Adrian Rodriguez
The Marin Independent Journal, Novato, Calif.
(TNS)

Mar. 5—San Anselmo is planning to use $2.92 million in American Rescue Plan Act money to fund building maintenance projects.

The pandemic relief funds are proposed to cover most of the costs for five projects, including the planning, design and renovation of Fire Station 20 on Butterfield Road. The Town Council will consider the spending plan at its meeting on March 14.

Mayor Steve Burdo said the council was set to discuss the plan at its meeting on Feb. 28, but the discussion was continued because of a late-running session.

“These funds are going to be going a long way,” Burdo said. “Staff put together a list of infrastructure projects and determined what would be the best use of the money and what’s most needed in town.”

The town staff is recommending allocating $1.27 million toward the project at the fire station.

“The facility has a significant amount of deferred maintenance including dry rot etc. and needs to be renovated,” the staff report says. “An upgrade to the facility will also help accommodate the shift to a 3-person engine in the future.”

Marin County Fire Department Chief Jason Weber, who also leads the Ross Valley department, said the allocation is “very much appreciated.”

“This will help make some well-needed changes and accommodate our additional staffing in the future,” he said.

Town officials are also recommending putting $600,000 toward the Town Hall and library roof and heating, ventilation and air conditioning upgrade. The roof and HVAC system are nearly 50 years old. The new HVAC system will be all-electric and energy efficient.

Another $500,000 is allotted for the remodel of the second floor at Town Hall.

“This will include design, layout and equipment that will reduce the likelihood of transmission of COVID-19,” the staff report says.

Other allocations include $180,000 for painting at the Robson-Harrington House and $375,000 toward project management costs.

Overall, the town has been allocated $2.984 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding. In 2021, the town spent $55,299 in relief funds on a county homeless housing program and $43,000 on technology for Town Hall to conduct teleconference meetings during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The staff recommendation would obligate the remaining federal funds. The funds must be spent by the end of 2026.

“We will need to discuss them as a council to see if there is anything needed to be changed or added to the projects recommended by staff, but these are good, appropriate uses of the funds,” Burdo said.

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(c)2023 The Marin Independent Journal (Novato, Calif.)

Visit The Marin Independent Journal (Novato, Calif.) at www.marinij.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Kneelhill County councilors unanimously approved the lowest price for a new fire engine for the Three Hills Fire Department recently, pentictonherald.ca reported.

A county official stated the lowest offer was $993,352.80 and all other offers were over $1 million in price, some approaching $1.2 million, the report said.

The county official stated that two existing fire engines in Three Hills are being replaced with this one engine, which offers cost savings and increased efficiency. He stated the two Three Hills engines have both been in service past their recommended life spans, according to the report.

The city of Highfill will spend more than $57,000 on air packs and related equipment for the fire department as part of a plan to replace aging air packs, nwaonline.com reported. The department also received a $25,000 grant from Firehouse Subs (see video above) recently.

During its Feb. 13 meeting, the council approved an expenditure of $57,697 for the purchase of six Scott X3 air packs, 12 Scott SCBA bottles and six Scott face masks for the department, the report said.

According to information presented to the council by a fire official, the department has 25 air packs that needed to be replaced, so more purchases will need to be made in the upcoming years, according to the report.

9,500-square-foot station will serve eastern city limits

Groundbreaking for the City of Yuma Fire Station 7 will take place 1:30 p.m. Monday, March 6, at 3293 S. Avenue 8-1/2E, the city said in a news release.

Mayor Douglas Nicholls and Fire Chief Dustin Fields are expected to speak. Staff from the Yuma Fire Department and members of the project team, including Perlman Architects and Yuma Valley Contractors, will be on hand.

Once built, Fire Station 7 will be approximately 9,500 square feet. It will include two apparatus bays, living quarters, exercise room, commercial kitchen and dining area, day room, captain’s quarters and office, laundry, turnout and decontamination areas, and other related features.

The design-bid-build project will construct Yuma’s first fire station in a new location in more than 15 years.

W.S. Darley—Ringwood Borough (NJ) Volunteer Fire Company No. 1 Quick Attack CAFS pumper. Ford F-550 4-door 4×4 cab and chassis; Power Stroke 6.7L 330-hp engine; Darley Champion PSMC 1,500-gpm pump; Darley AutoCAFS 120-cfm compressed air foam; 300-gallon Copolymer water tank; Poly™ body; FoamPro 2001 single-agent foam system. Dealer: Pat Silverthorne, North Jersey Fire & Rescue Equipment, Oldwick, NJ.

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A volunteer fire department in St. Tangipohoa Parish (LA) had a truck stolen early Sunday morning, the Loranger Volunteer Fire Department said in a Facebook post.

“At 4:30 this morning, an unknown male walked up to the Loranger Volunteer Fire Department station and attempted to gain entry,” according to the fire department.

“When that wasn’t successful he turned his attention to the department’s 2013 Ram 2500. The truck was stolen from in front of the station while the firefighter was out on a call. It has a Loranger Fire Plate on the front and an extra diesel tank in the back. Please be on the lookout,” the department said.

“We do have cameras,” the department said. “We are trying to isolate the best photo of the subject before we share with the public,” the department said.

At approx 2:28 am ConFire units responded to a vehicle accident on eastbound Hwy 4, when a fire engine and ambulance were struck by a vehicle. No injuries to firefighters or medics, but engine placed out of service and ambulance had to be towed from scene. #slowdownmoveover

— Con Fire PIO (@ContraCostaFire) March 5, 2023

A car crashed into an ambulance and fire engine that was assisting a prior wreck early Sunday morning on Highway 4, according to the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District, KRON4.com reported.

At around 2:28 a.m., Con Fire units responded to a collision involving two vehicles on eastbound Highway 4 near Loveridge Road, according to the report. After arriving on scene, the fire engine and ambulance reported a third vehicle had also been involved in the collision, the report said.

A fourth vehicle then crashed into the fire engine and ambulance who was on scene assisting the prior collision, the report said. The fire engine truck was placed out of service. The severity of the damage to the truck is unknown at this time.

The ambulance was towed as a result of the crash. Both the medics and firefighters who were on the scene during the crash did not suffer any injuries, the report said. Con Fire is asking drivers to slow down and drive carefully when approaching accident scenes.

Squad 51 has been placed in service, Benton Harbor Fire Department announced on Facebook Feb. 27. For anyone interested in why it is called a Squad instead of the typical engine terminology, the fire department said, a Squad is capable of doing engine work, truck work, and rescue work.

A divided council voted this week to approve a $9.8 million construction contract for a new fire station at 65th Street in Ocean City (MD), mdcoastdispatch.com reported.

In a work session Tuesday, the council voted 4-3, with Councilmen Matt James, Peter Buas and John Gehrig opposed, to approve a contract with Delmarva Veteran Builders totaling $9,821,637 for the construction of Station 3, the report said.

While officials agreed something needed to be done to improve living and working conditions, those in opposition questioned the need for a new facility and the impacts it would have on the town’s budget, according to the report.

Last November, the mayor and council approved moving forward with the construction of a new fire station at a total cost of $10.5 million, with $10 million dedicated to construction and contingencies and nearly $500,000 dedicated to design, the report said. The new, 23,500-square-foot facility will be relocated from its current location at 74th Street to the parking lot of the town’s public safety building on 65th Street, the report said.

In a presentation this week, a fire department official said the current facility at 74th Street has fallen into disrepair and no longer meets the needs of the department. He said the building lacked space, parking and adequate bedrooms and bathrooms, among other things, according to the report.

The city of Chilton held a groundbreaking ceremony Friday for the new fire station, the fire department said in Facebook post.

Mayor Thomas Reinl lead city officials in the groundbreaking ceremony, along with representatives from the Chilton Fire Department, McMahon and Bayland Buildings, Inc.

The 8,648-square-foot, $2.7 million facility is scheduled to be completed by September.

This facility will house all of the fire department vehicles and apparatus. The new fire station will allow the Chilton Police Department to expand its outgrown facilities, utilizing space previously used for the fire department equipment.

Some features of the new fire station include: larger vehicles bays that are able to accommodate modern fire apparatus, improvements in lighting and aesthetics via windows and glass doors, along with energy efficient HVAC and electrical systems.

Fire crews will continue to operate out of the existing station until construction is complete, ensuring no disruption to service or reduction in response capability.

The New Bern Fire Department is getting new equipment to replace outdated gear thanks to a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), wcti12.com reported.

The grant is worth $304,451 and has been used to update the Self-Contained Breathing Apparatuses (SCBAs), the report said.

Cumberland Times-News, Md.
(TNS)

Mar. 4—CUMBERLAND — Strong winds that moved through the region early Saturday downed trees and power lines and left thousands without electricity. The winds also toppled a section of the Frostburg Fire Department’s South Water Street station.

By 3:30 p.m., according to Potomac Edison, outages in Allegany County were down to about 3,300 from a high of more than 7,500 earlier in the day. Most of the remaining outages were in the Frostburg area.

There were about 800 without electricity in Garrett County and 1,825 in Mineral County, West Virginia, after more than 3,300 had been without power earlier Saturday. Most of those were in the Keyser and New Creek areas. Another 1,000 were reportedly without power in Grant County, West Virginia.

In a statement, Potomac Edison said it hoped to have service restored to those remaining without electricity by Monday evening. “With additional crews on the way to assist in the restoration effort, we hope to have many areas restored sooner,” the statement said.

Volunteer firefighters across both counties were busy clearing trees and checking electrical hazards. Numerous roads were blocked prompting the Allegany County 911 center to activate its Emergency Call Mode just after 8 a.m. Firefighters at all stations in the county were called to staff their stations due to the large number of emergency calls dispatchers were receiving.

The Frostburg Fire Department Station No. 1 suffered damage. The south end of the structure was damaged. Firefighters, including the county structural collapse team, were called there at 8:50 a.m.

A high wind warning issued by the National Weather Service remained in effect until 4 p.m. Gusts of 30 to 40 mph were reported with some reaching more than 50 mph.

(c)2023 the Cumberland Times News (Cumberland, Md.)

Visit the Cumberland Times News (Cumberland, Md.) at times-news.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Police say a drunk driver stole a fire department pickup truck and ultimately sparked a house fire on Long Island, abc7ny.com reported.

Surveillance video from Inwood shows Wilson Ulloa, 22, entering the firehouse at Doughty Boulevard. Firefighters say he then hopped inside the pickup and drove it through a set of closed doors, the report said.

Police say Ulloa crashed the truck in East Atlantic Beach, striking a utility pole, which then caused the house fire, according to the report.

Responding officers found him on foot and gave him a sobriety test, which they say he failed, the report said.

Michelle Marchante
Miami Herald
(TNS)

A new health and wellness center for firefighters has opened as part of Miami Fire Rescue’s efforts to curb, detect and treat cancer, post-traumatic stress disorder and other medical conditions that adversely impact firefighters.

Cancer is a leading cause of death among firefighters, with fire crews more at risk for certain types of cancers compared to the general population due to exposure to cancer-causing chemicals. In 2022, 75% of the firefighters whose names were added to the National Fallen Firefighters monument died from cancer, said Miami Fire Rescue Chief Joseph Zahralban during a Thursday news conference outside the new center, 1502 NW Fourth St., next to loanDepot park, the home of the Miami Marlins.

“We need to control our own destiny,” Zahralban told the Miami Herald after the conference, noting that the new center, created in partnership with Miami-Dade’s public hospital system Jackson Health, will help the department “work toward identifying early signs of cancer, heart disease, stroke and even emotional illnesses like post-traumatic stress disorder.”

“We know that early recognition is the key to helping them [firefighters] to live a long and healthy life,” he said.

Firefighters at higher risk for cancer

Firefighters are often exposed to known and suspected cancer-causing substances, including liquids, gases, fumes and other chemicals and toxins while on the job. Many buildings contain synthetic and plastic materials, which create more smoke than natural materials, according to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. The man-made materials often release cancer-causing agents when they burn.

And the foam firefighters use to extinguish fires emits chemical compounds known as PFAS. Studies have shown that high levels of exposure to certain PFAS can lead to increased risk of kidney or testicular cancer, changes in liver enzymes and increased cholesterol levels, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Fire crews are also at risk for other health conditions, including heart disease, lung disease and stroke. And like other first responders, firefighters can experience trauma from the tragedies they respond to, such as 9/11, the Haiti Earthquake of 2010 and the Surfside condo collapse in 2021.

Most recently, crews responded this week to a murder-suicide involving a 3-year-old boy in Coconut Grove.

“Despite all of their training and all of their education, our firefighters could do nothing to save this child. These emergency calls have life-lasting effects on our firefighters,” said Zahralban. “They become memories — nightmares. They haunt you forever…”

Center latest in health initiative

At the center, firefighters will have access to peer counselors and clinicians. Staff will provide physicals and a variety of services including X-rays, ultrasounds, blood work, stress tests and cardiac exams to the more than 800 firefighters of Miami Fire Rescue. Eventually, the center will expand its services to retired firefighters and the families of fire service members, said Dr. Paul Adams, the medical director for Miami Fire Rescue and the new health and wellness center.

The center is the latest initiative stemming from Miami Fire Rescue’s comprehensive cancer prevention program, an effort the department created several years ago to identify and eliminate risk factors and hazards that can affect the health and safety of fire crews.

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