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- PUB DATE: 2/17/2023 12:16:21 PM - SOURCE: KCPQ-TV FOX 13 Seattle

With plans underway to build a new hospital to replace the Zambarano unit of Eleanor Slater Hospital, the Pascoag Fire District is asking state officials to include an extra $2 million in the budget for a new structure on the campus to house fire equipment, nrinow.news reported.

PFD Fire Commission Chairman Christopher Toti asked for support of the initiative from the Burrillville Town Council last week, noting that Sen. Jessica de la Cruz is submitting the request for funding, the report said.

Toti said that fire trucks have long been located on the property, both for convenience – and historically to bring down insurance rates for both the hospital and surrounding residents, according to the report.

Around 20 years ago, hospital maintenance built a garage to house a fire truck, the report said. Toti said that garage lacks heat and the foundation is cracking and sinking.

The Wallum Lake district is now in the Pascoag Fire District, and without the outpost at Zambarano, the closest station to the hospital would be 4.5 miles away, the report said.

The Lebanon (OR) Fire District posted this press release on its website Feb. 15:

A crowd of about 50 gathered on a cold, Valentine’s Day afternoon to celebrate the groundbreaking of the new Station 31. (The ceremony was held at 1050 West Oak Street in Lebanon, the project site.)

Fire Chief Joseph Rodondi spoke about the community support that has been instrumental in moving this project forward, and thanked various District members and elected officials for their work on the project. Principal Architect Gunnar Gladics of Rice Fergus Miller and Jordan Fell, VP of Operations for Emerick Construction also spoke about the project.

Before “turning dirt,” Board of Directors Member Dale White talked about the history of Station 31, and what it meant to him to be one of the first firefighters to operate out of the old Station 31 building in the 1970s. He shared that they used to get “slammed with up to three or four calls a shift,” drawing a chuckle from the crowd. The Lebanon Fire District averaged over 18 calls per 24-hour shift in 2022. 

Community members were invited to stay after the ceremony and ask questions about the project, which many did. Chief Rodondi finished the ceremony with an invitation to come back this time next year for the grand opening. 

The new fire station is funded by a $16 million general obligation bond Lebanon voters passed in 2019. Construction is expected to be completed in early 2024.

The Fred Beans Automotive Group, through its charitable foundation, donated $100,000 toward two major construction projects and the purchase of two new fire trucks by the Plumsteadville Volunteer Fire Company, patch.com reported.

The donation will help relieve a portion of debt incurred by the company for major construction projects and fire truck purchases, the report said.

“We are extremely grateful for the Fred Beans Family of Dealerships for their generous donation to help us pay for the new station 20,” the Plumsteadville Volunteer Fire Company said in a Feb. 15 Facebook post. “Their generosity will allow us to better serve the community for many years to come!”

A fire official said the company’s plans include replacing the recently demolished Station 20 at Easton and Ferry roads and renovating Station 24 on Stump Road, which was built in 1935, the report said. Both construction projects will address outdated structures that needed attention for the fire company’s safe operation.

The fire company also purchased two new fire trucks, which will be delivered in June, to replace two existing trucks that are 31 and 24 years old, according to the report. 

Iowa’s Department of Homeland Security will pay out up to $640,000 to replace turnout gear and other equipment ruined in an industrial explosion and fire in December.

The department will tap funds it received in the American Rescue Plan Act to replace the gear and seek reimbursement from the company where the fire occurred – C6-Zero. The company uses a solvent to break down used shingles into oil, sand and fiberglass, the Gazette reports.

A massive fire broke out at the factory on Dec. 8, 2022 after an explosion. Departments that responded to the fire discovered that equipment exposed to the fire, including turnout gear, drop tanks and hoses, was impossible to clean because it was coated with residue.

Funds to replace equipment will be distributed to Marengo, Victor, Millersburg, Williamsburg, Amana, North English, Ladora, Coralville, Tiffin, Cedar Rapids, Washington, Grinnell, Blairstown, Iowa City, North Liberty, Norway, Belle Plaine and Oxford, the Gazette reports.