The Spokane Valley Fire Department (SVFD) officially hired 16 new firefighters that will begin attending the Fire Academy Wednesday. The recruits will endure an 18-week training course on top of exams on skills they have learned. “This new recruit academy will help SVFD move closer to being fully staffed and able to meet the increasing demands for our services.
- PUB DATE: 2/1/2023 1:39:25 PM - SOURCE: KREM TV CBS 2 Spokane

New report provides insight into Perimeter Solutions’ sustainability strategy and ESG performance

Clayton, MO 31 January 2023 – Perimeter Solutions (NYSE: PRM), a leading global manufacturer of high-quality firefighting products and lubricant additives, today announced that it has issued its inaugural Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) Standard Factsheet. The newly announced report provides insight into Perimeter Solutions’ multi-faceted approach to enhance, advance and regularly communicate its sustainability strategy and environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance. It is available to view online.

“Perimeter Solutions is an innovative and evolving organization. In order to remain successful, we realize the importance of embedding strong sustainability priorities within our business operations,” says Edward Goldberg, CEO of Perimeter Solutions. “Over the past two years, our senior management team has worked to enhance our ESG strategy to align with the broader transformation of our company. Publishing this Factsheet demonstrates our commitment to transparency and accountability in our environmental, social and governance performance.”

Highlighted in the report are the three key tenets of Perimeter Solutions’ ESG strategy, which guide the company’s sustainability efforts:

• Environmental: Perimeter Solutions’ focus on environmental stewardship is integral to the work it does every day. Wildfire control products developed by Perimeter Solutions save tens of thousands of hectares of forest every year, helping these forests to continue to sequester carbon and reduce the amount of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere. Perimeter Solutions fire safety products also require dramatically less water to be effective, reducing the amount of water customers use while protecting a valuable natural resource. Internally, Perimeter Solutions has taken steps to increase recycling, made capital investments to reduce the amount of energy used in its manufacturing process, and increased the use of e-records to reduce the Company’s carbon footprint.
• Social Impact: Perimeter Solutions is committed to providing equal employment opportunities. All recruiting, payment, performance, and promotion decisions are based on merit, without discrimination on the basis of gender, sexual orientation, age, family status, ethnic origin, nationality, disability, or religious belief. Women represent approximately 19% of Perimeter Solutions’ total workforce. Members with diverse backgrounds comprise 33% of the Company’s Board. At the community level, Perimeter Solutions devoted 500,000 hours of dedicated service to forest fire remediation. The Company’s focused on contributing to the creation of a better world through its strategic nonprofit partnerships, volunteerism, and philanthropy.
• Corporate Governance: Perimeter Solutions emphasizes a culture of accountability and conducts its business in a manner that is fair, ethical, and responsible to earn the trust of its stakeholders. Perimeter Solutions has corporate governance policies and structures in place to support its c

Augusta (GA) leaders learned more about two fire trucks that recently wrecked, plus learned a little bit about the future of first response, wrdw.com reported.

Augusta Fire Chief Antonio Burden delivered the information during a committee meeting of the Augusta Commission Tuesday.

The wrecked trucks may not be usable due to damage from the wrecks, and leaders don’t have an estimate yet on how much repairs or loss of the trucks would cost, the report said. Since the trucks are self-insured, that means the department will have to foot the bill, the report said.

Burden says officials are still investigating whether the wrecks are due to human error or equipment failure, according to the report. The wrecks occurred on Jan. 16 and 21. Both drivers were tested for substances, the report said.

Also at Tuesday’s meeting, Burden gave a presentation on so-called quick-response vehicles and advocated for them over ladder trucks. He said the vehicles save 25% on gas compared to ladder trucks and cost only 10% of what ladder trucks cost, according to the report.

He said the use of quick-response vehicles is a nationwide trend and that the vehicles would be a good solution and relief for fire trucks, the report said.

The long-time ambulance manufacturing team of Mark Van Arnam and Randy Hanson have been selected to lead the REV Ambulance Group. Mark will serve as President for the Group and Randy will function as Chief Operating Officer.

“Mark and Randy have worked together in our company’s ambulance operations for over 35 years” stated Paul Bamatter, Chairman of REV Group’s Board of Directors. “They are well known as the leading ambulance team in the business.”

The REV Ambulance Group is the largest ambulance manufacturing corporation in the industry, and consists of legendary brands AEV, Horton, Leader, Road Rescue and Wheeled Coach.

“Our main objective is to provide our customers and dealers the high-quality vehicles that they need and that we are known for,” Bamatter added. “We believe this new leadership team will take our ambulance group to the next level.”

About REV Group, Inc.

REV Group companies are leading designers and manufacturers of specialty vehicles and related aftermarket parts and services, which serve a diversified customer base, primarily in the United States, through three segments: Fire & Emergency, Commercial, and Recreation. They provide customized vehicle solutions for applications, including essential needs for public services (ambulances, fire apparatus, school buses, and transit buses), commercial infrastructure (terminal trucks and industrial sweepers), and consumer leisure (recreational vehicles). REV Group’s diverse portfolio is made up of well-established principal vehicle brands, including many of the most recognizable names within their industry. Several of REV Group’s brands pioneered their specialty vehicle product categories and date back more than 50 years. REV Group trades on the NYSE under the symbol REVG.

Nicole Ronchetti
The Bemidji Pioneer, Minn.
(TNS)

Jan. 31—BEMIDJI — The Bemidji City Council heard a report on the future of city hall and the fire station during its meeting on Monday, which included six options ranging in cost from $23 to $26 million.

Conversations on the buildings’ future began last spring, after the lower levels of city hall flooded in late April 2022.

The following inspection revealed several other concerns related to drainage, including issues with the roof and foundation.

Presented with these problems, the city council agreed to conduct an evaluation of its options, which included remodeling the building or constructing a new Bemidji City Hall.

The Bemidji Fire Department, which had previously raised concerns about the fire station’s aging conditions and lack of adequate space, asked to also be included in the evaluation.

Wold Architects and Engineers was brought in to conduct the study and after nine months of interviews and planning, two representatives gave a report to the council on its options.

“This is at a good inflection point for the project,” said John McNamara, a partner at Wold. “(We’re) really thinking through what the long-term needs for the city are.”

McNamara and Wold architect Paige Sullivan presented the council members with six options for them to consider, all of which included remodeling or reconstructing both buildings.

Each of the options would increase the space in the buildings, increasing city hall from around 12,000 square feet to 18,000 and the fire station from 10,000 to 24,000 square feet.

“There really is no space left,” McNamara explained, outlining the lack of usable space for offices, storage and other key functions. “That’s something that needs to be addressed.”

Option 1, which was the only alternative that would remodel the existing buildings, would renovate some of the existing spaces and add significant additions to both city hall and the fire station.

The construction of this option would cost an estimated $23,206,000, but it would also require the purchase and demolition of the First National Bank branch, which currently exists on the same block as both municipal buildings. These costs were not included in the estimate.

Options 2 and 3 similarly would require the demolition of the bank, the cost of which was also not included in the estimates of $26,028,000 for either option.

Unlike Option 1, both of these options would create an entirely new combined facility for city hall and the fire station and construction would be done in phases.

Options 4a and 4b were both created with designs that would allow for the continued existence of the neighboring bank, and similarly would create a new combined facility. The cost estimates for both options come in at $26 million.

Both 4a and 4b could be constructed in phases to allow for as much continued operation of the current buildings as possible.

“That’s why we wanted to include options here that would allow a phased approach,” McNamara shared.

The final alternative presented to the council, Option 5, would construct entirely new facilities on a separate site at the estimated cost of $25.5 million. This estimate assumes the use of land the city already owns.

While all of these cost estimates, barring some expenses that were not included, fell within a similar range, one of the first things acknowledged by the council was the cost of the project.

“That’s a lot of money that comes from the taxpayer, one way or another,” said Mayor Jorge Prince, who explained that Bemidji is already facing large government projects from the county and school district.

Ward 4 Coun