The Spokane County Fire District 4 Board of Fire Commissioners unanimously approved a $5.5 million operating budget for 2016 at its meeting last month. Most of the district’s funding – approximately $5.3 million – comes from two levies for fire and emergency medical service (EMS). The district also anticipates receiving a small amount (less than $50,000) from new construction and an estimated $150,000 for assisting the state during wildland fire season.
- PUB DATE: 12/14/2015 6:56:04 PM - SOURCE: KXLY-TV ABC 4

Escambia County is moving forward toward new fire station for the Beulah community.

The Escambia County Commission has approved the purchase of the current 6,000 square foot fire station on six acres on West Nine Mile Road from the Beulah Volunteer Fire Department, Inc. for $300,000. The purchase price was the average of two appraisals for the county.

The county plans to replace the aging Beulah Fire Station with a modern facility, using Local Option Sales Tax (LOST) funds.

Unless most other county fire stations, the Beulah station has no showers, no bunk room or other facilities for firefighters to sleep as they man the station.

Current firefighters describe the station as a "big shed" that proved its inadequacies during the flooding last year and previous hurricanes. Many of Beulah’s 20 volunteer firefighters  were crammed inside with no showers and no place to sleep.

For more information, view www.northescambia.com

 

Sturtevant trustees will address whether or not to pay Mount Pleasant $17,000 for 2016 South Shore Fire Department equipment purchases a Sturtevant committee late last month voted against.

Trustees Chris Larsen and Chris Wright on Facebook are urging residents to attend Tuesday's board meeting to voice their concern over the SSFD item on the agenda they say was placed there by thwarting both village ordinance and Roberts' Rules of Order.

"Call to Action: A member of the board is trying to go against the vote of the Finance Committee to deny giving Mount Pleasant $17,000 for purchase they chose to make without Sturtevant's approval. This trustee ran to the attorney with your tax dollars to pay for their time to find a loophole to get his way. It was placed on the agenda for this Tuesday when they knew I had a family conflict that prevented me from attending. Your voice needs to be heard call the board and tell them to vote no or go to the meeting Tuesday at 6:00 PM and tell them no," Wright's post reads.

In a nutshell, Sturtevant contracts with Mount Pleasant for fire and rescue services through South Shore Fire Department. The terms of the contract say that both villages need to approve fire department purchases, and if Sturtevant does not approve any item but Mount Pleasant funds the purchase anyway, then Mount Pleasant pays for whatever that item may be.

A formula for determining how much each village pays into South Shore puts Sturtevant's responsibility for about 18 percent.

At issue is a list of SSFD items for 2016 that totaled $1.2 million, making Sturtevant's portion around $68,000. Sturtevant only approved $50,000 for those purchases, leaving a balance of about $17,000 Mount Pleasant picked up because that village board decided to go ahead with the entire list as presented.

After SC Johnson announced the company was donating $324,000 to South Shore, thereby reducing the financial responsibility for both villages in 2016 for certain improvement purchases, Mount Pleasant officials asked Sturtevant to make up the $17,000.

For more information, view racinecountyeye.com

 

Plymouth officials welcomed the Northville City Fire Department's new aerial bucket truck.

The $807,423 truck, a 2015 Rosenbauer Cobra with a boom that extends up to 101 feet, was a joint purchase between the cities of Plymouth and Northville. The NCFD has been providing firefighting and emergency medical service in Plymouth since the beginning of 2012.

The truck, a demonstrator model, replaces a 35-year-old aerial truck. It will be based in Plymouth, but City Manager Paul Sincock said firefighters will be training on it in both communities.

The truck came from the Rosenbauer facility in South Dakota, where some equipment extras included in the purchase had been added and it had been detailed and inspected.

For more information, view hometownlife.com

 

Three firefighters fell through the floor of a burning North Spokane home on Monday near August and Addision. Firefighters said nobody was hurt in the accident, but radio issues played a part in their fall. Leaders on the scene explained that firefighters arrived and immediately discovered the hole in the first floor.
- PUB DATE: 12/14/2015 3:58:04 PM - SOURCE: KREM-TV CBS 2