Chris Mc Loone and FAMA Vice President Jason Witmier discuss a new fire service education event designed to help fire departments specify their fire apparatus.

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Jackie Martin – The News Herald, Southgate, Mich.

Fire broke out at a recycling center in Huron Township that was so intense the department called for its newly-received ladder truck to battle the blaze aerially.

The fire department was called at 2:44 p.m. on Sept. 9 to G.F.L. Recycle Center, 36543 South Huron.

According to Everette Robbins, director of public safety, the department arrived on the scene to begin battling the fire in less than 1 minute.

Firefighters working to put out a fire at G.F.L. Recycle are covered in smoke as they put water on the fire from an aerial truck. The blaze broke out at 2:44 p.m. (Photo courtesy of the Huron Township Police Department)

As with all structure fires within Huron Township, Auto-aid was enacted to immediately request the assistance of area fire departments.

Firefighters representing the Woodhaven, Flat Rock, Rockwood, and Gibraltar fire departments also responded and battled the residential structure fire for several hours side by side with firefighters from Huron Township.

Huron Valley Ambulance stationed a rig and paramedics at the scene of the fire as a precautionary measure to protect both employees and first responders.

Within a few hours, a fire at G.F.L. Recycle was contained and didn’t spread to the entire facility. It took the Huron Township Fire Department about one minute to arrive after receiving the emergency call. (Photo courtesy of the Huron Township Police Department)

When the fire began to escalate, the decision was made by the on-scene fire command to battle the blaze from the air.

For the first time, the recently received ladder fire truck was utilized.

Robbins said the fire was extinguished without major damage to the rest of the structure and without injury or loss of life.

The initial investigation into the fire supports that the fire was accidental.

“We are so thankful for the auto-aid agreement and appreciate all the firefighters from area agencies that responded to battle this potentially dangerous fire,” Robbins said in a statement. “The Huron Township Fire Department, based on the support of our residents, recently took delivery of our new ladder truck. We look forward to having another tool that enhances the way we can deliver time-critical fire services. The video in this media release is the very first time the truck was able to put water on an in-progress fire from an aerial position. I thought it was important to share that moment with our community.”

© 2025 The News Herald, Southgate, Mich.. Visit www.thenewsherald.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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A train struck a Moline (IL) Fire Department apparatus that was positioned near the tracks while battling a fire to an outside container at an industrial building Thursday, Sept. 11, 2025, the department said in a press release.

The fire truck sustained damage, but no firefighters were injured. The rig was placed back in service after evaluation.

The fire department responded to a report of an outside industrial dust collector on fire at Williams, White & Company. The first engine company arrived to find a large metal industrial container with heavy smoke showing. The container was positioned at the rear of the industrial building, near the alley and in close proximity to nearby railroad tracks.

Fire crews worked on scene to contain the fire, using saws to open the metal container and allow water to reach the seat of the fire. The fire was brought under control and mostly contained within 45-50 minutes.

No evacuation of the business was necessary, and no injuries to workers or firefighters were reported.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

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Kathleen E. Carey
Daily Times, Primos, Pa.
(TNS)

Delaware County is on track to complete a nearly $40 million emergency radio system upgrade by the end of the year.

Years in the making and the first major radio upgrade in Delaware County since the 1970s, the final payments on the system are expected to be made with a portion of the $115 million General Obligation Bond county council approved earlier this month.

Entities of government such as counties and municipalities use these bonds spread out over decades to pay for long-term projects and capital improvements.

Danielle Floyd, Delaware County’s director of public works, explained that $22 million of that funding will be used to make the final payments on the county’s new public safety radio system.

“This is a project that was requested by local police, fire and EMS agencies for a long time and this has been a long time in the making for our first responders,” she said. “Under this council, we will be implementing the first overhaul of the radio system in over 33 years.”

Floyd credited the county’s Emergency Services Department for leading the effort and managing this project.

“We remain on schedule to have this project completed by the end of this year,” she said.

In 2022, Delaware County Council unanimously approved the purchase of a $38 million Atlas P25 radio system from JVC Kenwood that will provide 3,700 radios to the county’s first responders and will move the system to a 700 MHz-based operation.

At the time, Haverford Police Chief John Viola said, “This is probably the single, most important thing for all of law enforcement and fire service and EMS in Delaware County.”

This project also includes construction on 21 existing towers and seeing that every police officer in Delaware County has a portable radio that is interoperable across the county.

Fire departments and EMS agencies will also have a portable radio for their frontline first responders to use.

When the purchase was approved, first responders had been having a variety of issues with the communication system they were using.

For example, in the fall of 2019, there were a handful of times the county 911 center noted that emergency personnel were unable to reach the center with their portable radios. There had also been issues with the system being hacked and with channels being knocked out.

The new system will include encryption and it will also meet Federal Communication Commission standards.

At the time of purchase, the county anticipated that of the 3,700 portable radios being bought, 1,500 portable radios will go to police and law enforcement officials, including 1,100 municipal police officers and 400 county, state, federal and tactical team radios; 1,675 portable radios will be distributed to fire and emergency medical services personnel; and 125 portable radios are earmarked for emergency management.

The purchase also includes 400 mobile radios, of which 350 are for fire and EMS units and 50 are for county Special Operations vehicles.

In 2023, Delaware County had a ceremonial groundbreaking to commemorate the completion of the design phase of the project.

Officials and first responders break ground in October 2023 on Delaware County’s $40 million upgraded public safety radio system on Thursday morning at the Delaware County Department of Emergency Services Building in Middletown. (PETE BANNAN-DAILY TIMES)

It also marked the beginning of the construction upgrade of 21 radio towers that would create a mesh microwave net to cover the 191 square miles of Delaware County.

The county was able to use existing towers for a more sustainable project and the project includes higher fre