By Megan Ciampo

Spartan Emergency Response officially broke ground Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2025, on a transformative $20 million expansion project at its Brandon, South Dakota, facility. The event marked the beginning of a three-phase project that will significantly increase and enhance the company’s production capabilities, furthering its commitment to innovation in emergency response solutions.

The expansion project is designed to support Spartan’s continued growth, to meet the increasing demand for apparatus, and to add additional jobs to the region, all while staying focus on Spartan’s core mission—putting first responders first.

The project will include three phases, each focusing on expansion, innovation, and enhancements. The new facility will allow Spartan ER to scale production of vehicles while maintaining high standards of quality and safety.

The groundbreaking ceremony drew a crowd of approximately 100 people, including state and local government officials, South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden, fire apparatus dealers, Spartan and REV Group Inc. employees, and community leaders.

The ceremony featured remarks from Mike Virnig, President of REV Group Inc., and Chag Knigge, General Manager of Spartan Emergency Response, as well as Brandon, SD, Mayor Harry Buck, and Gov. Rhoden. Following the speeches, the government officials and Spartan employees gathered for the ceremonial turning of the soil, hard hats and shovels included.

Attendees were also treated to a showcase of Spartan’s latest fire apparatus, a walkaround tour of the existing manufacturing facility, and more.

The impact of this expansion will stretch far beyond the attendees of the event, though. REV Group Inc. says this new facility space will increase production by 40%, improve material flow, improve delivery time to customers, and greatly reduce lead times for fully custom products.

When asked about the expansion’s impact on production time, Vernig said, “If I had to guess, 25% increased throughput of the S-180s. The rest of the increase we’re going to see, 75% of that, will be for the custom units we build.”

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CLAYTON SIDENBENDER
The Elkhart Truth, Ind.
(TNS)

ELKHART — City officials, fire department leaders and community members gathered Monday to break ground on the city’s first new fire station in two decades.

The fire station will replace the old Fire Station 6 located on 1023 Oslo Road and the new station will be located on 2620 Ada Drive.

According to Fire Chief Rodney Dale, the last station that was built was Fire Station 4 on the corner of Oak and Mishawaka streets.

“We are adding to complement what’s necessary to serve this northeast quadrant relative to our fire department,” Mayor Rod Roberson said. “And it’s important that we add this station, which is why the excitement of firefighters are pretty obvious as well as the administration. You only build fire stations 20, 30 years apart.”

The project will cost about $9 million. It is expected to be completed by September 2026.

Despite potential financial challenges in the coming years due to state tax reform measures, the city had saved cash reserves for the project, Roberson said.

“This one has been in the funnel for a minute and we had already saved,” Roberson said. “Our city, with respect to reserves, is in some of best financial shape out of cities in the state, and so we have adequate reserves. We also have done really, really well given that our budgets have been very strong over the last couple of years. We put together a really strong plan to be financially prudent, so we didn’t have to borrow or go into deeper debt in order to do this station.”

Fire Station 6 and the Hively Avenue Overpass projects will be unaffected by Senate Enrolled Act 1, Roberson said in a news conference last week. However, other projects will either be delayed or canceled due to financial constraints caused by the legislation, he said.

The fire department is already in the process of hiring the personnel for the new station, Dale said. The station will also have a fairly new fire engine.

“It’s going to serve our residents better,” Dale said.

Ambulance services have to come from Central Fire Station because the current Fire Station 6 cannot house an ambulance vehicle. The new station will help with more efficient response times for both ambulances and fire engines, Dale said.

More bays will also be available to house fire engines. The current Fire Station 6 only has one bay.

© 2025 The Elkhart Truth (Elkhart, Ind).. Visit www.elkharttruth.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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For the first time in decades, the Branford (FL) Volunteer Fire Department on Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2025, unveiled a brand-new fire apparatus, wcjb.com reported.

Fire rescue personnel, local football players, and residents participated in the official push-in ceremony to welcome the new engine, the report said.

This marks the first new fire apparatus purchased by the department since 1981, according to the report.

The pumper cost $475,000 and was funded through state grants, the report said.

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The International Fire Service Training Association (IFSTA) Essentials of Fire Fighting and Fire Department Operations defines standard operating procedures/ guidelines (SOPs/SOGs) as: rules for how personnel should perform routine functions or emergency operations. Procedures are typically written in a handbook so that all firefighters can become familiar with them.

It is sad to say that not many fire departments I am aware of have written SOPs/SOGs regarding the use and applications of their thermal imagers (TIs). Yet there are SOPs/SOGs for every other operation or task that is performed on a regular basis.

Here is a basic outline to help establish an SOP/SOG for thermal imaging operations.

PURPOSE

To establish guidelines to facilitate the most effective method for deploying TIs in a way that provides the most protection for members. In addition, it is to provide a reference document to be used for training of members in the uses, deployment, limitations, operation, care, and maintenance of TIs.

SCOPE

XYZ Fire Rescue Service.

POLICY

TIs shall be used at every structural fire and any other situations as identified where they will enhance the safety of fire rescue service members.

This policy outlines the various uses of TIs, guidelines for their use and operation in firefighting situations, methods of deployment, daily inspection, and care and maintenance instructions.

PROCEDURES

TI Uses

• Provides safer navigation in a space where there is zero visibility due to smoke.
• Allows firefighters to “see” in a zero-visibility environment, which is a very useful addition to traditional search techniques.
• Enables suppression crews to execute a faster, more efficient interior attack. The shortest route to the fire, holes in the floor, and obstacles in the structure can be determined and located efficiently.
• Reduces fatigue of interior crews because efficiency in performing searches and suppression is increased.
• Allows rapid intervention teams (RITs) to quickly and efficiently locate down firefighters.
• May be used to determine fluid level within a container, which may be useful during an incident involving a hazardous material.
• May be used as a search tool to locate lost persons in open wilderness areas.

OPERATIONS

When an engine company arrives at the scene of a fire or any other incident where smoke will or could hamper visibility, the officer shall ensure that the attack team or other designated team has the TI available and ready to use.

Firefighters shall use available TIs to aid in the search for victims.

If conditions warrant the use of the TI, the second-in backup firefighter shall be the operator of the TI for the nozzle person unless an officer accompanies the crew. Then they will operate the TI in conjunction with the attack crew. The TI operator should make periodic sweeps of the room and structure they are operating in.

Fire command should be notified that the TI is in use, and search and rescue and suppression activities should occur in compliance with the respective operational guidelines. Standard firefighting practices should continue to be observed.

TI operators must be aware that they tend to move faster than the rest of the team who are operating in zero visibility. The TI op

Clark County Commissioner Justin Jones, officials from the Clark County Fire Department, and Clark County’s Real Property Management Department invite the public to join them in celebrating the grand opening of Fire Station 39 at 6855 Raven Avenue on Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025, the city said in a press release.

Festivities will kick-off with a hose-cutting ceremony at 9 a.m. followed by a free pancake breakfast, kids’ activities like craft projects, and a dunk tank featuring the commissioner and fire chief! Attendees at this family-friendly event will have the opportunity to tour the station, explore a fire engine and all the tools on board, and even experience first-hand spraying water from a firehose.

“As Clark County continues to grow, Fire Station 39 will play a vital role in maintaining our response times for our fire and medical responses,” said Billy Samuels, Clark County Fire Chief. “It’s essential that Clark County Fire keeps pace with the Valley’s expansion, and Station 39 will help us meet the needs of the community.”

Clark County Fire Sation 39 will serve the growing southwest Las Vegas Valley with one engine and one rescue unit and is expected to respond to 2,000-3,000 calls for service per year. Located near the intersection of Blue Diamond Rd. and South Rainbow Blvd, the station’s service area generally ranges north to Robindale Rd. and south to Cactus Ave. covering calls east of Fort Apache Rd. and west of Decatur Blvd.

“Fire Station 39 represents a $12 million investment in protecting southwest Valley families. With thousands of emergency calls expected annually, this station means critical minutes saved when lives are on the line for those near Blue Diamond Road and Rainbow Boulevard,” said Commissioner Jones, whose Commission District F includes the new station. “That’s not just infrastructure—it’s peace of mind built into our community.”

The Clark County Fire Department is the largest in the state, receiving 146,626 calls for service in 2023. With the opening of Station 39, the department has 33 full-time fire stations and 10 volunteer fire stations in rural areas, responsible for protecting a majority of the Las Vegas Valley, including the famed Las Vegas Strip, as well as the resort townships of Laughlin, Primm and Jean. The Department also maintains one of only 28 urban search and rescue teams in the country and provides fire and rescue services to the nation’s 5th-busiest airport.

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