By Alan M. Petrillo

Fire Station 6, the oldest active fire station of the Raleigh (NC) Fire Department, had been built in 1949 in the heart of the city’s most prominent historic district.

Its relatively small size of 5,400 square feet severely limited the accommodation of modern fire apparatus as well as personnel accommodations, so the city decided to replace it with a new structure, hiring Stewart Cooper Newell Architects (SCN) to design and build the new Fire Station 6 on the same site.

“The station was outdated for our needs,” says James Poole, Raleigh’s division chief. “And to complicate the building of a new station was the fact the property was only one-sixth of an acre, a large oak tree on the back of the site had to be protected, and there was a large underground cistern at the back of the parking lot.”

Ken Newell, principal at SCN, says, “The original station was a tiny, two-story structure on an extremely tight site with a very sloped grade change. It was in a nice neighborhood of old historic homes and the neighbors were anxious about what the scale of the new building might be. We didn’t want it to overpower the area homes, so we picked up on some of the external elements of those homes and incorporated them into our design.”

Newell notes that SCN designed true arches over the apparatus bay doors to fit the neighborhood detailing, as well as the area masonry and roof forms. “We also were able to salvage some materials from the original fire station,” he says. “We took some brick, wood flooring, original hardware and signage, and a fire pole and incorporated a lot of those materials in the lobby of the new station. The original fire pole was set up in the lobby to be a museum piece as well.”

Jody Jackson, SCN project manager, says the new station is a two-story structure for which SCN earned a Silver LEED certification. “There is 15 feet of grade change from the front of the station to the back because we had to build it into the side of a hill and maintain a lot of the grade, so the building is two stories at the front and three stories at the back. The lower section holds a lot of the structure’s mechanical spaces.”

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He notes that the new station’s windows and arches are features that emulate some of the architecture in the nearby residential section, while exterior colors are similar to those of businesses in the area. “We introduced a herringbone pattern to the bricking, with arched brick around the door arches,” Jackson says. “And we installed terra cotta tile on the mansard roof that also emulates the neighborhood roofs.”

Jackson says new Fire Station 6 is 14,990 square feet, with the ground floor holding two double-deep, back-in apparatus bays that have a Plymovent exhaust removal system, a separate decon area, and a turnout gear storage room. Separated by a yellow zone corridor, the living/working section of the ground floor has men’s and women’s toilet facilities, a radio report room, storage are

Sutphen—Sugar Grove (IL) Fire Protection District top-controls pumper. Monarch cab and chassis; Cummins L9 450-hp engine; Hale Qmax 1,500-gpm pump; UPF Poly 1,000-gallon water tank. Dealer: Ben Brown, Legacy Fire Apparatus, Shorewood, IL. (Photo by author)

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The Biloxi Fire Department added three new pumpers recently, wxxv25.com reported.

The new engines were manufactured in Wisconsin and driven to Alabama to their service center, the report said.

Some of the department’s trucks are coming up on their 20-year mark and will be replaced. The new engines will cover Woolmarket and the North Biloxi area, according to the report.

One of the new ones, Engine 7, is dedicated to Biloxi High School, the report said. It will be housed at the station, but will be used for all the football games and EMT services. Instead of putting the original department’s badge on the engine, it has an arrowhead for the Biloxi High Indians.

After the engines are serviced, the department plans to invite the public to come view them, the report said.

Donald W. Meyers
Yakima Herald-Republic, Wash.
(TNS)

Mar. 29—A Yakima man who crashed into a fire engine during a police chase is heading to federal prison.

James Duane Deckard, 25, was sentenced Tuesday to four years in prison for illegally possessing a firearm. He pleaded guilty in November to the charge, which factors in his prior conviction for third-degree domestic-violence assault and his methamphetamine addiction.

The sentence was below the 57-month minimum recommended under federal sentencing guidelines, but prosecutors and Deckard’s attorney said the sentence would allow him to get treatment for his addiction as well as receive a GED certificate and get job training.

Deckard was arrested following a police chase on Dec. 18, 2021.

Yakima police were called to Deckard’s West Mead Avenue home Dec. 16 after his girlfriend said he hit her 4-year-old son’s wrist, according to a YPD probable cause affidavit.

Deckard had left by the time police arrived, the affidavit said, but the woman described the incident and prior threats, including pointing a gun at her. Deckard has a 2018 prior felony conviction for third-degree assault for strangling his girlfriend, and is barred from possessing guns and ammunition.

Police located Deckard’s vehicle on Dec. 18 and tried to stop him at West Nob Hill Boulevard and South Third Avenue, the affidavit said, but Deckard sped off through residential neighborhoods.

Police broke off their pursuit after losing sight of Deckard when he nearly caused a collision at the West Nob Hill Boulevard overpass.

Police again found Deckard’s vehicle at East Nob Hill Boulevard and South Eighth Street, where he hit a fire engine, the affidavit said. Deckard was arrested after a foot chase.

Deckard’s girlfriend, who was in the car, said he tossed something out the window at Raymond Park, the affidavit said. Officers found a pistol that matched the description of Deckard’s firearm, and his DNA was found on it, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Police also found almost 40 pounds of marijuana stuffed in the vehicle’s dashboard, as well as a digital scale, pistol magazines, ammunition, a holster, the affidavit said, along with gold and collectible coins.

While in jail, Deckard called his girlfriend and family members several times trying to get her to change her testimony, the affidavit said.

Deckard pleaded guilty in July to third-degree assault and witness tampering in Yakima County Superior Court, while federal prosecutors filed the firearms charge against him.

Reach Donald W. Meyers at dmeyers@yakimaherald.com.

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Visit Yakima Herald-Republic (Yakima, Wash.) at www.yakima-herald.com

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Dust is gathering on the hood of Medic 2, a 2019 Ford F-550 the Hingham Fire Department bought three years ago for $355,000, Boston25news.com reported. A fire official said the ambulance hasn’t moved since January because Ford doesn’t have the parts to fix it.

The Abington Fire Department is in a similar situation. Its 2019 Ford F-F50 ambulance has been out of commission since October, in need of a new engine after suffering “catastrophic engine failure” but unable to be fixed due to supply chain issues, the report said.

CNN reported Ford ended September with between 40,000 and 45,000 unfinished large trucks and SUVs because the company didn’t have all the parts. The company’s U.S. sales dropped 10 percent in October because of the supply chain issues, CNN said.

For updates on this developing story, please go to Boston25news.com.

Muskegon Heights (MI) Fire Chief Christopher J. Dean posted the following news release on Facebook March 20:

With much excitement today, we took delivery of our new fire engine from Rosenbauer Group and Emergency Vehicles Plus! We are thankful for the hard work and careful consideration given to this purchase by City Council. This critical purchase enhances our aging fleet and enables us to continue to provide a high level of service to the community.

Over the next couple of weeks, we will train and prepare the new unit for service. You may occasionally see the new engine on the streets while we prepare it for emergencies. This critical step assures our staff is ready when the engine is fully in service.

Monday, March 27 marked the grand opening of San Antonio’s newest fire station, foxsanantonio.com reported.

The new Fire Station 24 is located on Austin Highway, not far from Perrin Beitel. It represents a major upgrade from the previous station, which was built back in 1950, according to the report.

Fire Station 24 can accommodate more personnel, with plenty of modern technology to meet the needs of the growing community, the report said.

Thanks to a generous donor, the Tolar Volunteer Fire Department is building a second fire station, to be in the southern part of its 154-square-mile coverage area, hcnews.com reported.

A fire official said the location for the new station is near the intersection of Paluxy Highway and Prairie Creek Lane. He said the fire department purchased the land and that the $250,000, given by a donor who wishes to remain anonymous, will go toward the building and infrastructure, the report said.

The money may not be enough to complete the building, but it should cover enough of the costs to enable the fire department to occupy it, the report said.

Tolar’s main fire station at 9005 West U.S. Highway 377 has seven bays. The new fire station will have three bays, according to the report.

A Calcutta Volunteer Fire Department official announced plans to purchase a new fire truck during the March 27 St. Clair Township Trustees meeting, reviewonline.com reported.

The contract for the new custom truck, which is estimated to take anywhere from 36 to 40 months to build, has been signed, according to the report. Estimated price of the new truck is more than $800,000. The price includes $60,000 in equipment for the truck.

The new truck will replace truck 32, which will be 30 years old by the time the new truck arrives, the report said.

The fire department is the recipient of a $10,000 Ohio Department of Natural Resources forestry grant, which will be used to purchase a slide in skid unit for the brush truck and materials for four six-inch dry hydrants. The grant only covers materials so the department will be responsible for the installations. The department must come up with the $11,000 grant match.

The fire official also told the trustees that the department is preparing to submit to insurance a claim for approximately $85,000 for equipment such as air packs and gear that need to be replaced due to the department responding to the train derailment in East Palestine, the report said.