Michelle Mcconnaha
Ravalli Republic, Hamilton, Mont.
(TNS)

Mar. 15—Sapphire Lutheran Homes is hosting a fundraising dinner on March 24 for the new fire station being built by the City of Hamilton.

Dominic Farrenkopf, mayor and SLH community life director, said the Hamilton Volunteer Fire Department is in “dire need of a new fire station” and that raising funds is important as inflation has increased the building costs.

“We’re still $1.2 million short,” Farrenkopf said. “Between when we approved the project and when we started to build, the costs of building materials and labor have increased because of inflation. We will have a fire station. It will happen as we have the plans ready to go. We’re hoping the community will recognize how important this service is, hold fundraising events, and make donations to the fire station.”

He said the city has secured loans, budgeted money, received grants and collected donations.

“It will be paid for, but we are hoping to continue to raise the difference needed to complete the fire station,” Farrenkopf said.

Sapphire Lutheran Homes is hosting a dinner at 7 p.m. on Friday, March 24.

The menu includes baby back pork ribs, barbecue chicken, beer brats, mac ‘n cheese, red-skin mashed potatoes, coleslaw, cornbread, strawberry shortcake, beer and wine.

“Essentially, we’ll have a gourmet meal and entertainment,” Farrenkopf said. “Steve Winkler who is most famous as the lead singer for ‘Who Dat’ is the entertainment. He will play the piano, sing and do a tribute to John Denver and Neil Diamond.”

Tickets to the dinner cost $100.

“Every ticket sold is also an entry into a raffle for a gift certificate of $150 to Bouilla that will be given away at the dinner,” Farrenkopf said. “It will be delicious and a good time to get together and raise some money for the fire station.”

The fire station will be a 17,000-square-foot facility on the southwest corner of Skeels Avenue and Foxfield Street. The new location will give firefighters room for equipment, common spaces and living quarters designed with firefighter safety in mind. The new station design includes four bays to house fire trucks, a fire hose tower, decontamination space, offices, counseling boxes and a fitness center.

The Hamilton Volunteer Fire Department Fire Station Fundraiser will be at Sapphire Lutheran Homes, 501 N. 10th Street in Hamilton. Call SLH at 406-353-2800 for tickets. Fundraising dinner sponsors include Sapphire Lutheran Homes, Flower Happy Floral and Gifts, Dowling Architects, The Coffee Cup Care, Quality Construction, Co., Bouilla, Mikesell’s Fine Jewelry, The Stock Farm Club, The Edge, and Hulteng, CCM.

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(c)2023 Ravalli Republic, Hamilton, Mont.

Visit Ravalli Republic, Hamilton, Mont. at http://www.ravallinews.com

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PRESS RELEASE

The Anne Arundel County Fire Department is excited to announce that we officially broke ground on the new Crownsville Fire Station 6 in Crownsville (MD) earlier this week. On March 1, 2023, six golden shovels held by County Executive Steuart Pittman, Fire Chief Trisha Wolford, Acting Department of Public Works Director Karen Henry, Manns Woodward Studios Representative Jessica Sweigart, and Current Station 6 Captain Jen Robertson signified the start of this much anticipated public safety improvement for the Crownsville area.

Crownsville Fire Station 6 will be more centrally located in Crownsville on the North East Corner of Generals Hwy and Sunrise Beach Road. The new location will add fire and EMS service in less than 8 minutes to over 8,000 more residents in Crownsville.

The new station will be a significant upgrade from the current Station 6, with over 22 thousand square feet of space, including four drive-through bay areas for varying emergency apparatus to serve the community. The station cost is approximately 12 million dollars and will include a community engagement room, commercial kitchen, physical fitness room, exhaust removal system, and NFPA complaint cancer reduction features.

The project is projected to be completed in 2025.

Elizabeth Brewer
The Record-Eagle, Traverse City, Mich.
(TNS)

Mar. 17—TRAVERSE CITY — The East Bay Township Board of Trustees voted unanimously to take the next step in expanding Grand Traverse Metro Fire Department Station No. 9.

On Monday night during their board of trustees meeting, all of the board members agreed that a station expansion was necessary.

“It is needed, we need to have Metro out there,” Susanne Courtade said. “Our emergencies aren’t slowing down. Our need for coverage isn’t slowing down.”

The motion approved a document that would allow Cornerstone Architects authorization to proceed with the plans, budgeting for up to $7,200.

East Bay Township Supervisor Beth Friend made clear prior to the vote that the money would only go toward overseeing the bidding process and construction management, not the actual cost of the project.

These renovations follow those in 2017 and 2018, when Station 9 added their first dorm room, said East Bay Ambulance Director Nick Lemcool.

Starting March 16, there will be someone at that station 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, said Grand Traverse Metro Fire Department Chief Pat Parker.

“I know that was a long-term ask of East Bay Township to staff the station, and we got it done,” he said. “With a lot of pain, but we got it done.”

Currently there are two dorm rooms in the station — one utilized by the firefighters and the other by paramedics.

The debate between board members was about how much they should expand the station — not whether the expansion should happen.

Lemcool initially requested an additional dorm room for the station, given staffing changes.

However, trustee Glen Lile asked what would happen if there was a woman and a man on duty at the same time?

This question prompted the idea of expanding the project to two new dorm rooms.

Trustee Matt Courtade argued that all it would take was just one extra wall to make that second dorm room, and that the extra room could be utilized as an office space while they wait for more money to make more hires.

“It’s pennies on the dollar to do it now versus down the road,” he said.

Parker agreed that it would be easier to build two if the place is already going to be under construction, but emphasized that there is no room in the budget to put on a second person in Station 9.

According to Parker, Metro would have to find money in the budget to staff three more full-time positions at Station 9 to utilize that extra dorm space.

“Is that something we want to do? Absolutely,” Parker said. “But, I don’t see it in the budget now.”

Eventually, Friend said Station 9 needs even more help than just the dorm rooms, including bathrooms, the common area, the kitchen to bring it “to par level with other stations.”

This new expansion would bring the total number of dorm rooms in the station up to four, and would be paid for by East Bay Township.

The board will meet again to approve and discuss final construction costs before they begin.

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(c)2023 The Record-Eagle (Traverse City, Mich.)

Visit The Record-Eagle (Traverse City, Mich.) at record-eagle.com

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A Bayonne Fire Department vessel was damaged last month when a 189-foot barge struck the marina at the Robbins Reef Yacht, nj.com reported. That left the fire department with only one vessel. Bayonne city officials reached out for help.

North Hudson Regional Fire and Rescue (NHRFR) answered that call, loaning the Bayonne Fire Department one of its fire boats, the report said. The loan is part of NHRFR’s larger, ongoing effort to strengthen mutual aid agreements in the region and ensure the safety of communities throughout Hudson County, NHRFR officials said.

Bayonne welcomed the addition of the 17-foot Boston whaler, noting that Bayonne Fire Department boats responded to 103 calls last year, including 12 water rescues and 10 calls to provide mutual aid, the report said.

Bayonne fire boat’s motor was damaged when it was struck by debris in the Feb. 15 incident in Newark Bay, the report said. A tug boat apparently lost control of the scrap barge, which ripped through the wooden pilings at the yacht club’s marina, according to the report.

There is now a plan in the works for a new fire station in Lynchburg, wset.com reported.

At Lynchburg City Council’s Tuesday work session, council members discussed plans to build a new station at the intersection of Odd Fellows Road and Liberty Mountain Road, near the roundabout, the report said.

According to the council, Liberty University will provide the land and the city will lease the station from LU. It would be a long-term lease.

Council said the need for this has increased over the last few years because of an increased volume of calls at the Lynchburg Fire Department, the report said.

According to the plan, the new station would cost $5-$7 million.

For this to happen, the city would need to finalize a lease agreement with the university, according to the report. This would require the approval of the city council and the full LU Board of Trustees. There would also need to be a budget amendment to secure funding.