The St. Lucie County (FL) Fire District recently celebrated the official opening of Fire Station 18 with a ribbon-cutting and push-in ceremony, joined by members of the St. Lucie County Board of County Commissioners.

This marks the department’s first new fire station since 2008—and it’s already in service, the department said. Station 18 officially began responding to calls immediately following the ceremony.

Serving as a Special Operations Station, its central location allows for quick and safe response throughout St. Lucie County.

“We’re grateful for the strong turnout from community members, fire board commissioners, and our own fire district personnel,” the department said in a Facebook post. “As St. Lucie County continues to grow, so does our commitment to being there when you need us—next up: Stations 20 and 19.”

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At the end of May 2025, President Donald Trump announced he is doubling the tariff on steel imports, bringing the tariff to 50%, according to an AP News.com story. He added later that would also double the tariff on aluminum imports to 50%. These tariffs are expected to take effect on June 4, 2025. According to the same story, steel prices in the United States have already climbed 16% since the middle of January 2025.

According to a Reuters report, the U.S. imported 26.2 million tons of steel in 2024, according to the Department of Commerce. The report says the U.S. is the world’s largest steel importer, excluding the European Union, and as a result, the new tariffs might increase steel prices across the board, which will impact industry and consumers. That said, the impact these tariffs, and others, will have on manufacturers that supply fire apparatus and related firefighting equipment is currently unclear.

Fire departments should contact their vendors for more specific information.

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Bert Martin, president of the Clover (VA) Volunteer Fire Department and former chief, is being treated at Duke Hospital for injuries he sustained in a May 30 wreck in a fire apparatus en route to a structure fire, yourgv.com reported.

On May 31, the department released the following statement on its Facebook page:

“Bert is out of surgery, which was long. He can wiggle his toes but isn’t awake enough to get a full assessment,” the post said. “Please pray that they can safely position him for the surgery on his lower back, that they can do the less invasive procedure, and that the surgery itself will be safe and effective. Thank you all!”

On a fundraiser page for Martin, organized by Melissa Duffey Fears, the post said Martin “has an extensive recovery process but is expected to make a full recovery.”

Martin was driving a fire apparatus on Newbill School Road on his way to the fire call shortly after 3 p.m. when the truck overturned one and a half times and landed on its side in the ditch, according to a fire official.

It’s unclear what led to the wreck, which is still under investigation by Virginia State Police, the report said. There were no passengers in the apparatus.

The rig was totaled, the report said.

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A Montgomery County (MD) Fire and Rescue tanker rolled over in a crash with a passenger car Saturday, May 31, according to Pete Piringer, the department’s chief spokesperson.

The accident happened around 8 p.m., as the fire department rig was responding to a truck fire.

Piringer said both the driver of the car and the apparatus driver were taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The driver of the tanker was released Sunday morning and is at home recovering, according to wtop.com.

Montgomery County police are investigating the accident.

ICYMI ~8p (5/31) 9500blk River Rd Btwn Persimmon Tree Rd & Newbridge Dr., Potomac, collision, civilian vehicle & @mcfrs W730, @MCFRS_EMIHS transported two (2) Pri2 trauma patients, 1 civilian & 1 MCFRS, both NLTI, some lanes blocked, PD investigating & directing traffic pic.twitter.com/RH1I16DeZt

— Pete Piringer (@mcfrsPIO) June 1, 2025

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A Summerfield Fire District tanker overturned with three firefighters inside Saturday, May 31, wxii12.com reported.

A fire official said some of his firefighters were just wrapping up a live training drill, with Tanker 9 making its way back to the station, the report said. The wreck occurred less than a quarter mile from the training site.

Two of the firefighters went to the hospital. The official said there weren’t any major injuries, just minor scrapes and bruises, according to the report.

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