The City of North Bend – Oregon is proud to announce it has been awarded a $2,493,090 grant through Oregon’s Seismic Rehabilitation Grant Program (SRGP) to upgrade North Bend Fire Station No. 1 for improved earthquake resilience, the city said in a press release.

The grant, administered by Business Oregon, will fund vital structural and safety upgrades to the city’s primary fire station at 1880 McPherson Avenue, ensuring it remains operational after a major seismic event. The building, originally constructed in 1965, showed multiple seismic deficiencies in a recent engineering assessment—including shear wall connections, roof diaphragm issues, and unbraced hazardous materials—all of which will now be addressed.

Why it matters:

North Bend Fire Station No. 1 plays a critical role as a first responder facility, and during an earthquake, maintaining emergency response capabilities is essential. This investment will bring the fire station up to modern seismic standards, targeting “Immediate Occupancy” and “Life Safety” performance levels, so our firefighters can keep serving the community when we need them most.

The SRGP is a competitive statewide grant program designed to fund seismic improvements for public schools and emergency services buildings. North Bend’s application, one of only 12 emergency facilities funded this round, stood out with a benefit-cost ratio of 1.37, demonstrating strong public value.

Improvements include:

• Installing deep foundation micropiles to stabilize against soil liquefaction
• Strengthening roof-to-wall and floor-to-wall shear connections
• Bracing mechanical systems and hazardous material storage
• Reinforcing wall and roof elements for increased structural integrity

Got questions? We’ve got answers. Contact us at www.northbendoregon.us/contact

The post North Bend (OR) Awarded $2.49M for Seismic Rehabilitation of Fire Station No. 1 appeared first on Fire Apparatus: Fire trucks, fire engines, emergency vehicles, and firefighting equipment.

San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie recently signed legislation to unlock private funding to revamp the San Francisco Fire Department’s (SFFD) fleet and support the department’s lifesaving work, the city said in a press release.

Since appointing Dean Crispen as SFFD chief on his second full day in office, Mayor Lurie has supported the city’s emergency preparedness work—launching a new “ReadySF” emergency preparedness campaign and participating in a multiagency preparedness exercise at Fireboat Station 35 in January. He has also encouraged San Franciscans to “get prepared, get involved,” joining a community-based training through SFFD’s Neighborhood Emergency Response Team (NERT).

“Public safety is my number one priority, and that means making sure our first responders have the tools they need to keep San Franciscans safe,” said Mayor Lurie. “By modernizing our fleet, we can respond faster in emergencies and keep everyone safer. Thank you to Supervisor Chan, President Mandelman, Chief Crispen, and San Francisco Fire Fighters Local 798 for working alongside me and supporting this legislation.”

San Francisco’s fire apparatus fleet is aging rapidly. More than 63% of the city’s engines, 87% of fire trucks, and 70% of reserve vehicles are more than 10 years old. Nearly 90% of the city’s ambulances have exceeded their five-year service life. As of April 11, 2025, SFFD has seven frontline fire apparatus and 20 reserve vehicles over 25 years old, as well as four frontline apparatus from the 1970s, still in service.

The behested payment waiver legislation signed recently will enable the mayor and fire chief to solicit private donations specifically for the purchase of fire engines, trucks, and ambulances—equipment that is essential to public safety but increasingly expensive and difficult to replace.

“The SFFD is grateful to the mayor and Board of Supervisors for supporting and approving this critical legislation. A special appreciation is owed to Supervisor Chan for authoring this and President Mandelman for guiding this through the legislative process,” said SFFD Chief Crispen. “The behested payment waiver legislation will allow our department to team with private partners to purchase new fire apparatus. This partnership will allow us to fortify our aging fleet and increase our readiness. San Francisco is prone to large fires due to our topography and building construction. Further, we are highly susceptible to a conflagration after an earthquake. Our department is aware that it will take a significant number of resources to combat these disasters. Purchasing new fire trucks engines and ambulances is essential to fulfilling this mission. This legislation demonstrates our elected leaders’ awareness of this potential. They have taken action, and our city is safer thanks to their leadership.”

“This legislation is a critical investment in the safety of both firefighters and the people of San Francisco. By unlocking private funds to modernize our aging fleet, we can respond to emergencies quickly, safely, and more effectively,” said Sam Gebler, Vice President of San Fran

For fleet managers and emergency apparatus mechanics, outfitting a mobile service unit is more than just picking out a truck. In this episode, Andy Biron and Chris Mc Loone discuss designing and equipping mobile service units for fire apparatus maintenance divisions and dealers.

The post The Fire Apparatus Shop appeared first on Fire Apparatus: Fire trucks, fire engines, emergency vehicles, and firefighting equipment.

Today in Ohio
cleveland.com
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Having eyes on the scene of emergencies can be the difference between life and death, and Today in Ohio podcast hosts were surprised Friday at the often-backward city of Cleveland’s bold proposal to transform its response to 911 calls with drones.

Cleveland is actively exploring the deployment of remote-controlled drones to police, fire and EMS scenes fast, before police and firefighters can get there, to get crucial intelligence to to the first responders to help them be ready.

The city has reached out to tech firms for proposals on implementing a “drone as first responder” program, said Courtney Astolfi in Friday’s podcast episode. These wouldn’t be your ordinary consumer drones—the city is seeking advanced technology capable of traveling at impressive speeds.

“According to this request for qualifications, the city’s now put out, they want drones capable of flying 53 miles an hour, which is pretty quick,” Astolfi said.

The concept addresses one of the most challenging aspects of emergency response: uncertainty. When a 911 call comes in, dispatchers and first responders often have limited information about what awaits them at the scene. A drone could change that equation dramatically.

Chris Quinn sees the initiative as part of Mayor Justin Bibb’s broader vision for modernizing city operations: “Justin Bibb came into office as mayor three and a half years ago saying he wanted to modernize the way the city does business. And it’s a big tall order because they’re so backwards… But this is smart. This would be a great tool for everybody to see. If you get a 911 call, you never know exactly what you’re going to see. But if you can get a drone there fast to let the officers or the firefighters or the paramedics know what they’re coming up on, they’ll do a better job.”

The program wouldn’t replace human responders but would serve as a force multiplier, giving them critical information before they arrive. As Astolfi clarified, “It seems like it’s not really going to be a substitution at all for first responders. It’s just eyes on the ground quicker, which I’m intrigued by.”

This advanced intelligence could prove invaluable in numerous scenarios. For firefighters, a drone could identify the exact location and intensity of a blaze, potential hazards, or people needing rescue. For EMS calls, it could help paramedics understand the number of patients, the severity of injuries, or environmental dangers before arriving.

The potential benefits extend beyond immediate response. The drones would record incidents, creating valuable footage for training purposes, after-action reviews, and continual improvement of emergency protocols.

Cleveland isn’t the first city to explore this technology, but its implementation would represent a significant advancement for a municipality that has sometimes struggled to modernize its operations. The drone program aligns with national trends toward smarter cities that leverage technology to enhance public services.

The initiative also reflects a growing recognition that traditional emergency response models can benefit from technological augmentation. While human responders remain essential, providing them with better information and situational awareness can dramatically improve outcomes.

Listen to the discussion here.

Note: Artificial inte