Cathy Spaulding
Muskogee Phoenix, Okla.
(TNS)

Muskogee’s vacant post office building has been torn down so preparation can begin on a new public safety building.

The post office, 525 W. Okmulgee Ave., is among several buildings being razed for the Bass Reeves Memorial Public Safety Building. The public safety facility will house Muskogee Police Department, Muskogee County Emergency Medical Service, Muskogee County Emergency Management, part of Muskogee Fire Department, and part of Muskogee County Sheriff’s Office.

The facility is funded by a temporary 0.849% sales tax Muskogee County voters approved in January.

Muskogee County EMS Director Laurel Havens said work on the new facility is expected to start in January 2026.

“Plans for where the building is going to sit are done,” Havens said. “Interior plans are about 85% done. Those will be done and submitted and finalized at the end of this month, then it will go to engineering to start all the drawings.”

When space for the post office is cleared, buildings at Fifth Street and Okmulgee will be demolished to allow expansion of Muskogee Civic Center parking lot, Havens said. Buildings east of Muskogee Fire Department, 505 Columbus Ave., will be torn down, he said. An attorney’s office at Sixth Street and Okmulgee will remain standing.

The post office was vacated in 2019 when the U.S. Postal Service moved to Arrowhead Mall. The empty building became a marijuana growing facility, prompting numerous complaints about the area’s smell, Muskogee Police Chief Johnny Teehee has said.

The public safety sales tax also funds free ambulance runs for Muskogee County residents, a replacement for the York Street fire station and new public safety buildings in Warner, Haskell and Fort Gibson.

Construction of the Warner, Haskell and Fort Gibson facilities is expected to start in January, Havens said.

© 2025 the Muskogee Phoenix (Muskogee, Okla.). Visit muskogeephoenix.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

The post Old Muskogee (OK) Post Office Razed for New Public Safety Building appeared first on Fire Apparatus: Fire trucks, fire engines, emergency vehicles, and firefighting equipment.

By Megan Ciampo

Spartan Emergency Response officially broke ground Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2025, on a transformative $20 million expansion project at its Brandon, South Dakota, facility. The event marked the beginning of a three-phase project that will significantly increase and enhance the company’s production capabilities, furthering its commitment to innovation in emergency response solutions.

The expansion project is designed to support Spartan’s continued growth, to meet the increasing demand for apparatus, and to add additional jobs to the region, all while staying focus on Spartan’s core mission—putting first responders first.

The project will include three phases, each focusing on expansion, innovation, and enhancements. The new facility will allow Spartan ER to scale production of vehicles while maintaining high standards of quality and safety.

The groundbreaking ceremony drew a crowd of approximately 100 people, including state and local government officials, South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden, fire apparatus dealers, Spartan and REV Group Inc. employees, and community leaders.

The ceremony featured remarks from Mike Virnig, President of REV Group Inc., and Chag Knigge, General Manager of Spartan Emergency Response, as well as Brandon, SD, Mayor Harry Buck, and Gov. Rhoden. Following the speeches, the government officials and Spartan employees gathered for the ceremonial turning of the soil, hard hats and shovels included.

Attendees were also treated to a showcase of Spartan’s latest fire apparatus, a walkaround tour of the existing manufacturing facility, and more.

The impact of this expansion will stretch far beyond the attendees of the event, though. REV Group Inc. says this new facility space will increase production by 40%, improve material flow, improve delivery time to customers, and greatly reduce lead times for fully custom products.

When asked about the expansion’s impact on production time, Vernig said, “If I had to guess, 25% increased throughput of the S-180s. The rest of the increase we’re going to see, 75% of that, will be for the custom units we build.”

The post Spartan ER Breaks Ground on $20M Expansion in SD appeared first on Fire Apparatus: Fire trucks, fire engines, emergency vehicles, and firefighting equipment.

CLAYTON SIDENBENDER
The Elkhart Truth, Ind.
(TNS)

ELKHART — City officials, fire department leaders and community members gathered Monday to break ground on the city’s first new fire station in two decades.

The fire station will replace the old Fire Station 6 located on 1023 Oslo Road and the new station will be located on 2620 Ada Drive.

According to Fire Chief Rodney Dale, the last station that was built was Fire Station 4 on the corner of Oak and Mishawaka streets.

“We are adding to complement what’s necessary to serve this northeast quadrant relative to our fire department,” Mayor Rod Roberson said. “And it’s important that we add this station, which is why the excitement of firefighters are pretty obvious as well as the administration. You only build fire stations 20, 30 years apart.”

The project will cost about $9 million. It is expected to be completed by September 2026.

Despite potential financial challenges in the coming years due to state tax reform measures, the city had saved cash reserves for the project, Roberson said.

“This one has been in the funnel for a minute and we had already saved,” Roberson said. “Our city, with respect to reserves, is in some of best financial shape out of cities in the state, and so we have adequate reserves. We also have done really, really well given that our budgets have been very strong over the last couple of years. We put together a really strong plan to be financially prudent, so we didn’t have to borrow or go into deeper debt in order to do this station.”

Fire Station 6 and the Hively Avenue Overpass projects will be unaffected by Senate Enrolled Act 1, Roberson said in a news conference last week. However, other projects will either be delayed or canceled due to financial constraints caused by the legislation, he said.

The fire department is already in the process of hiring the personnel for the new station, Dale said. The station will also have a fairly new fire engine.

“It’s going to serve our residents better,” Dale said.

Ambulance services have to come from Central Fire Station because the current Fire Station 6 cannot house an ambulance vehicle. The new station will help with more efficient response times for both ambulances and fire engines, Dale said.

More bays will also be available to house fire engines. The current Fire Station 6 only has one bay.

© 2025 The Elkhart Truth (Elkhart, Ind).. Visit www.elkharttruth.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

The post Elkhart (IN) Breaks Ground on First New Fire Station in 20 Years appeared first on Fire Apparatus: Fire trucks, fire engines, emergency vehicles, and firefighting equipment.

For the first time in decades, the Branford (FL) Volunteer Fire Department on Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2025, unveiled a brand-new fire apparatus, wcjb.com reported.

Fire rescue personnel, local football players, and residents participated in the official push-in ceremony to welcome the new engine, the report said.

This marks the first new fire apparatus purchased by the department since 1981, according to the report.

The pumper cost $475,000 and was funded through state grants, the report said.

The post Grants Allow FL Volunteer Fire Department to Purchase First New Rig in Decades appeared first on Fire Apparatus: Fire trucks, fire engines, emergency vehicles, and firefighting equipment.

The International Fire Service Training Association (IFSTA) Essentials of Fire Fighting and Fire Department Operations defines standard operating procedures/ guidelines (SOPs/SOGs) as: rules for how personnel should perform routine functions or emergency operations. Procedures are typically written in a handbook so that all firefighters can become familiar with them.

It is sad to say that not many fire departments I am aware of have written SOPs/SOGs regarding the use and applications of their thermal imagers (TIs). Yet there are SOPs/SOGs for every other operation or task that is performed on a regular basis.

Here is a basic outline to help establish an SOP/SOG for thermal imaging operations.

PURPOSE

To establish guidelines to facilitate the most effective method for deploying TIs in a way that provides the most protection for members. In addition, it is to provide a reference document to be used for training of members in the uses, deployment, limitations, operation, care, and maintenance of TIs.

SCOPE

XYZ Fire Rescue Service.

POLICY

TIs shall be used at every structural fire and any other situations as identified where they will enhance the safety of fire rescue service members.

This policy outlines the various uses of TIs, guidelines for their use and operation in firefighting situations, methods of deployment, daily inspection, and care and maintenance instructions.

PROCEDURES

TI Uses

• Provides safer navigation in a space where there is zero visibility due to smoke.
• Allows firefighters to “see” in a zero-visibility environment, which is a very useful addition to traditional search techniques.
• Enables suppression crews to execute a faster, more efficient interior attack. The shortest route to the fire, holes in the floor, and obstacles in the structure can be determined and located efficiently.
• Reduces fatigue of interior crews because efficiency in performing searches and suppression is increased.
• Allows rapid intervention teams (RITs) to quickly and efficiently locate down firefighters.
• May be used to determine fluid level within a container, which may be useful during an incident involving a hazardous material.
• May be used as a search tool to locate lost persons in open wilderness areas.

OPERATIONS

When an engine company arrives at the scene of a fire or any other incident where smoke will or could hamper visibility, the officer shall ensure that the attack team or other designated team has the TI available and ready to use.

Firefighters shall use available TIs to aid in the search for victims.

If conditions warrant the use of the TI, the second-in backup firefighter shall be the operator of the TI for the nozzle person unless an officer accompanies the crew. Then they will operate the TI in conjunction with the attack crew. The TI operator should make periodic sweeps of the room and structure they are operating in.

Fire command should be notified that the TI is in use, and search and rescue and suppression activities should occur in compliance with the respective operational guidelines. Standard firefighting practices should continue to be observed.

TI operators must be aware that they tend to move faster than the rest of the team who are operating in zero visibility. The TI op