City Council recently approved spending $4.9 million for a new station for the Harrisonburg (VA) Fire Department, reports dnronline.com.

The facility, which will house crews that respond to emergencies in north Harrisonburg, should be ready for service in about two years, officials say. However, no exact location has been determined.

Fire officials say the department will be partnering with James Madison University’s mathematics department to identify the best spot.

Funds will come from the $24 million or so the city will receive from the American Rescue Plan Act.

The “Push-In Ceremony” is a fire service tradition dating back to the 1800’s. The apparatus was not easily backed into the station with the horses alone, so after a call, firefighters would have to disconnect the fire equipment from the horses and push the apparatus back into the bays. 

Continuing the tradition, when a new fire engine is purchased, an event is held to ceremonially push the new truck into the bay. The event will be the first for the Fire Department in at least 35 years, brought back by Fire Chief Bobby Gipson.

Related: Plainview (TX) Plans Ground Breaking for New Fire Station

“During my career, we have not performed “Push-In Ceremonies” when placing new apparatus in service” says Bobby Gipson, Fire Chief. “I am happy to begin this tradition here at the City of Plainview Fire/EMS Department.”

The new fire truck is a 2022 Spartan Metro Star Engine, considered a “Quick Attack” style pumper truck. The pumper truck carries approximately 3,000 feet of hose of varying size, has 1,500-gallon-per-minute water pump capacity and carries 1000 gallons of water and 20 gallons of firefighting foam. 

It also features three different size ladders, the newest battery-operated rescue tools, seating for four firefighters with full airbag protection and the standard emergency light and siren package alerting citizens of their presence to enhance citizen safety while the fire truck proceeds to the emergency situation. 

The City of Plainview Fire Department Apparatus Committee includes Training Captain Kevin Goss, Lt. Seth Stephens, Lt. Joe Marks, Equipment Operator Jordan Prater, Equipment Operator Tommy Marquez, and Equipment Operator Cameron Lunsford. 

“I would like to thank these six individuals for their work,” says Gipson. “They took the departments needs, paired with their combined years of knowledge and experience to set specifications for the new engine that would best serve the citizens and the department during emergency situations.”

For more information, contact the City of Plainview Fire Department at 806.296.1100.

SUN PRAIRIE, WI – Fire Captain/Paramedic Jonah Winger possesses a specific skill that has served him well during his 27 years in the fire service: patience. In 2011 Winger started the process of requesting funding for a fire training structure for the Cameron Park (Calif.) Fire Department. Finally, after many starts and stops, a new Firefighter training structure is now in place.

“The process took us 10 years to complete, but it’s so worth it,” says Winger, with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE), the Amador-El Dorado Unit out of Cameron Park. “Fire Facilities was patient to continually update us on costs and information as we worked to get the tower approved over the years. They were easy to work with on choosing, designing, and receiving estimates for the structure we desired.

“Having the three-story Firefighter tower readily available has changed everything. Now we can train any day or time at a moment’s notice.”

Preparing for Wildfires

Training is critical for firefighters across the country, but especially in wildfire-prone California. So far in 2021, CAL FIRE has assisted with numerous wildfires, including the explosive 67-day Caldor fire that burned 221,835 acres. CAL FIRE teams are constantly on-call to control all aspects of wildfire suppression in the 1,786 square miles of El Dorado County.

“The Firefighter tower can be used for wildland urban interface structure triage and wildland drill scenarios,” says Winger. “Previously we had to train on local business buildings and at our fire stations. Now we are training daily on a tower more suited for our needs. While wildfires are extensive in our area, we use The Firefighter tower almost exclusively for structural firefighting and rescue training.”