An off-duty firefighter joined fire crews to help put out a fire that was threatening homes in the South Hill area on Wednesday. A fire was called out on Sept. 25 and when the first engine arrived, they discovered the fire was spreading quickly. “As they pulled their initial leads for fire attack, out of the smoke came a guy wearing a pair of shorts, a tee shirt and some Sanuks,” said Spokane Firefighters in a Facebook post.
- PUB DATE: 9/30/2024 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KHQ-TV NBC 6 Spokane

Avista Utilities says all power was restored after the utility implemented a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) on Sunday in the Indian Trail area of Spokane County due to high fire risk and strong winds on Sunday afternoon. According to the Avista power outage map, the outage began around 3 p.m. on Sunday and affected roughly 1,500 customers.
- PUB DATE: 9/30/2024 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KREM-TV CBS 2 Spokane

SUMMIT—Montgomery (OH) Fire Department rescue-pumper. Spartan Metro Star LFD cab and chassis; Cummins X12 500-hp engine; Hale DSD 1,250-gpm pump; 500-gallon polypropylene water tank; Harrison 10-kW generator; rooftop storage and oil absorbent dispenser; confined space/trench equipment storage. Alco-Lite ground ladders. Dealer: Joe Messmer, Summit Fire Apparatus, Edgewood, KY.

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CALIFORNIA

DANKO—Shasta County Fire Department, Redding, four quick-attack units. Ford F-550 Crew Cabs and chassis; 6.7L 4V OHV Power Stroke V8 Turbo Diesel 330-hp engines; Waterous 2515LE Kubota D902-E4B 24.8 HP 150-gpm pumps; UPF Poly 300-gallon water tanks; Whelen CenCom systems; Whelen Liberty lightbars and lighting packages. Sold by Scott Beck, Fire Apparatus Solutions, Rialto, CA. Delivery in July 2025.

FLORIDA

SUTPHEN—Iona McGregor Fire District, Fort Myers, pumper. Monarch cab and chassis; Cummins X10 450-hp engine; Hale Qmax 1,500- gpm pump; UPF Poly 750-gallon water tank. Sold by Clark Green, South Florida Emergency Vehicles, Fort Myers, FL. Delivery in October 2027.

SUTPHEN—Lake City Fire Department SPH100 midmount aerial platform quint. Monarch cab and chassis; Cummins X12 500-hp engine; Hale Qmax 2,000-gpm pump; UPF Poly 400-gallon water tank; Smart Power 10-kW generator; 100-foot aerial platform. Sold by Mark Oakes, South Florida Emergency Vehicles, Fort Myers, FL. Delivery in February 2025.

ILLINOIS

PIERCE—Arlington Heights Fire Department pumper. Impel cab and chassis; Cummins X10 450-hp engine; Waterous CSU 2,000- gpm pump; UPF Poly 750-gallon water tank; 30-gallon foam cell; Pierce Husky 3 Class A foam system; Harrison 6-kW generator; Duo- Safety ground ladders. Sold by Dan Rudnicki, MacQueen Emergency, Aurora, IL. Delivery in October 2026.

DANKO—Hindsboro Community Fire Protection District quick-attack unit. Ford F-550 Crew Cab and chassis; Power Stroke 6.7L 330-hp engine; Waterous 2515LE with 24.8 Kubota engine 150- gpm pump; UPF Poly 400-gallon water tank; Super Single tire package; TFT EF1 Y1-E42A monitor. Sold by Steve Garner, Garner Sales and Service, Cooksville, IL. Delivery in May 2025.

ROSENBAUER—Long Lake Volunteer Fire Department, Pontoon Beach, pumper-tanker. Commander 7018 cab and chassis; Cummins X15 565-hp engine; Hale DSD 1,500-gpm pump; UPF Poly 3,000-gallon water tank; Duo-Safety ground ladders; Rosenbauer EXT HD extruded aluminum body; sealed lever bank pump controls; Rosenbauer 1.0 ladder rack. Sold by Steve Williams, Sentinel Emergency Solutions, St. Louis, MO. Delivery in May 2026.

INDIANA

SUTPHEN—Vernon Township Fire Department, Fortville, 100-foot aerial ladder quint. Monarch custom cab and chassis; Cummins X10 HHD 450-hp engine; Hale Qmax 2,000-gpm pump; UPF Poly 500-gallon water tank; Whelen Freedom IV warning lights. Sold by Andy Herb, Herb Fire Equipment, Powell, OH. Delivery in February 2027.

PIERCE—Jefferson Fire Department PUC pumper. Enforcer cab and chassis; Paccar MX13 510-hp engine; Pierce PUC-NG 1,500-gpm pump; UPF Poly 750-gallon water tank; Duo- Safety ground ladders. Sold by Tim Learned, MacQueen Emergency, Whitestown, IN. Delivery in June 2026.

SUTPHEN—St. Joseph County Fire Territory pumper. Monarch cab and chassis; Cummins X10 MHD 450-hp engine; Waterous CSU 2,000- gpm pump; UPF Poly 1,000-gallon water tank; Waterous Aquis 3.0 single-agent foam system; Whelen Freedom IV warning lights. Sold by Andy Herb, Herb Fire Equipment, Powell, OH. Delivery in May 2027.

SUTPHEN—St. Joseph County Fire Territory pumper-tanker. Monarch custom cab and chassis; Cummins X10 MHD 450-hp engine; Waterous CSU 1,500-gpm pump; UPF Poly 2.500- gallon water tank; 20-gallon foam cell; Waterous Aquis 3.0 single-agent foam system; Whelen Freedom IV warning lights; FireTech scene lights. Sold by Andy Herb, Herb Fire

Jordan Lawrence
The State
(TNS)

“We will take it from here.”

That message was affixed to the sign at the Circle Fire Department on Saturday afternoon, as the station paid tribute to volunteer firefighters George Chad Satcher, 53, Landon Cale Bodie, 18, who were killed the previous morning when a tree fell on their fire engine en route to a structure fire near Batesburg-Leesville.

Staff at the volunteer-manned fire station in rural Saluda County were present but off duty Saturday, as community members came by to offer support, hugging firefighters at the station through car windows. An engine from the neighboring Lexington County Fire Service was on hand, stepping in to take any calls that came through.

Neither the firefighters at the station nor anyone else will be speaking publicly about the tragedy for a few more days, Saluda County Fire Service Coordinator Mark Lybrand told reporters, emphasizing that they are still reeling from the loss. He said Satcher and Bodie were, to his knowledge, the first two firefighters in the history of the department to be lost in the line of duty.

“We would like to reach out to the community and State for the overwhelming support during this extremely challenging time,” the department posted to Facebook. “We lost two dedicated members who loved their communities and neighbors enough to make the ultimate sacrifice.”

The department said funeral arrangements for the fallen firefighters are pending.

The Saluda County community is grieving the loss of the firefighters as it, like many places in the state, struggles to recover from the impacts of Hurricane Helene, the storm that felled the tree that took the lives of Satcher and Bodie and two other county residents who died in their homes. Downtown Saluda sat dark and largely vacant Saturday afternoon, with awnings and signs sitting ripped down along the sidewalk on Main Street. As of 3:30 p.m., Dominion Energy reported that out of 6,128 customers in the county, 6,001 were without power.

Downed trees still partially blocked rugged Beulah Road, along which the tree fell on Satcher and Bodie’s fire truck. At the crash site, tree trunks and limbs had been cut and moved off to the side, while glass and small pieces of debris from the engine still sat in the roadway.

But folks around the community remained resilient. One woman sitting in the parking lot at the Hopps gas station next door to the Circle Fire Department proudly let people know that the nearby Dollar Tree was giving away free ice.

“Everybody’s pulling together,” she said from her truck.

Inside the gas station’s dark and powerless store, owner Gunvant Patel told customers he was open less to sell perishable items that would go bad than to be there for people looking for items to get by as the area recovers. He turned quickly thereafter to check out a man who left with his arms full of bottled water.

Patel said firefighters and EMS personnel from the stations that flank the gas station come in frequently and that he talks with many of them. He said Satcher would come by the store often to grab a coffee and chat.

“He buys diesel from me, and he buys some food,” Patel said. “He was a real nice guy.”

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