Menu

WFC News

Posted: Jul 13, 2016

Arlington (VA) Board Still Wrestling with Fire-Station Decision

Seemingly divided Arlington County Board members on July 12 continued to grasp for consensus on the future of Fire Station #8, hoping to come to a conclusion before departing on a summer recess next week.
A majority of board members may be ready to side with the community, but the situation remains fluid and the most vocal board member on the subject – Chairman Libby Garvey – is in favor of relocation. Garvey said statistics are clear: A move from the fire station’s current location on Lee Highway to a site at 26th Street North and Old Dominion Drive would provide quicker response times to residential areas in far northwest Arlington.

Board members are slated to make a decision on the final location on July 19. Funds for planning and designing the new facility are slated to be included in a Nov. 8 bond referendum, with construction funds slated for inclusion in a 2018 bond referendum.

A task force set up last year by the County Board came in with its report in late May, with a majority of members in favor of keeping the station where it is. That was a victory for many residents of the Halls Hill/High View Park community, who want the station retained in their midst to honor African-American firefighters who served the community during the segregation era, and to provide rapid response to calls for service.

While the task force disagreed with county staff on the location, all sides appear to agree that a new station needs to have four service bays, compared to two at the current station. In either location, such a station would cost about $14 million, according to current estimates.

Read more
Posted: Jul 13, 2016

Beloit (IL) Adds Two New Fire Apparatus

The Beloit Fire Department initiates two new fire trucks for service in their traditional wet-down push-back ceremony. The ritual, which dates back to the late 1800's, involves soaking the new rigs with water and pushing them backward into the station garage.
The trucks cost $408,000 each and have the most up-to-date equipment and operating systems for both efficiency and safety.

The two new trucks replace two old ones. Those trucks will be serviced and then shipped to third world countries for firefighter use for those that wouldn’t be able to afford the equipment.

Read more
Posted: Jul 13, 2016

Athens (PA) Fire Apparatus Now in Service

The Athens Borough Fire Department recently placed into service a 1996 Pierce fire engine purchased for $30,000 earlier this year from the Troy Fire Department. The engine replaces a 1989 model donated by Joe Polzella in 2012. The Athens Borough Council voted Monday to donate that engine back to Polzella.
Firefighters say the new engine — which can pump 1,500 gallons of water per minute — will primarily provide assistance to neighboring townships when needed.
Read more
Posted: Jul 13, 2016

Croswell (MI) Man Hospitalized After Hitting Fire Apparatus

A 31-year-old Croswell man was hospitalized after running into a fire department rescue truck Tuesday night, according to a statement from the Sanilac County Sheriff Department.
Several vehicles from the Croswell Fire Department were blocking Black River Road south of Sheridan Line about 10:40 p.m. due to a power line down across the roadway when a northbound car hit a rescue truck.

Firefighters at the scene administered first aid to the driver, Codey Bower, before he was taken to Port Huron McLaren hospital for treatment.

The rescue truck, which had emergency lights on, was not occupied at the time of the crash.

Read more
Posted: Jul 13, 2016

Canton (OH) to Pay $350K to Settle Lawsuit Involving Fatal Fire Apparatus Accident

Canton (OH) has reached a $350,000 settlement in a lawsuit stemming from a fatal auto crash involving a fire truck.
Dale Burlingame was killed and his wife, Grace, seriously injured in the crash about nine years ago on Cleveland Avenue NW. The legal saga has spanned numerous legal challenges and disputes, bouncing from Stark County Common Pleas Court to the 5th District Court of Appeals to the Ohio Supreme Court and back to the trial court.

Canton City Council approved the mediated settlement on first reading Monday night; for payments to take effect, the agreement must be finalized by Stark County Probate Court.

In July 2007, Dale and Grace Burlingame had just celebrated their 53rd wedding anniversary, when Dale turned their van onto Cleveland Avenue NW from 18th Street and it was struck by a firetruck. The firefighter who drove the truck said in a deposition and during the case that he thought the traffic light was green, according to the city law department. The truck's siren wasn't working but the driver used the air-horn to alert motorists and the emergency lights were activated, according to the city.

Grace and her husband's estate sued the city in 2009.

Read more
RSS
First73017302730373047306730873097310Last

Theme picker

Search News Articles