Wildfire mitigation and prevention projects in Washington are set to get $23.4 million in federal money, thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act. The money, distributed through Community Wildfire Defense Grants (CWDG), will help pay for 13 state, local and tribal efforts to deal with and anticipate the Washington’s increasingly active wildfire seasons.
- PUB DATE: 3/22/2023 1:55:00 PM - SOURCE: Spokane Public Radio

Two people were rescued from a burning home in Everett that left three people critically injured. A passerby called 911 about a house fire in the 3400 block of Broadway at 4:15 a.m. on Wednesday. Firefighters arrived and went into the home and rescued two people, including one person who was in a wheelchair.
- PUB DATE: 3/22/2023 1:30:00 PM - SOURCE: KIRO-TV CBS 7 Seattle

Michael DiVittorio
The Tribune-Review, Greensburg
(TNS)

Mar. 22—Verona officials and the Oakmont Volunteer Fire Department plan to use state funding to make way for new vehicles and equipment.

Both boroughs are getting a piece of nearly $400,000 in funds though the Commonwealth Financing Authority and Department of Economic Community Development.

Verona will get $158,625 and the fire department is expected to receive $100,000 in distributions of Statewide Local Share Account grants.

The grants were made possible through the help of state Sen. Jay Costa, D-Forest Hills, and state Rep. Joe McAndrew, D-Penn Hills.

Verona will use its grant to purchase a new Ford F600 truck with a new bed, salt spreading equipment and a trailer for a leaf vacuum, borough manager Stefanie Woolford said.

“Having a leaf vac that’s reliable will be wonderful,” she said. “Right now, ours is broken more than it was together.”

There is a borough match of a little more than $17,000 for the grant. The match will be covered through proceeds of equipment sales made last year, Woolford said.

Verona has three public works employees, all full-time.

Details such as what dealership to buy from and when have yet to be finalized.

Fire Chief Joe Flanik said they will use their grant to pay for an addition to their fire department garage, including partial demolition of the existing structure and construction of an addition to extend the length of the garage to house a new ladder fire engine.

The department acquired a 2022 Sutphen Aerial platform fire truck with a 100-foot ladder in October.

It replaced a 75-foot 1971 Mack Aerial ladder truck and a 1996 Pierce Engine.

“Before, we needed both of those apparatuses to do one job,” Flanick said.”We needed the truck to go up in the air and needed the engine to pump (water) for the truck. The new ladder truck had about 25-foot longer reach and it has a pump built in. It can do the same job with a fraction of the manpower needed and a fraction of the time to set it up. You also only have one vehicle to maintain instead of two.”

The bigger ladder also came with about six more feet of truck space to drive and park.

The department worked with Erie-based Oak Valley Construction to demolish a back wall of the station and put an addition to the rear of the building to make room for the truck.

That work was completed in January with an estimated $101,000 price tag.

“We needed the grant to get the project completed,” Flanick said. “We had to do it at the time and it strapped us for cash. We thank McAndrew and his team for getting us this grant.”

The chief said he was unsure about matching funds for the grant. Oakmont VFD has 22 active firefighters.

Statewide Local Share Account Grants are designed to promote projects in the public interest and projects that improve the quality of life of people in their neighborhoods and communities.

“The safety of our constituents is vital, and I’m proud to help support a strong local economy,” said McAndrew via news release. “I appreciate working with Senator Costa, who truly did a fantastic job in supporting the region with these crucial funds.”

State officials also announced Penn Hills was awarded $70,000 in LSA grants earlier this month to be used for the VOPP trail — Verona, Oakmont, Penn Hills and Plum.

Funds will be used for the design of segment two of the Milltown Park Trail extension in Penn Hills, including hiring an engineer to complete the design, engineering, specifications and bid documents to provide for the

By Alan M. Petrillo

The Chadron (NE) Volunteer Fire Department provides fire suppression, rescue and emergency medical services (EMS) to a 650-square mile district in the northwestern part of Nebraska, in the foothills south of the state’s Black Hills. The town of Chadron has 6,000 residents, a population that is added to by 1,000 people daily in the town’s three colleges.

Brandon Martens, Chadron’s chief, notes that the department’s 50 volunteer firefighters responded to 550 calls last year, 40 of them fires of one sort or another, using two Type 1 engines, one aerial ladder, three tenders (tankers), five Type 6 brush trucks, several UTVs (utility terrain vehicles), command pickup trucks, and two ambulances. Martens says the department wanted to get a new rescue truck and turned to Danko Emergency Equipment Company to build the rig.

Dave Knobbe, apparatus salesman for Danko, says that Chadron has been a longtime customer of Danko that provides structure and wildland fire suppression, rescue and EMS services to a wide area. “The department needed a rescue unit that could get into a wide array of different terrain,” Knobbe says. “They were replacing a quick-attack vehicle with a small rescue, and we worked with them to custom fit out the truck to handle their needs.” Wheelbase on the rescue is 169 inches, overall length is 24 feet 3 inches, and overall height is 8 feet 1 inch.

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