Jesse Leavenworth
Journal Inquirer, Manchester, Conn.
(TNS)

Aug. 12—WETHERSFIELD — The Wethersfield Fire Department failed to ensure firefighters’ safety during a brush fire last year in which a firefighter was killed in a UTV crash, the state’s Occupational Safety and Health Division found.

CONN-OSHA, part of the state Department of Labor, fined the department $640 in connection with safety lapses cited after the crash in Meriden on Oct. 22 that killed firefighter Robert Sharkevich, 66.

Firefighters were not wearing seatbelts and approved headgear, according to the report, which also cited failure to heed the UTV’s load capacity, improper seating of firefighters on the rear fire suppression unit, lack of training in UTV operation and failure to properly install a fire suppression unit on the vehicle, according to the agency’s report.

During the brush fire on Lamentation Mountain, the report said, Sharkevich and three other firefighters were using an Arctic Cat UTV with a Kimtek fire suppression unit, essentially a mini fire apparatus for work on rough terrain. Sharkevich was driving, according to the report.

“While driving the UTV on an incline to change locations, the unit began to slide on loose shale,” the report says. “The unit then became unstable and began to roll from side to side.

“Two firefighters sitting on the suppression unit were thrown from the UTV. The two firefighters sitting in the cab were thrown about the cab,” the report says. “The driver then was ejected from the cab, struck by the UTV and sustained fatal injuries.”

The state Office of the Chief Medical Examiner found the cause of the former Hartford firefighter’s death was impact injury of the head and neck and the manner accidental. The other firefighters suffered non-life-threatening injuries, officials said at the time.

A Wethersfield Fire Department representative could not be reached Tuesday, but in a letter to CONN-OSHA, Fire Chief Brian J. Schroll listed steps the department since had taken to fix violations and improve safety, including helmet purchases, new policies that covered seat belt use, number of UTV passengers and other issues and firefighter training on UTV operations.

Multiple municipal fire departments, state agencies and the Connecticut National Guard were involved in battling the brush fire on the Meriden/Berlin line, which burned about 100 acres during abnormally dry conditions in the state.

© 2025 Journal Inquirer, Manchester, Conn.. Visit www.journalinquirer.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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The Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department (JFRD), in partnership with the Jacksonville Port Authority and the Department of Defense, has officially broken ground on a new, state-of-the-art facility for Fire Station 48. The groundbreaking marks the culmination of 18 months of planning, coordination, and interagency collaboration.

Station 48 was originally constructed in 1978, when Jacksonville’s population was just over 550,000. Today, the population has nearly doubled. The surrounding Heckscher Drive corridor and Blount Island Marine Terminal have experienced significant growth, creating greater demands on JFRD.

As the city and its maritime economy expanded, so did Station 48’s mission. What began with a single fire apparatus eventually grew to include a tanker and a 39-foot fireboat. But with only 1,700 square feet, the current facility no longer meets the operational needs of Jacksonville’s growing footprint in the port area.

“What you see here is the result of strong partnerships and shared priorities.” said Fire Chief Percy Golden. “JAXPORT, the Department of Defense, and JFRD came together with one goal. To strengthen public safety in a critical part of our city.”

The new station will be located outside the security gates of the Jacksonville Port Authority’s Blount Island terminal. This location allows JFRD personnel to bypass security checkpoints when every second counts, improving access to both the terminal and nearby neighborhoods along Heckscher Drive.

The project also includes a new dock that will house the fire boat on site, enabling faster response to maritime emergencies.

JFRD works closely with its military and port partners through joint training and mutual aid agreements. This new facility expands on these partnerships and supports public safety efforts in one of Jacksonville’s most vital economic areas.

Construction is now underway, and the new station is expected to be completed in 2026.

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CoxreelsV-100 Series product line has been improved and expanded! Introducing the new 1¼-inch vacuum hose reel V-112-735 without hose and the V-112H-735 with hose. The new model is a smaller frame size featuring 12-inch diameter discs instead of the original 17-inch diameter discs and is designed for use with 35 feet of 1 ¼-inch vacuum hose. The outlet connecting to the hose remains 1½-inch and our 1¼-inch hose comes equipped with 1½-inch slip cuffs on both ends for maximum flow.

In addition to the new models, the swivel has been improved on the entire product line. The new swivel design still allows for the connection of multiple hose sizes by using the inside and the outside of the housing, but a greater gradual taper has increased the amount of compatible inlet hose cuffs. This remains important because retail shop vacuums are coming with larger and larger hoses, some as big as 2.5 inches. The swivel also includes hidden improvements via an enhanced O-ring sealing system for greater vacuum consistency and performance.

The hose has a super flexible “crush-proof” smooth interior hose suitable for commercial cleaning applications and is equipped with standard 1.5-inch threaded hose cuffs on both hose sizes.

Coxreels® has remained steadfast and focused on manufacturing high quality professional grade hose, cord, and cable reels since 1923. Offering a full product line serving the industry in every channel and application, Coxreels® takes great pride in designing, building, and supporting all of their products right here in the U.S.A.

For further information on Coxreels® new options for the V-100 Series, contact Customer Service at (800) 269-7335 or visit www.coxreels.com.

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Facility expansion adds seven new service bays and local pickup and delivery, enhancing emergency vehicle service capabilities across the region.

APPLETON, Wisconsin (August 12, 2025) – Pierce Manufacturing Inc., an Oshkosh Corporation (NYSE:OSK) business, is pleased to announce Pierce authorized dealer, Atlantic Emergency Solutions, has completed a significant expansion of its Charlotte, North Carolina service center to better support the needs of the Charlotte Fire Department and other fire agencies across the region. The upgraded facility, located in a convenient and accessible area on Statesville Road in Charlotte, will provide enhanced service offerings, expanded capacity, and increased parts availability for departments across North Carolina and beyond.

“Our team is committed to keeping fire departments mission-ready,” said Joe Pack, Chief Executive Officer of Atlantic Emergency Solutions. “With this expansion, we’re positioned to reduce downtime, enhance service accessibility, and support growing fleets such as the Charlotte Fire Department.”

The Charlotte service center expansion includes an additional 9,200 square feet, nearly doubling the previous size of the facility to a total of 25,200 square feet. Seven new service bays were added, increasing the shop’s capacity and turnaround time for essential maintenance and repairs. The project also included an updated parts room and installation of a sprinkler system for increased safety. Additionally, the center will offer local pickup and delivery of fire apparatus to stations throughout the region.

Atlantic Emergency Solutions is the authorized Pierce dealer for a large eastern region of the United States, including Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, and Ohio.

To learn more about Pierce fire apparatus and Atlantic Emergency Solutions’ growing service network, visit www.piercemfg.com.

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Molly Walsh
cleveland.com
(TNS)

MENTOR, Ohio – Mentor officials are moving forward with plans to build a new fire station, which will replace the city’s more than 50-year-old firehouse.

The city has purchased land for the project at the northeast corner of state Route 84 and Plaza Boulevard, where the former Sears Automotive Center once stood.

The transaction closed on July 9, after City Council approved the property sale in February, according to a city spokesperson.

The new station remains in the design phase. Fire Chief Bob Zak has been touring other fire facilities across Ohio and working with an architect to develop plans for a modern building that will replace the city’s existing station next to Garfield Park, which has been in service since 1965.

While design work on the fire station continues, city leaders are also debating how to temporarily reduce the property tax burden on residents.

Councilman Scott Marn proposed a one-year moratorium on collecting the city’s fire levy, which generates about $2.15 million annually.

During a City Council meeting July 1, Marn argued that Mentor’s reserves could cover expenses during the pause without delaying construction or disrupting fire department operations.

“It’s clean, it’s simple, it affects everybody that has property in Mentor, whether it’s business, whether it’s residential, anything of that nature,” Marn said during the meeting.

Other council members, including Councilperson-at-Large Ray Kirchner, voiced concerns that suspending the levy might confuse taxpayers or jeopardize long-term funding for fire services.

“(The levy) was voted on by the residents…It was put on permanently,” He said. “We’re in the process of building a fire station, which is where these funds are going to be coming from.”

Instead, Kirchner proposed offsetting expenses by drawing on money set aside for the city’s recycling and waste collection services.

Marn’s idea to pause fire levy collections has not been officially introduced to council. Council is on a break until Sept. 2.

©2025 Advance Local Media LLC. Visit cleveland.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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