The Coal Township Rescue Squad's fire station was temporarily turned into a bakery as members continued a longtime tradition of making doughnuts for Fat Tuesday. "The amount of years I've been here and the last couple of years, this is the most I've seen us make," Kayla Hoffman said. The volunteer firefighters started cooking thousands of doughnuts at midnight and have been here all day.
- PUB DATE: 2/17/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WNEP-TV ABC 16 Scranton

A 29-year-old firefighter who worked for departments in Iredell and Rowan Counties died from COVID-19 last week. Now his family at home and in the fire service have a message they want the community to hear. They spoke very candidly about taking COVID seriously. They say their hope is that their experience will save another family from having to go through the pain they have endured for the last five weeks.
- PUB DATE: 2/17/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WBTV CBS 3 Charlotte

A two-alarm fire, which completely destroyed a SeaTac auto service business, was preceded by a thunderous explosion, according to witnesses. The fire began before noon Tuesday at Guru Auto Techs — which customizes Prius, according to its Facebook page — and caused towering flames to erupt from the building located in the 21200 block of International Boulevard.
- PUB DATE: 2/17/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KIRO-TV CBS 7 Seattle

Brunswick and a contractor areexpected to sign a $9.15 million agreement to begin construction of one of the largest fire stations in Maine, reports Mainebiz.

The Brunswick Town Council would be approving a 6,000-square-foot, seven-bay facility. If approved, construction could begin as early as next week.

A fire official said that a new, central fire station has been considered for about 40 years. The current station is 101-years-old. The new fire station would be triple the size of the current fire station.

In 2019, the town council rejected a proposal to replace the fire station at a cost of $15 million, despite widespread public support. Ultimately, the council voted to bond $13.5 million for the replacement.

The new fire station will have bunk rooms, kitchenettes, offices, meeting rooms, 60 parking spaces and a museum for Brunswick’s firefighting service, which was established in 1810. The town now projects costs to run slightly over $13 million.

Fire stations typically have a life of about 50 years, experts say, and many facilities were replaced in the 1960s and 1970s. That’s around the time many fire departments took on additional responsibilities, such as providing emergency medical services. The growth of suburbs also created new geographic demands for firefighters.

The post Brunswick (ME) Signs Contract for Fire Station appeared first on Fire Apparatus.

There Portland Fire Department is requesting in this year’s capital improvement budget to purchase a new ladder truck and two new engines, reports Portland Press Herald.

The fire department is requesting $2.7 million from the city’s $16.5 million capital improvement plan. Those three vehicles would help replace six of the department’s oldest pieces of equipment, which are all at least 20 years old. Two of the aging vehicles have failed inspection and have been taken off the road.

The department had hoped to purchase five new pieces of equipment, but because of other funding needs a city official recommended buying only three. The department is likely to request another ladder truck and engine in the 2023 capital improvement budget.

The post Portland (ME) Fire Department Requests Purchasing Three Fire Apparatus appeared first on Fire Apparatus.