Mechanicsburg Borough Council last week approved a 0.25-mill increase in the municipal fire tax to help the fire department finance the construction of a new $8 million station, victoriaadvocate.com reported.

By a unanimous vote, council hiked the tax from 0.75 mills to 1 mill at the request of the Mechanicsburg Volunteer Fire Department, which wants to build the 25,000-square-foot station at the corner of York and Simpson streets where the Citizens Fire Company building sits, the report said.

Since 2015, nearly $700,000 has been invested in site design and land acquisition for the new station, which will cost an estimated $8 million, according to the report.

That estimate includes about $180,000 to demolish not just the old Citizens station but also three adjoining properties, a fire official said. About $6.5 million has been set aside for construction and about $800,000 in contingency, according to the report.

The fire department anticipates construction to take 12 to 18 months.

The following is the capital campaign mission statement:

“We envision a modern fire department facility that will serve the Mechanicsburg community for the next 100 years. It will serve as a small gathering place for community events, provide classroom and meeting space for our members, and further galvanize the Mechanicsburg Fire Department as one since the 2019 merger.

“The downtown fire station and the current station on York Street have served the community well. However, major improvements will cost more to meet the current and future needs of each location when compared to consolidating into one new building. The existing station layouts do not properly separate living and eating space from vehicles and equipment to optimize the safety and health of our personnel and practically, there is no room for expansion downtown.

“Our plan is to build a new, modern fire department building at the corner of York and Simpson Streets. All fire apparatus and personnel will be housed together in one facility. Additionally, this facility will become the home for Penn State Life Lion EMS in the Mechanicsburg area.”

A motorist, trapped after his car struck a fire truck on the scene of an earlier accident, was freed following an early morning crash on I-295 in Cherry Hill (NJ), fire officials said.

While responding to a separate accident early Saturday morning, Cherry Hill Fire Department’s Rescue Ladder 13 was struck by a passing vehicle, the fire department said in a statement.

A man is in custody after allegedly crashing into a Phoenix fire truck early Saturday morning near 24th and Roosevelt streets, abc15.com reported.

The man who wedged his car under the fire truck was allegedly driving while intoxicated, the report said. Authorities say no one was hurt in the crash.

The man was detained and processed for DUI, according to the report.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security awarded Athens Township Fire Department with a $331,039 grant to update its equipment, fox17online.com reported.

The fire department will use the money for brand-new breathing apparatuses and radios, a fire official said. The new equipment is expected to arrive in 12 to 18 months, the report said.