At least 18 people were injured in a multi-vehicle crash on the southbound I-5 express lanes in Seattle Monday morning. The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) first reported the crash near Mercer Street just before 7:15 a.m. The crash initially blocked two right lanes of the southbound I-5 express lanes and the off-ramp to Stewart Street.
- PUB DATE: 12/12/2022 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KOMO-TV ABC 4 Seattle

The Ottine Volunteer Fire Department will be able to purchase a new cab and chassis for its 18-year-old brush truck, thanks in part to a $25,000 grant from the Lower Colorado River Authority, GonzalesInquirer.com reported.

The Community Development Partnership Program grant, along with $40,804 in matching funds from the department, will allow Ottine VFD to renovate its oldest brush truck to provide a faster and more reliable response to emergency calls and a safer vehicle for firefighters, the report said. The truck also will be used to respond to medical emergencies.

The department currently has an engine, tender and two brush trucks. Engines are primarily used for structure fires, wrecks and extrication, while brush trucks are used off-road to battle wildfires, according to the report. The tender is used for water supply for all apparatus.

A fire truck that served for more than 30 years will be replaced by a new pumper in Seaside Park, with the borough council having voted unanimously last week to approve the acquisition of a new vehicle from a Michigan-based manufacturer, Lavallette-Seaside.Shorebeat.com reported.

The council approved a lease-purchase plan to buy the truck for $620,000 from HME Inc., the report said.

Earlier this fall, officials from the Seaside Park Volunteer Fire Company recommended the purchase of the HME Silverfox pumper truck, saying it represented the best mix of price, capability and availability, the report said. HME specializes in selling “off the shelf” fire trucks that can be customized with a number of options rather than a more complicated bespoke ordering process that can take an extended amount of time, often measured in years, according to the report.

Firefighters say they rescued an 83-year-old man who accidentally drove his car down a 25-foot embankment in Kelso and had to sleep in the trunk of his car during a winter's night. The crash occurred Friday night near the 400 block of North Globe Creek Road, according to Cowlitz 2 Fire & Rescue. The motorist told his rescuers that he was driving at roughly 8:30 p.
- PUB DATE: 12/11/2022 10:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Daily News

OCFA & @RanchoMissionV celebrated the opening of interim Fire Station 67 yesterday, an innovative and first-of-its-kind prefabricated station. A four-person crew serves the community on Paramedic Engine and a type-3 brush engine.
Thank you to @OCSupBartlett & Rancho Mission Viejo pic.twitter.com/VElvIJPSwf

— OCFA PIO (@OCFireAuthority) December 10, 2022

“OCFA and Rancho Mission Viejo celebrated the opening of interim Fire Station 67 yesterday, an innovative and first-of-its-kind prefabricated station in the Village of Rienda. A four-person crew serves the community on Paramedic Engine 67 and on Engine 367, a type-3 brush engine. Thank you to Orange County 5th District Supervisor Lisa Bartlett and to Rancho Mission Viejo for making it a great celebration,” Orange County Fire Authority announced on its social media accounts recently.

A temporary, $5 million pre-fabricated fire station has opened in Rancho Mission Viejo to meet the increasing demand for emergency services in the rapidly expanding development, ocregister.com reported.

Dubbed the Rienda Station, the 2,600-square-foot facility on Cow Camp Road is set to be torn down once a permanent station is built in 2030, according to a fire official. The delay for a permanent facility is to ensure the future facility is central within the entire community, the fire official said.

The station, which opened November 18, was built on land already owned by the company, but additional costs included landscaping and adding a stoplight next to the station, a city official said.

The Rienda Station is expected to serve about 7,000 households or approximately 25,000 people, according to an estimate from OCFA, the report said.