Hannah Ward
Casper Star Tribune, Wyo.
(TNS)

Natrona County commissioners recently approved a $500,000 advance to the Natrona County Fire Protection District to help with operational costs and equipment, including the early arrival of three new fire trucks.

Overtime from wildfire season and the unanticipated early delivery of new fire trucks had the Fire District facing a budget deficit and forced it to spend $1.1 million from its savings, said District Fire Inspector Brian Oliver in a September meeting.

The fire district ordered the new trucks in 2020, when a backlog of materials pushed the estimated readiness to be three to four years out and with the assumption it would have the revenue by the delivery date, Oliver said in the meeting. Many fire departments canceled their orders between then and now, and Natrona County’s order was pushed to an earlier date, he added.

“This is not necessarily something that has taken us by surprise,” Oliver said.

The county will prepay the district’s allotted $250,000 from the 1-cent sales tax, and Anticline mineral royalty funds will provide the other half.

The state of Wyoming levies a 4% sales tax, and counties can opt in to issuing an additional percent to help pay for improving and maintaining equipment, infrastructure, and vehicles—such as fire trucks.

The down payment for two of the fire trucks and the first payment, due in January, will be covered by $320,000 of the advancement. The remainder will go to repairing a septic drain system.

The county is set to receive around $43,000 from the Industrial Siting Council through next spring, and this money will be used to reimburse the general fund, said Dave North, chairman of the Natrona County Board of County Commissioners, in an interview.

The Industrial Siting Council looks into environmental and socio-economic impacts of major industrial projects and helps companies determine what permits they may need.

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Oliver said the large sums due for retirement payments, overtime and insurance before and after the turn of the fiscal year each summer makes it difficult to avoid pulling from savings because of tax revenue checks from the county coming each month, rather than a lump sum like many other fire departments.

To ease the financial pressures, the district has temporarily reduced staffing to eliminate overtime costs and closed its fire station to the east of Casper for a 48-hour period, officials said in a statement Monday.

“These steps ensured we could maintain service while addressing budget issues and are still in place as of this release,” officials said.

Officials noted the fire protection district and Natrona County Commissioners are discussing options on how to prevent a similar issue in the future.

© 2025 Casper Star Tribune, Wyo.. Visit www.trib.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

The post Here’s Why WY County Advanced $500K

McKinney firefighters rescued the driver of a tow truck Thursday after his vehicle crashed and ended up dangling off the Highway 121 overpass, CBS Texas reports.

Crews used two ladder trucks to reach the trapped driver and bring him to safety in about 15 minutes.

The driver swerved to avoid another potential crash, struck the bridge, and nearly went over the edge, the station reports. He escaped with only a minor scratch.

Visit CBS Texas for more.

The post Ladder Trucks Used to Extricate Tow Truck Driver Dangling Off Bridge appeared first on Fire Apparatus: Fire trucks, fire engines, emergency vehicles, and firefighting equipment.

On a brisk morning in late January 2025, a life hung in the balance on the open waters of Lake Harney, a nine-square-mile lake straddling two Florida counties.

Amid 50° temperatures and biting 20-mph winds, the Seminole County (FL) Fire Department’s Airboat 42—nicknamed Geneva Fire Falcon—demonstrated its value as a rescue asset when it helped save the life of a drowning fisherman.

That man was Dan Watson of Titusville, Florida, who had set out alone for a peaceful day of fishing. As he changed his tackle, a gust of wind created a wave that flipped his boat, throwing him into the frigid waters. Alone, disoriented, and quickly succumbing to hypothermia, Watson managed to dial 911. His call was broken, muffled by splashing water, and made challenging because of fishing tackle tightly wrapped around his neck. But, it set in motion a swift and coordinated rescue response that involved dispatchers, a specialized crew, two vigilant bystanders, and the department’s custom-built Diamondback Airboat.

Emergency On The Water

The call came in at 11:24 a.m. on January 25. Emergency Communications dispatchers immediately recognized the seriousness of the situation. “The caller was going in and out of consciousness,” says Battalion Chief Phil Persing, who oversaw the response.

“We could hear water splashing in the background. It was clear we had no time to waste.”

Dispatchers used GPS plotting to triangulate the caller’s location, pinpointing Watson in the middle of Lake Harney, west of Gopher Slough, Florida. Conditions were challenging, with white capping waves and a raw wind from the north.

Built by Diamondback and stationed at Seminole County Fire Station 42 in Geneva, Airboat 42 was launched immediately with a trained crew onboard. “Thanks to the air- boat’s unique capabilities, we were able to head directly to the patient’s location,” says Firefighter Shane Degler. “We knew we had to move fast.”

Good Samaritans On The Scene

By the time the crew arrived, two local fishermen, Bill Coe of Mims and Billy McClure of Titusville, had already spotted Watson’s overturned boat from almost a half mile away. “We just saw something flash weird in the sun about a half mile away,” Coe recalled. “It didn’t look right. We went to check it out.”

The two men pulled Watson from the water into their boat moments before the crew reached them. “Bill and Billy were instrumental,” said Degler. “Their sharp eyes and quick actions quite literally saved a life.”

The Geneva Fire Falcons crew transferred Watson to Airboat 42, stabilized the hypothermic Watson, and swiftly transported him to HCA Lake Monroe Hospital. He was admitted in critical condition to the ICU, but he survived and made a full recovery. Weeks later, he stood before his rescuers at a special award ceremony, visibly moved and full of gratitude.

1 Airboat 42, a five-seat, custom-built Diamondback airboat, was was added to Seminole County (FL) Fire Department’s fleet in late 2021. It is designed for the region’s complex wetland and flood plain terrain. [Photos courtesy of the Seminole County (FL) Fire Department]

2 Airboat 42 was named Geneva Fire Falcon by a fifth-grade class at Geneva Elementary.

“I owe my life to every one of you,” Watson said through tears. “From the dispatchers to the guys in the boat, and those two fishermen—I wouldn’t be here without you.”

A RESCUE ASSET WITH WIN

Each year firefighters and fire departments from across New Jersey gather at the shore in Wildwood for the New Jersey State Firemen’s Convention. Aside from the delegate meetings, seminars, fundraising benefits, and vendor booths, there is another draw to the show: the apparatus. The rigs displayed by numerous manufacturers were superb, as was the weather making viewing these rigs a pleasure.

Here’s a look at some of the logos and department insignias from them:

Each year firefighters and fire departments from across New Jersey gather at the shore in Wildwood for the New Jersey State Firemen’s Convention. Aside from the delegate meetings, seminars, fundraising benefits, and vendor booths, there is another draw to the show: the apparatus. The rigs displayed by numerous manufacturers were superb, as was the weather making viewing these rigs a pleasure.

Here’s a look at some of the logos and department insignias from them: