At approximately 7:15 p.m. Thursday, May 22, Suisun City (CA) firefighters heard unusual noises and observed individuals inside the apparatus bay of the fire station, the Suisun City Fire Department said in a Facebook post. Upon investigation, one of the firefighters witnessed a male subject attempting to steal tools from the station’s maintenance shop.

The suspect, described as a Hispanic male, fled the scene with two additional individuals who appeared to be juvenile males. Firefighters were able to recover cordless power tools that had been placed in a bicycle basket before the trio fled the area.

The incident was immediately reported to the Suisun City Police Department. Officers responded promptly and conducted a search of the surrounding area. The investigation remains ongoing.

Anyone with information related to this incident is urged to contact the Suisun City Police Department’s non-emergency line at (707) 421-7373.

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Oxygen-gasoline torches have been found to perform very well and cut faster than oxygen-acetylene/propane torches. They have been around for decades. They run on a several types of liquid fuel (most commonly gasoline) and oxygen. The fuel is delivered to the torch through hoses from a pressurized gas tank (hand pumped) and a cylinder of oxygen.

The fuel tank is pressurized by a built-in hand pump. Use only fresh fuel and flush the lines if liquid fuel is going to sit in the lines for even a few days. White gas or camp fuel is cleaner and lasts longer.

The fuel and oxygen are combined in a mixer in the head of the torch. The fuel mixture travels to the tip of the torch, where it is lit. After a few seconds of heating, the tip of the torch becomes hot enough to vaporize the gasoline in the tip. Unlike acetylene and propane, you purposely hold the flame tip against the metal to heat the tip. The rapid expansion results in a high-velocity stream of highly combustible oxygen/ gas vapor that fuels the cutting flame of the torch.

Vaporization of the fuel in the tip is an endothermic process that reduces overheating of the tip and extends its life. In this way, this torch is safer because the fuel is liquid all the way to the tip, making a flashback impossible. The torch doesn’t come with a flashback arrestor on the fuel line.

Gasoline vapors, like propane, are heavier than air. Vapors will settle to the ground and flow similar to a liquid. This is why gasoline vapors tend to find their way into drains, sewer lines, basements, and other low spots. Stay alert and monitor; keep the area ventilated.

1 To light this torch, turn the fuel valve and the oxygen valve both halfway on, and light the mist. Once lit, place the tip directly on the work piece. (Photos by author.)

2 Build pressure to deliver the fuel by pumping the black knob handle to the pressure corresponding to the installed tip according to a tip chart.

Gasoline is more efficient than equal amounts of acetylene (2U gallons gasoline = 250 cubic feet acetylene). It is also less expensive and cuts thicker metal. Cutting through rust, debris, stainless steel, concrete-caked rebar, some exotic metals, and across air gaps is not a problem, whereas an oxygen- acetylene/propane torch does not do as well in the same situations. There are even high-heat tips that allow it to burn several kinds of liquid fuels, including diesel, biodiesel, kerosene, and military jet propellant (JP) 8, 5, and 24.

LIGHTING AND CUTTING

The liquid fuel mist created by the mixing in the tip and pressure from the oxygen can be hard to ignite. Sometimes your striker will become wet with gasoline, making sparks impossible. Hold the striker a bit off to the side of the mist to ignite.

To light this torch, turn the fuel valve and the oxygen valve both halfway on, and light the mist. Once lit, place the tip directly on the work piece, something you should not do with an acetylene or a propane torch. Do this to heat the tip to help vaporize the liquid fuel. As the tip heats the flame, quality will improve. If needed, slowly add fuel to develop an orange star pattern flaring from the tip 2 to 3 inches round. As the tip is against the work piece, it should begin to reach kindling temperature. Readjust (only using the fuel valve) as needed to produce a dark blue inner flame of about ¼ inch long. Better too much fuel than too much oxygen. Once properly adjusted, this flame will sound loud and aggressive. If this torch doesn’t light and adjust

The ending to my three-part Homemade Fire Trucks series necessitates reiterating there is no recommendation that fire departments should build, repurpose, or recondition fire apparatus in-house. That is strictly their decision. It is also their decision if the finished product has to, or should, comply with any rules, regulations, or voluntary consensus standards that may be applicable in their jurisdictions. I’m not going there. Comments are personal observations on homemade apparatus and, in particular, of an interesting one in Cummington, Massachusetts.

• Cantankerous Wisdom: Homemade Fire Trucks, Part 2—Timeout!
• Cantankerous Wisdom: Homemade Fire Trucks, Part 1

Raisin Squad members at morning coffee capable of reading the first two parts continued unleashing unfounded comments from Hades about Cummington’s rig, the concept, yours truly, and most of my family members: “There ain’t any ladders – they can’t call it a ladder truck. It’s gotta have lights and sirens cause it’s got official license plates. They oughta buy a real one. Using a rig like that is a stupid idea.” 

A rational response could be: There are no rules for lettering fire trucks. They can call it whatever they want. If it’s not calling for the right of way, it doesn’t need lights and sirens (photo 1). Many fire departments have official license plates on vehicles that don’t respond to alarms in an emergency mode.  Included could be fleet maintenance and repair vehicles, station maintenance and resupply rigs, tow trucks, snow plows, and administrative vehicles. Perhaps they can’t afford a real ladder truck. And a real one might not be practical for their district. Raisins traveling to the Windy City shouldn’t offend the late Commissioner Quinn and the Chicago (IL) Fire Department by saying he had a stupid idea. Chicago started it all with the same type rig Cummington has, and Chicago still uses variations of it today.  

Cummington’s Start: Maintaining lighting on fields used for parking around the local fairgrounds is the Cummington Fire Association’s major source of income. In the late 1990s, it acquired a former military 1975 International Hi-Ranger 45-foot bucket truck to do so. Because many homes in the Berkshires have metal or slate roofs to shed snow, members considered using it for chimney fires. The intent was to reduce having to carry ground ladders through deep snow to big, old farm houses and using roof ladders on slippery roofs. After one winter, they found it lacked the necessary reach when contending with snow banks on narrow roads and snow piles in driveways. 

It was replaced with an all-wheel-drive 1995 International Altec 55-foot bucket truck formerly used by a municipal electric light department. Altec (https://www.altec.com/products/cranes) has been around since 1929. It is a worldwide provider of hydraulic devices such as lifts, derricks, booms, cranes, and bucket trucks for commercial markets. Included are telecommunications, utilities, and tree care. Their concept is the precursor for most platform-equipped aerial devices used by today’s fire departments. 

Cummington’s rig does triple-duty. Still used by the association to raise money, it also performs public relation missions, such as helping residents remove down trees from driveways and roofs, removing ice dams on roofs, and helping homeowners cover wind-caused damage. It’s been used to raise a heavy cast bell up and down into a church’s bell tower, and it performs the time-honored feline res

UNION, West Virginia (May 21, 2025) – The Monroe County Commission recently announced the donation of Mini-Starlink terminals to the county’s volunteer fire departments in Peterstown, Ballard, Lindside, Union, Gap Mills, and Alderson in West Virginia, the commission said in a press release.

This initiative, spearheaded by County Clerk Jeremy Meadows, equips these departments with the same state-of-the-art communication technology recently implemented by the Monroe County Sheriff’s Department, ensuring seamless connectivity in even the most remote areas of the county.

The Mini-Starlink terminals, developed by SpaceX, represent the latest advancement in satellite-based internet technology, offering unparalleled reliability for first responders. Each terminal is equipped with built-in batteries that provide up to eight hours of operation on a single charge, and Mini-Starlink routers extend the wireless reach, enabling robust communication networks in the field. This donation, funded through the county’s strategic allocation of resources, underscores the Commission’s commitment to public safety and technological innovation.

Benefits for Volunteer Fire Departments

The Mini-Starlink terminals address critical communication challenges faced by volunteer fire departments, particularly in Monroe County’s rural and mountainous terrain, where radio and cellular “dead zones” are common. Specific benefits include:

• Reliable Communication in Dead Zones: The satellite-based Starlink system requires only a clear view of the sky, allowing firefighters to maintain constant contact with the 911 Center and other responders in areas like Waiteville or the remote hills of Gap Mills, where traditional radio and cell service often fail. For example, during a structure fire in a secluded valley, firefighters can use the terminal to coordinate with the 911 Center for additional resources, relay patient information to EMS, or request mutual aid from neighboring departments, potentially saving lives.

• Enhanced Situational Awareness: The terminals enable real-time data transmission, such as live video feeds from drones or incident updates, to the 911 Center or command posts. For instance, during a wildfire in the Peterstown area, firefighters could stream drone footage to assess fire spread, helping commanders make informed decisions without relying on patchy radio signals.

• Mobile Command Capabilities: The portability of the Mini-Starlink terminals, combined with their 8-hour battery life, allows firefighters to establish mobile command posts in the field. During a multi-vehicle accident on Route 219 near Lindside, a terminal could be set up at the scene to serve as a base station, facilitating communication with hospitals, law enforcement, and other agencies, even in areas with no cellular coverage.

• Extended Wireless Reach: The Mini-Starlink routers expand the terminal’s wireless network, enabling multiple devices (e.g., tablets, smartphones, laptops) to connect simultaneously. This is critical during large-scale incidents, such as a hazardous materials spill near Union, where firefighters, EMS, and sheriff’s deputies can share a single network for coordinated response, accessing maps, hazmat databases, or patient records.

• Resilience in Emergencies: The terminals’ battery-powered operation ensures functionality during power outages caused by storms or wildfires, common in Monroe County. For example, during a severe winter storm that disrupts power and cell towers, the Alderson Volunteer Fire Department could use a terminal to maintain communication with the 911 Center, ensuring rapid response to medical emergencies or stranded motorists.

These capabilities mirror the Sheriff’s Department’s successful use of Mini-Starlink terminals, which have provided deputies with continuous connectivity in remote areas, as announced on August

TRENTON, Michigan (May 20, 2025) — The city of Trenton announced the future site of the new Trenton Fire Department headquarters at the corner of West Road and Veteran’s Parkway. This strategically selected location will serve as a centralized hub to significantly improve emergency response times and operational efficiency across the city.

The site was chosen following a comprehensive study of citywide emergency response patterns and community coverage needs, conducted in collaboration with public safety experts and urban planners. The city successfully secured the location through purchase agreements with the Trenton Motor Inn and the Trenton VFW organization, whose partnership was instrumental in making this vision a reality.

“These new stations are a generational investment in Trenton’s public safety,” said Mayor Steven Rzeppa. “Through detailed analysis, planning, and negotiations, we know these locations will enhance the ability of our first responders to serve our community better than ever before. This project will completely transform that intersection into something Trenton residents will be proud of for decades to come. We can’t thank the voters enough for putting their faith in us to get this done.”

Mayor Pro-Tem Richard Benedetti, himself a retired firefighter stated, “I was pleased with the hard work and dedication that the Mayor and Administration put towards improving our service and response to the residents.”

Fire Chief Keith Anderson stated “The consolidation of our two fire stations into a new, state-of-the-art central facility marks a major step forward for Trenton. This move enhances our ability to respond more efficiently across the city, improves coordination among our crews, and ensures the highest level of service and safety for our residents. It’s a smart investment in both our infrastructure and our community’s future.”

Police Chief Mike Hawkins stated that “Building our new station is more than just bricks and mortar, it is a step toward a safer, stronger and inviting future for our community.” 

The city of Trenton extends its heartfelt gratitude to the Trenton Motor Inn and Trenton VFW for their cooperation and commitment to the community’s safety. Construction planning will commence in the coming months, with regular updates provided to residents throughout the process.

In addition, the Trenton Police Department is excited to announce plans for a new station within a “municipal complex” near 3rd St. and Maple St. in the downtown district. Developed in partnership with city engineers and architectural firms, this modern facility will provide officers with state-of-the-art spaces aligned with best practices in policing. The new police station will also feature a training and community use room, available to residents for public engagement and events.

The City of Trenton, located along the Detroit River, is a vibrant community committed to enhancing the quality of life for its residents through strategic investments in public safety, infrastructure, and community engagement.

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