on new facilities for the JFB since 2016.

The South Burlington (VT) Fire Department ladder truck has a rusty frame and needs $152,000 in repairs to keep it in service.

According to a newspaper article published by Vermont Community Newspaper Group, the aerial failed its annual third-party inspection which failed last year.

While the apparatus has been out of service, an aerial from the nearby Burlington has responded to calls, the newspaper reported.

It is expected that repair work will begin in October or November and it will take about four months to be completed meaning the truck would be back in service in February, the paper reported.

VTCNG reported the truck’s main frame and the torque box need repairs to keep the truck in service. The alternative is to purchase a new truck years ahead of schedule. It is expected that the repairs will extend the life of the apparatus for five to seven years, the paper reported.

A new type of paint coating is expected to be applied to the new frame which is expected to reduce the effects of corrosion from the salt slurry applied to roads in Vermont for winter treatment, the paper reported.

A car crashed into a Station 34 at Clifton and Ludlow Avenues in Clifton (OH) this morning, reports local12.com.

One person was taken to UC Medical Center.

The driver of the vehicle says another car ran a red light, which caused the driver to swerve into the firehouse.

A 425-acre wildfire a few miles east of the town of Kittitas (WA) destroyed a home and some outbuildings over the weekend, reports ifiberone.com.

The fire started around 1 p.m. Sunday by Stardust Lane, with the cause still under investigation.

Crews managed to contain the blaze after several hours, but not before it did some damage. While fighting the fire, officials say two firefighters were injured—one was burned and the other was struck by a fire truck, both of whom sustained minor injuries.

In addition, the fire torched a house as well as some surrounding structures in the 2900 block of Clerf Road. Dozens of area homes were under evacuation alerts.

A growing population in Colorado Springs (CO) is pushing the need for four new fire stations and more firefighters, according to an article published in The Gazette.

According to the newspaper, the Colorado Springs Fire Department needs the stations over the next seven years and is expecting to break ground on a new facility in the coming months. It will be located next to the departments headquarters east of downtown.

The fire department will need new fees on developments to help cover the costs, the newspaper reported, adding that the city will need to increase the staff from about 525 employees to about 728 by 2026.

In 2007, the department responded to 45,102 emergency calls for help and this year, it’s on track to handle about 70,000 calls, the newspaper reported.

Stations are expected to be built in the northwest section of the city and, later, two additional stations will be built, including one east of the airport to serve new commercial development, the newspaper reported.