At the 7th Annual Public Safety Report meeting Thursday, Mayor John Hamilton announced a new $100,000 no-interest down payment assistance program for up to 10 police officers and 10 firefighters as an incentive to live in the city of Bloomington. Commencing immediately, the pilot housing program is the only such program known to exist in the country.
- PUB DATE: 2/10/2023 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: City of Bloomington

When Jessica Markle — then Jessica Fink — walked into West Manchester Township Fire Department’s (WMTFD) Shiloh Fire Company back in April 2015, she was a college student who decided to become a volunteer firefighter on a whim. Little did she know that she was about to meet somebody who would change her life.
- PUB DATE: 2/10/2023 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: York Daily Record - Metered Site

Read the features and news on fire trucks and fire equipment from the February 2023 issue of Fire Apparatus & Emergency Equipment magazine.

Kent Police are contracting with Puget Sound Regional Fire Authority to provide a co-responder program featuring a nurse and a social worker. The Kent City Council and Mayor Dana Ralph asked the police department in 2020 to look into starting up a co-responder program in an effort to handle calls that might be a better fit for a social worker or nurse than an officer.
- PUB DATE: 2/9/2023 11:35:00 AM - SOURCE: Kent Reporter - Metered Site

The Spring Hill Board of Mayor and Aldermen examined designs for the proposed Fire Station 4 this week, which staff promises to be a much-needed upgrade to the fire department’s growing needs, ColumbiaDailyHerald.com reported.

The need for a new station has been in the works for many years, beginning around 2018-2019, the report said. The station is expected to open and be fully operational at the corner of Duplex and Buckner roads by November of 2024.

The new 17,023 square-foot station’s proposed design, created by Renaissance Group consulting firm, will keep the traditional fire hall look and feel, but with a whole lot more resources available for staff, as well as office space for Spring Hill Police personnel, the report said. This includes individual dorm rooms for staff, four drive-thru bays, spaces for training and an in-house gym.

Other features include a commercial kitchen, as well as a conference room that doubles as an emergency storm shelter, according to the report.

The project is expected to break ground in October, with a construction cost estimated at $6 million, the report said.