Dean Ferguson
Moscow-Pullman Daily News, Moscow, Idaho
(TNS)

Nov. 27—LENORE — Volunteer firefighters are kicking around the idea of starting a new rural fire district to cover an area north of the Clearwater River from east of Arrow Junction to just west of Lenore.

The notion was inspiration born of a touch of desperation.

This winter, from Dec. 1 to March 1, fire coverage will diminish as two of three fire engines have to be moved out of a county-owned, insulated pole-building that the Big Canyon Fire District (BCFD) leases and shares with Nez Perce County Road and Bridge Department in Lenore.

After a September meeting between three Nez Perce County commissioners and BCFD leaders, the county followed up with an Oct. 16 email telling BCFD to vacate half of the structure. The road department said it needs the space to store a de-icer truck and de-icing chemicals.

“That’s our only option for a shop because of the restrictions on Lenore Bridge,” said NPC Road Director Roy Hill.

Until now, the fire district used the whole building despite an agreement with the county that entitled them to half, Hill said. But in 2023, the Idaho Transportation Department reduced the truck weights allowed on the steel, wood and concrete Lenore Bridge, which was built in 1935. Now that the Sunnyside Bench Road is paved from Orofino to Lenore, the county needs the too-heavy deicer truck parked on the north side of the river. Hill said bags of deicer need to be stored inside or they absorb moisture and become unusable bricks.

BCFD fire leaders have a similar problem: fire engines need to be parked inside. Unfortunately, the volunteers were unable to find alternative space, said BCFD Fire Chief Randy Maas.

So, BCFD is moving two fire trucks out and leaving only one. The Sunnyside Volunteer Fire District will help pick up the slack in coverage over the winter.

In the meantime, Craig Selby, a BCFD volunteer firefighter since 2023, decided it may be time to look into starting a new fire district.

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Some people may not be able to get insurance without a fire district, he said. And, a homeowner who helps pay for a fire district may see significant savings with reduced home insurance costs.

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Selby, Maas, and BCFD Commissioner Bruce Lang were all at an informational meeting held Nov. 11 at the Lenore Community Center where they discussed the new fire district idea. Early discussions with community members have been met with general support and resul

Danielle James
mlive.com
(TNS)

BYRON TOWNSHIP, MI – After nearly two years of planning and construction, Byron Township has opened its $2.4 million fire station, the area’s second station built to address a growing population.

Since its opening Sept. 22, the addition of the 6675 Clay Ave. SW station has shortened response times, according to Byron Township Fire Chief Bryan Looman.

“When there’s a fire in this area, you’re going to get two trucks right away,” he said. “We can use each other for vehicle accidents that are manpower intensive. We can use each other if this unit ends up going to the other side of our township and we get another call.”

Since the 1950s, Byron Township has relied on the Cutlerville Fire Department, which serviced both Byron and Gaines townships through an agreement where each jointly owned and operated the department.

Cutlerville is located in Byron and Gaines townships, with Division Avenue being the dividing line between the two. The Cutlerville fire station is located at 11 68th St. SW.

But in July 2023, Byron Township leaders voted to give a one-year notice that they would be leaving that agreement. Township leaders said the decision was prompted by population growth.

Byron Township, located in the southwest corner of Kent County, had a population of 26,927 as of the 2020 census, an increase of over 6,000 from the 2010 census.

Looman said at the time the township began to consider expanding, call volumes were only increasing. Last year the Cutlerville station was getting approximately 2,500 calls a year.

“There’s enough work here for both of us along that Division corridor,” said Looman, a township employee for over 10 years and fire chief for the last six.

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In 2023, it was determined that one township would take over and fully operate the Cutlerville station, while the other would build and staff its own fire station in Cutlerville.

Byron Township built the new station, housed on about 3.5 acres formerly owned by the state Department of Transportation. Looman said the township worked with the state to purchase the land.

The property was especially favorable because of its proximity to both M-6 and U.S. 131, two higher-traffic highways that he said the township frequently utilizes to get to calls.

The dividing line for services is now Division Avenue, with the new building covering a little over 35 miles of more

Nathan Clark
mlive.com
(TNS)

JACKSON, MI – Firefighters from Jackson and Summit Township have long supported each other during emergency calls.

Now they are one step closer to having a formal agreement to help the two departments meet their goal of maintaining public safety.

The Jackson City Council and the Summit Township Board of Trustees approved a resolution Nov. 19 supporting enhanced collaboration between the Jackson Fire Department and the Summit Township Fire Department.

The resolution allows the departments to collect data, evaluate performance, and develop a plan to better coordinate emergency response, improve firefighter readiness, and use resources more efficiently.

The two departments have been working towards a formal aid agreement that would benefit both jurisdictions.

“From here, we’ll be working strategically on a comprehensive plan to integrate staffing, administration, emergency response, and joint purchasing,” Jackson Fire Chief Tim Gonzales said. “The goal is to maximize efficiency, ensure long-term sustainability, and maintain strong fiscal responsibility for both communities.”

Over the past five years, the two departments have collaborated on initiatives that have benefited both communities operationally and financially.

These initiatives include shared training, improved response districts, and joint maintenance agreements.

Most recently, in 2024, the two fire departments have been testing response times based on proximity, responding to medical emergencies outside their township or city limits if the call is closer to where they are stationed.

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“At that time, we conducted a trial run on several collaborative projects strictly for data collection. Those pilots helped us assess operational impacts, and the results showed clear benefits for both departments,” Gonzales said.

A prior data collection showed the departments are not overwhelmed by responding to more emergencies, and each saved on fuel costs responding to areas closer to their stations, Gonzales said.

Want more Jackson-area news? Bookmark the local Jackson news page.

©2025 Advance Local Media LLC. Visit mlive.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

The post Jackson, Summit Township (MI) Fire Departments Move Toward Formal Aid Agreement appeared first on Fire Apparatus: Fire trucks, fire engines, emergency vehicles, and firefighting equipment.

John Hacker
The Joplin Globe, Mo.
(TNS)

WEBB CITY, Mo. — Chance Wills, a former Webb City fire lieutenant who died 10 years ago at age 43, left a lasting mark on fire departments throughout Jasper County, as both a firefighter and fire training officer.

A decade after his death, there are still a number of firefighters in Jasper County who benefitted from Wills’ commitment to making sure all firefighters had the training tools they needed, said Webb City Fire Battalion Chief Chris Burrows.

That’s why, on Tuesday, firefighters from departments across the county gathered at the Webb City Fire Station to dedicate the department’s new three-story training tower in honor of Wills.

“He was dedicated to the community, he was dedicated to this department, not only this department, but he volunteered for Carl Junction, Duenweg, he also worked for METS ambulance as an EMT,” Burrow said. “On the fire instructor side, he was involved with Missouri Southern’s fire academy and Crowder College’s fire academy, and then Carl Junction did an academy for a short period. He was totally dedicated to training for the fire service and that’s why this was so important to dedicate it to him because this was his thing.”

Wills’ widow, Amy Wills, and their two children, Ava and Landon, were on hand for the ribbon cutting Tuesday, with Amy Wills taking the giant scissors to make the cut.

The Webb City Fire Department made the decision last year to start its own fire training academy to help itself and other departments navigate a chronic shortage of trained firefighters to fill its ranks.

The first class of the Webb City Fire Training Academy completed its six-month training in July 2025 with four cadets training for the Webb City Fire Department, two training for the Carthage Fire Department and one training for Carl Junction.

The second class, slated to start in January 2026, is almost set with other departments sending new firefighters to Webb City for training.

Training starts with hazardous materials before moving into fighting fires.

“We start in January with Hazmat and they are fully tested and certified as firefighters by July,” Deputy Fire Chief Jeremy Denton said. “That’s skills training and taking state tests. We’ll start with hazmat ops and awareness, those go together. Then we move on to Fire 1 and Fire 2, so they’ll be fully certified by the state by the end of the training.”

Denton said the department bought five 40-foot-long shipping containers about 12 years ago and used them for training on the ground for several years.

He said the department found a good deal on the containers and the City Council provided the money to buy them, but it took several years to figure out how to use them.

“It was Chance’s idea …,” Denton said. “It was always in the back of our minds and we started building this along with the fire academy.”

The department stacked three containers on one side and firefighters worked to cut holes for staircases and windows.

“We have a simulated living room and kitchen downstairs,” Denton said. “We’ll have a sprinkler room in back to simulate sprinklers in a fire. Upstairs we have three rooms that we can change around, move furniture around and we can make one a bathroom. The third floor we can treat it like an attic space, and also have confined space training and entanglement props. We’ve got a deck on the second floor and the very top story and that’s where we can do rappelling and ladder work and high-angle rescue.”

Denton said the bright red tower is a versatile tool, allowing classes to simulate a variety of fire scenarios.

The rooms can be filled with sm

Editor’s note: This is a new series where we ask apparatus chauffeurs a number of questions about their job in a Question and Answer format. If you would like to participate in the Q&A or would like to nominate someone to be featured, please email Jonathan Miller, web editor at FireApparatus.com, with the person’s name and contact information to: Jonathan.Miller@clarionevents.com.

Meet firefighter Alessio Corrente, age 49, Truck Company 1 chauffeur with the Stamford (CT) Fire Department. Corrente has 32 years of service, four as a chauffeur. He started as a volunteer firefighter with the Belltown Fire Department in Stamford, Connecticut, in 1993. Six years later, he became a paid firefighter/relief driver. He was hired by the Stamford Fire Department in February 2006 and became the driver of Truck 1 in September 2021. Corrente operates a 2015 Seagrave 95-foot Aerialscope.

What were the circumstances that led you to becoming an apparatus operator? Is it something you always wanted to do?

The draw to becoming a driver started back to when I was a volunteer firefighter while watching and learning from the senior firefighters in the house and seeing their love and passion for the job.

As a firefighter, my main objective was to learn as much as I could on all the aspects of the job, from being a firefighter, learning each riding position’s duties, to becoming a relief driver on all the apparatus in the department. I felt these things were necessary to accomplish before I considered putting myself in the driver’s seat and making it my own. I have and still take educational classes that I am grateful for.  

I’ve always wanted to be assigned to Truck Company 1 and to eventually be the driver. That was my goal. That is the job that I love!

What was the most challenging part of the training process?

The most challenging part of the training, personally, was that English is my second language. Comprehending everything that the instructor was saying and teaching in a classroom was a challenge, but I tried to excel in the practical portion of it.

The way I look at it is: every time I report to shift and respond to calls is a challenge simply because you never know what the day and the calls will entail when the tones drop. With those calls comes apparatus placement and set up. It is my opinion that the only way you get better and more comfortable is by setting up the apparatus any chance you get. The more times you practice positioning and setting up, the easier it will be when it hits the fan.

How did you overcome that challenge?

The way I overcame the challenges when I was a young buck, regarding my English, was that I never stopped believing in myself. If I did not understand it, I would ask questions, and was not embarrassed for it to be to dumbed downed for me. If I did not do a task right, I would redo it and learn from it until I did it 100% correct.

The way I overcame positioning challenges is by thinking outside the box and learning from my mistakes. Anyone can read a book and learn from it. However, if you don’t get practical experience and take the time to practice placements and setups, then it will be harder to think outside the box and overcome those challenges when arriving on scene at calls. Always use both your head and hands.

Were there any surprises that occurred during training? Were there aspects of the job you didn’t expect?

There are always challenges in training, but I feel the more you train with your apparatus then the more comfortable you will become. I’ve found that if you screw up and learn from your mistakes then you will be fine the next go round.