On Thursday December 16, 2021, the Board of Fire Commissioners of South Brunswick Township (NJ) Fire District #2 will be holding a special election to ask the registered voters of the fire district to approve an expenditure for the purchase of a new aerial tower ladder fire truck to replace an aging tower ladder that has become increasingly expensive to maintain and operate. Specifically, the Commissioners will be asking for authorization to purchase the replacement fire truck for an amount not exceeding $1,950,000 and to secure lease-purchase financing relative to the purchase.

Since the Board of Fire Commissioners has been anticipating the need to replace this piece of apparatus as part of its long-range capital planning process, it will utilize $1.1 million of existing reserve funds to substantially reduce the amount of required financing costs. The Fire District will then secure lease-purchase financing for the balance of the purchase costs not to exceed $850,000. The Commissioners will not be proposing any tax rate increase in the foreseeable future due to the lease-purchase. Currently, the fire district’s tax rate is amongst the lowest in both Middlesex County and the entire State of New Jersey.

South Brunswick Township Fire District #2, which is protected by the Monmouth Junction Volunteer Fire Department, covers the Monmouth Junction, Dayton and Deans sections of the township. The election will be held from 2 PM to 9 PM at the Monmouth Junction Fire Station, located at 573 Ridge Road in Monmouth Junction. Mail-in ballots will be sent out to those registered voters that have previously requested them from the Middlesex County Board of Elections.

Over the last year, a committee of 6 firefighters from the Fire Department have worked to develop specifications for the new truck, dedicating well over a hundred man-hours on the project. The committee recommends the purchase of a 100-foot mid-mount aerial tower ladder, custom-built by Pierce Manufacturing in Appleton, Wisconsin. The new truck will replace an aging tower ladder currently in operation by the Fire Department. The current truck has required over $66,000 in repairs since 2004, including nearly $18,000 in 2021 alone. “Although we take a great deal of pride in keeping our equipment in top condition, our current aerial is a very specialized piece of apparatus that has required a great deal of maintenance,” says Monmouth Junction Fire Chief Scott Smith. “The new truck will be easier to maintain, resulting in less down-time and lower maintenance costs. It will weigh less, be more maneuverable, have greater reach, and be quicker and easier to set-up and operate than our current aerial, increasing our efficiency and saving valuable minutes at a fire when every second counts,” according to Chief Smith. The Fire Department has had a long and successful history with Pierce fire apparatus, operating four trucks over the years, including two fire engines currently in service.

As previously mentioned, it is not anticipated that the Board of Fire Commissioners will need to raise the fire district tax rate to support this expenditure. If voter approval is received, and once the financing bids are reviewed, the Commissioners will seek approval from the New Jersey State Local Finance Board to conduct a lease-financing purchase for the truck. If approval is granted by the Local Finance Board, the Commissioners can enter into an agreement to purchase the new truck. Once an agreement is signed, construction and delivery of the truck will take approximately 16 months.

The Commissioners of South Brunswick Township Fire District #2 and the members of the Monmouth Junction Volunteer Fire Department thank the public for their support and encourages the registered voters to vote in favor of the expenditure

Driftwood Township (IN) Volunteer Fire Department officials say that the department has outgrown its 68-year-old station, and they want to apply for a $500,000 grant to fund a new facility, reports tribtown.com.

Hence, the department recently mailed to random township residents a letter with an income survey that aims to help determine eligibility for the Community Development Block Grant Public Facilities Program grant, the report says.

Once residents complete the confidential survey—prior to December 10—town officials will review the level of grant assistance requested and weigh the options; adjustments may need to be made and a local match of 10% of total project cost will be required, the report says.

Earlier this week the South Jordan (UT) Fire Department held a wet down and push-in ceremony for a pair of new apparatus: Ladder 61 and Engine 63.

The ceremony, at the department’s Station 64 at 5443 West Lake Ave., saw crews christen the new engine and ladder truck.

“We are grateful for the overwhelming support we received from the South Jordan community and our City Council as we placed our two new fire apparatus in service. Thanks for coming and participating,” the department writes on Facebook.

REV Group, Inc. (NYSE: REVG) announces its subsidiary REV Ambulance Group Orlando, Inc’s. contract with the U.S General Services Administration (GSA) has been amended to include state-of-the-art, zero-emissions battery electric ambulances from Wheeled Coach^® and Leader^®.

“To help provide a more sustainable future, our priority is to develop and offer alternative fuel vehicle solutions for our customers,” said Anoop Prakash, President, REV Ambulance Group. “We are thrilled our contract with the GSA has been updated to include our zero-emissions ambulances and we look forward to producing and delivering electric vehicles to agencies across the US.”

The addition of zero-emissions ambulances to the GSA contract is well-timed, with the recent passing of the federal infrastructure bill that contained significant investments in support of electric vehicles. The battery electric Type II ambulances utilize a Ford Transit T350 Chassis with Lightning eMotors electric conversion. The High Roof Transit vans offer up to 86kWh of battery capacity that can be charged via Level 2 AC charging or DC fast charging. The high roof and added length of the T350 increases the patient care space.

GSA is the mandatory source for non-tactical vehicles purchased by executive agencies in the United States. The Federal Agencies with access to this contract include the Department of Defense, the Department of Energy, the Veterans Health Administration, the National Park Service, and the Indian Health Services.

GSA provides centralized procurement for the federal government, managing a nationwide real estate portfolio of nearly 370 million rentable square feet and overseeing approximately $75 billion in annual contracts. GSA’s mission is to deliver the best value in real estate, acquisition, and technology services across government.

REV Ambulance Group Orlando, Inc.

Wheeled Coach^® is a brand of REV Ambulance Group Orlando, Inc., a subsidiary of REV Group, Inc. and is a premier manufacturer of Type I, Type II, Type III and Medium-Duty ambulances for municipal and commercial emergency departments. Built to perform under the most demanding conditions, Wheeled Coach ambulances deliver mission-critical durability. Wheeled Coach leads the industry with more firsts than any other ambulance manufacturer, including being the first to conduct IHS Side Impact Criteria Crash and Roll-Over Testing. It manufactures a full line of ambulances at its production facility in Winter Park, Florida. Since 1975, Wheeled Coach has been Trusted by the Toughest™.

Leader Emergency Vehicles

Leader^®, a manufacturer of premium fit and finish Type I, Type II and Type III ambulances, has served the cities and communities in Southern California for over 45 years with 95% of sales come from California public and private departments. Located in South El Monte, California, Leader’s facility is 100,000 sq. ft. over two acres.

About REV Group, Inc.

REV Group^® companies are leading designers and manufacturers of specialty vehicles and related aftermarket parts and services, which serve a diversified customer base, primarily in the United States, through three segments: Fire & Emergency, Commercial, and Recreation. They provide customized vehicle solutions for applications, including essential needs for public services (ambulances, fire apparatus, school buses, and transit buses), commercial infrastructure (terminal trucks and industrial swee