Duncan Fire Department posted the following news release on Facebook Sunday:

This morning just after 1 a.m., Duncan Engine 81 was struck while operating a motor vehicle accident (on I-85) at the 62 mile marker, northbound. Sadly this is not the first or second time one of our units has been struck while operating on the interstate, but luckily no Duncan personnel were injured. Please be mindful of first responders and others working on the roadways. Slow down and move over. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the driver and their family. The driver was transported to a nearby hospital. We would also like to thank Reidville members who were on scene and assisted.

The Brushy Mountain Fire Department’s new 2022 Freightliner tanker fire truck arrived at the station March 3, journalpatriot.com reported.

The new truck holds 2,000 gallons of water, which is double the capacity of the 1984 fire truck it replaced, the report said.

A Brushy Mountain fire official said it was purchased for about $370,000, with about $260,000 of it borrowed, the report said. The department has conducted numerous fundraisers to help pay for the new truck and is continuing these.

This tanker will replace a 1984 GMC 1000 gallon truck, which the department is putting up for sale for $12,900 or best offer.

Hampton Volunteer Fire Company took delivery of a used tanker truck, the company said on a Dec. 22 Facebook post.

The truck needs to be equipped and lettered, and then it will be placed in service, the company said. With the addition of this tanker, HVFC will now have an engine rescue truck and tanker truck on each end of town to best provide fire protection services to our districts and neighboring districts.

HVFC also posted recently that it is donating a truck to Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, Alpha One Fire & Rescue.

If anyone would like to donate towards the transportation of the truck you can do so online at www.gofundme.com/f/fire-truck-transport-expense or checks can be sent to the Hampton Volunteer Fire Company Inc.

Coweta is already building a new fire station, but it won’t be done until late 2024, and that’s not soon enough.

Firefighters have been reporting illnesses like headaches and allergic reactions. An environmental assessment of the facility showed elevated levels of mold that were so high firefighters were advised to limit their exposure to the facility.

So now, the department is using rooms at a nearby hotel for overnights. It hopes to develop an interim plan that will allow the firehouse to be used once again until the new one is constructed.

Officials from the McAdoo Fire Company said a car crashed into one of its brush trucks while responding to an earlier crash on Friday, pahomepage.com reported.

Officials said first responders were dispatched to a crash near the I-81 Exit 138 off-ramp at 5:41 p.m. Friday, the report said.

While directing traffic for the crash, McAdoo fire officials say someone driving on the interstate crashed into the back of their truck, according to the report.

Maddie Pfeifer
Corvallis Gazette-Times, Ore.
(TNS)

Mar. 9—A little rain didn’t stop the Corvallis Fire Department from celebrating its newest fire engine.

Firefighters and city representatives gathered at the downtown station Thursday, March 9 to reflect on the newest apparatus which combines the past, present and future all at once.

“It’s definitely exciting,” Fire Chief Ben Janes said. “It’s great for the community and for our firefighters to work on.”

The bell

The new engine is especially meaningful since it will feature a bell — something that all engines used to have before sirens were added.

Retired Captain Bill Albright spoke on the history and legacy of the bell to fire departments. Albright was hired as a volunteer firefighter in 1962 and hired full time in 1964 before retiring in 1991. Albright’s father was also a firefighter with CFD.

Albright said the bell did what the sirens do today.

“They rang the bell to let the community know they were on the way,” he said.

He added that as time went on, the bell became more of a symbolic item, with crews ringing the bell in memory of firefighters who died.

While the new fire engine’s bell isn’t replacing sirens, it will serve an important purpose going forward. Janes said firefighters who retire from the Fire Department can choose to have their name engraved on the bell of the engine they worked on.

Pushing it in

Instead of driving the engine into the apparatus bay, the firefighters literally pushed it in. This is a nod to firefighters physically pushing their horse-drawn engines into storage because the horses couldn’t back-in.

“In honor of those early crews, we’re going to push it into the bay,” Janes said.

All firefighters present gathered together and pushed the engine while Albright sat in the cab.

Onlookers cheered as the fire personnel made the effort look easy.

Looking to the future

The new engine features the bell from the past but will also hopefully aid crews for years to come.

Sustainability is important for the Fire Department and its future, Janes said, and the new vehicle has a feature where it will shut down its motor whenever it can to cut down on emissions.

“When we build the engines, we try to think years ahead,” Janes said. “It’s built with the future in mind.”

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Maddie Pfeifer covers public safety for Mid-Valley Media. She can be contacted at 541-812-6091 or Madison.Pfeifer@lee.net. Follow her on Twitter via @maddiepfeifer_

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(c)2023 Corvallis Gazette-Times, Ore.

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Mike LaBella
The Eagle-Tribune, North Andover, Mass.
(TNS)

Mar. 9—HAVERHILL — A report from a consulting agency on the short- and long-term needs of the city’s fire department outlines 23 recommendations, including spending $2.5 million annually for new employees, purchasing and staffing a new $1.6 million ladder truck and building a new $20 million fire station.

The report includes suggestions for increasing protection of the community, enhancing the safety of firefighter personnel and improving emergency response times.

When the city council met Tuesday night, Joe Pozzo from the Center for Public Safety Management presented a slide-show overview of his organization’s 159-page Haverhill Fire/EMS data analysis study, which Mayor James Fiorentini had commissioned at a cost of $50,000.

Pozzo, who spoke remotely, told the council that his group has conducted more than 400 of these types of in-depth studies for communities in 46 states and Canada.

“You have a very, very good fire department with some very dedicated personnel,” Pozzo added. “I visited with them, I went to each one of your fire stations … I went to your call stations and I saw them in person, I saw them working.”

The report indicated the city’s fire maintenance budget is adequate and should be maintained or enhanced, the city should continue with its fleet replacement plan, strengthen all current mutual aid agreements and consider designating a finance liaison to work with the HFD grants committee.

Following Pozzo’s presentation, Fire Chief Robert O’Brien said the report contains recommendations his department has long been asking for, particularly adding personnel, which he said is his top priority, followed by a new fire station and the need for an assistant fire chief.

“Those options are left to us, the community, and have to be discussed here,” he said.

Councilor Shaun Toohey asked O’Brien if he was happy with the report and if considered it to be biased, indicating the firefighter union had expressed concerns that it might be.

“I’m happy that Chief Pozzo and his associates dealt with us honestly and truly listened to all the information we could provide,” O’Brien said, adding that Pozzo and his group did not come to the city to make him happy.

The council voted unanimously to send the report to the public safety committee for study and to send a letter to the city’s legislative delegation to look into the possibility of acquiring land off Route 97 for a new station.

Near-term (1 to 3 years) recommendations

Consider assigning one additional firefighter per shift to the High Street Station engine company (four total). Estimated annual cost of $450,372.

For the city to consider hiring an assistant fire chief (it now has five deputy fire chiefs) at an estimated annual cost of a new external hire of $144,657, or promoting from within at an estimated annual cost of $172,580, which would include the cost of resulting internal promotions.

“I’m in discussions with the mayor as far as an assistant chief … it’s long overdue,” O’Brien said.

Develop a plan to refurbish fire trucks when they reach 15 years in service and replacing them at the 25-year mark, and for the city to continue its plan to purchase a fire boat for the Water Street station, with no additional staffing needed.

Midterm (3 to 5 years) recommendations

That the city consider assigning one additional firefighter position (four total) to the Water Street engine company at an annual cost of $450,372.

The report recommends that if the city goes to a civilian dispatch, firefighters should be taken out of dispatch and put back at fire stations.

“This is the pl

Renatta Signorini
Tribune-Review, Greensburg, Pa.
(TNS)

Mar. 8—Jeannette firefighters got an exercise equipment upgrade Tuesday thanks to a donation from Planet Fitness’ location behind the Westmoreland Mall.

The cardio equipment will be a great addition to the department’s new fire station, but until it’s built, one piece will be available in the current location while the other two are put in storage, Capt. Joe Matijevic said. As one of three full-time paid firefighters in the department, he likes to get a workout in between calls.

“It’s important for the job, you have to stay loose,” he said.

Planet Fitness donated an Arc Trainer, elliptical and a spin bicycle. The three items were leftover after the gym updated fitness equipment, spokesman Patrick Lloyd said.

“The club manager felt it would be appropriate to donate some equipment that hadn’t been in use for a while in order to help local first responders,” he said.

Matijevic said he works out at that Planet Fitness location and connected with management about the donation. The fire station has minimal workout equipment, including an outdated elliptical and weights. Right now, one person can use it at a time, he said.

Matijevic hopes to find other workout equipment donation opportunities as the city works through the design and construction of the new station, which will allow additional space for exercise.

The fire department received a federal grant last year to build a new station on city-owned property next door to the current South Second Street location.

The $1.2 million grant will replace the station, which is connected to city hall, that was built in 1927 and has sewage problems, black mold, termites and asbestos.

The new station will be big enough to hold all of the department’s trucks. Currently, fire trucks are stored in three locations.

Renatta Signorini is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Renatta by email at rsignorini@triblive.com or via Twitter .

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(c)2023 Tribune-Review (Greensburg, Pa.)

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Erica Smith
The Decatur Daily, Ala.
(TNS)

Mar. 8—ATHENS — Mayor Ronnie Marks’ vision for the city includes two new fire stations and other projects to handle Athens’ rapid population growth, but his outline of plans for Sunrise Park resonated with several people attending his State of the City speech Tuesday.

Marks also discussed improving the Vine Street area.

Jennifer White, 70, of Athens, said after Marks’ speech that she can’t wait for Sunrise Park to be operational, especially the dog park that will be within it.

“I want to see all of it, but I met with the group that had ideas about the park, and the dog park was a big deal,” she said.

The city plans to construct the park in phases on a 32.67-acre property near Pryor Street and Sussex Drive that once was a chicken processing plant. Construction of the first phase will begin this spring.

Marks said phase one will be the children’s area, including a playground and a splash pad. He said there will be a parking lot where food trucks can set up. The first phase is slated to be completed in late spring or early summer 2024, Marks said.

“When we get phase one completed, get it started, then we’ll start the other part,” Marks said. “Maybe even toward the dog park, the green space, and just keep putting it together.”

John Wilson, 37, from unincorporated Limestone County, attended the State of the City program and said he was excited about Sunrise Park. He said he looks forward to taking his two young sons to the park.

Wilson said he was most excited about “the trails, walking, and the boys of course will love the playground and the splash pad. Right now, we have to go to Decatur to go to a splash pad; there’ll be one right here.”

The Athens-Limestone County Chamber of Commerce held the State of the City breakfast in Athens State University’s Carter Gymnasium on Tuesday morning. Marks discussed numerous projects for the city, which has seen its population grow from 21,897 in 2010 to an estimated 27,027 in 2021.

“With the growth that we have (comes) opportunities, but it also is a lot of challenges,” Marks said. “Public safety is our number one priority, that means we’re going to need, at least in the next few years, two new fire stations.”

Marks said one location the city is planning on for a new fire station would be in the Tanner Crossroads area at Huntsville Brownsferry Road and U.S. 31. Marks said he would like it to contain an ambulance and police bay. The other station will be near the Athens Sportsplex and is already in the works.

“We’ve already worked with an architect, we’ve got to redesign it, get what we want, build what we want, and find the land; (I’d) like it to be there close to the new high school,” Marks said. “I hope that we’ll have the architect plans back to the City Council in the next three to four months. And then you’re talking about a building, probably 12 to 14 months, so you’re talking about fall of 2024 (for completion).”

Marks said he doesn’t know what the fire stations will cost because the work has not been put out for bid. However, he estimated the first station might be between $3.5 million and $5 million.

White said she appreciates that city officials are planning.

“I like the fact that the city is looking forward,” she said. “We have City Council members, Limestone County commissioners and they’re always looking forward.”

Dolph Bradford, 56, Athens Street Department director, attended the program and said he is doing a lot of the work at Sunrise Park.

“The park will be nice,” he said. “The added businesses and retail, restau

The city of Bristol, already building a new fire station, says it needs $1.6 million for a new truck and to hire more firefighters, WFSB.com reported.

A fire official said the population keeps growing but the size of the fire department stayed the same, making it hard for them to tackle multiple problems at once, the report said.

The finance board is trying to figure out how to get that money, the report said.

By Bill Adams

According to its website, all 382 pages of the newly crafted 2024 National Fire Protection Association’s NFPA 1900: Standard for Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting Vehicles, Automotive Fire Apparatus, Wildland Fire Apparatus, and Automotive Ambulances, 2024 Edition is available for $147.00 USD.

Burned Bottoms

What burns my bottom more than a fire in three-foot-high scrub brush is what I call “disingenuous” headlines when the media describes accidents involving fire apparatus. Unfortunately, there are some incidents that do involve fire apparatus operator error. And, it is tragic when death and injury is involved. However, it appears headlines are mostly written to infer all accidents and crashes are the fault of the fire truck. That’s not right – it’s downright misleading.

There’s a news media saying If it bleeds, it reads. The following is paraphrased from online research about the saying: “It is a mantra US marketing and media live by knowing that feeding people dull facts is not an effective tactic for capturing viewers’ attention.” It sucks. 

Here’s one headline: “Fire Truck Crashes During Emergency Call; Driver Cited with Failure to Yield.” Well, that’s appears to be a slap in the face to the fire department. The local citizenry may forever have disdain for the department if they failed to read the third paragraph where it said the driver of the vehicle that crashed into the fire truck was the one cited.

Here’s another: “The city’s newest million-dollar fire truck totaled in expressway crash.” Buried in the story was the fact the fire truck was appropriately parked when blocking traffic at another accident scene.” As long as I’m on a scorched bottom rampage, it amazes me why so many LDH equipped apparatus have multiple gated 2½-inch auxiliary suction inlets especially when they have two gated LDH inlets.  Granted they “might” be necessary if there’s a remote chance non-LDH equipped apparatus may be supplying the apparatus with multiple 2½-inch or 3-inch supply lines. But if everyone around you uses LDH, buy an LDH by a 2½-inch female adaptor for each of your gated LDH inlets – if you don’t already carry them! The adaptor is a lot cheaper than the entire 2½-inch gated inlet.

Cummins

Jim Lyons of J. Lyons Fire Consultants in Connecticut sent a link to a Linkedin – or Linkup or something like that – story about Cummins motors. Considering Cummins is a major player in the fire truck world, I thought I’d pass it on: 

“Another change for the North American Fire Service, when we least need it. For those of you who might not yet know, there are some major changes on the horizon from the largest engine manufacturer, Cummins. The current fire apparatus model lineup will change significantly. The popular legacy engines, the medium duty L-9 engine with 860 -1250 lb. Ft torque and the even more popular heavy-duty X-12 engine with 1250 – 1700 lb. Ft torque are going away! On 2/13/23 Cummins announced both engines would be replaced by the next engine in the fuel-agnostic series, the X-10. It will comply with 2027 US EPA regulations and is to be released in 2026, a full year early. Based on the information available, the expected medium-duty ratings of the X10 range from 320 to 380 hp with torque ratings of 1000 to 1250 lb-ft at 2100 rpm. For heavy-duty applications, the expected ratings are from 350 to 450 hp, with torque from 1350 to 1650 lb-ft at 1800 rpm. The new engine can be married to the Allison EVS series transmission, the model

Pasco County (FL) Government posted the following on its Facebook page:

“Another fire station is in the works in #PascoCounty! Commissioners & county leaders break ground on Station #3 – which will serve the State Road 52/Little Road area. The state-of-the-art station includes special zones to keep our first responders safe by eliminating harmful chemicals. Learn more about how Pasco Fire Rescue serves you: mypas.co/FireRescue.”