A Bayonne Fire Department vessel was damaged last month when a 189-foot barge struck the marina at the Robbins Reef Yacht, nj.com reported. That left the fire department with only one vessel. Bayonne city officials reached out for help.

North Hudson Regional Fire and Rescue (NHRFR) answered that call, loaning the Bayonne Fire Department one of its fire boats, the report said. The loan is part of NHRFR’s larger, ongoing effort to strengthen mutual aid agreements in the region and ensure the safety of communities throughout Hudson County, NHRFR officials said.

Bayonne welcomed the addition of the 17-foot Boston whaler, noting that Bayonne Fire Department boats responded to 103 calls last year, including 12 water rescues and 10 calls to provide mutual aid, the report said.

Bayonne fire boat’s motor was damaged when it was struck by debris in the Feb. 15 incident in Newark Bay, the report said. A tug boat apparently lost control of the scrap barge, which ripped through the wooden pilings at the yacht club’s marina, according to the report.

There is now a plan in the works for a new fire station in Lynchburg, wset.com reported.

At Lynchburg City Council’s Tuesday work session, council members discussed plans to build a new station at the intersection of Odd Fellows Road and Liberty Mountain Road, near the roundabout, the report said.

According to the council, Liberty University will provide the land and the city will lease the station from LU. It would be a long-term lease.

Council said the need for this has increased over the last few years because of an increased volume of calls at the Lynchburg Fire Department, the report said.

According to the plan, the new station would cost $5-$7 million.

For this to happen, the city would need to finalize a lease agreement with the university, according to the report. This would require the approval of the city council and the full LU Board of Trustees. There would also need to be a budget amendment to secure funding.

The Maryville Fire Department will begin phasing in new gear aimed at being more adaptable to different types of calls, maryvilleforum.com reported.

On Monday, the Maryville City Council approved the purchase of new turnout gear for the fire department, including new multipurpose gear that is lighter and will be used on non-fire calls, the report said.

A Maryville fire official told the council that the multipurpose gear could have been used in more than about 90 percent of calls last year.

The council approved the proposal, a $15,948 contract with Heiman Fire Equipment, for the purchase of four sets each of structural turnout gear, which is replaced on a regular maintenance cycle, and multipurpose gear, which will be gradually phased in for use, according to the report.

Radio grant
Earlier this month, the fire department was awarded a $20,000 matching grant by the Missouri Department of Public Safety, the maximum allowable award, to purchase five portable radios, one mobile radio, a charger, speaker microphones and a vehicle repeater, the report said. As part of the grant, the city will kick in a matching $20,000.

The grants come from the state’s allocation of federal American Rescue Plan dollars, and the city’s matching funds will come from its own store of unallocated Rescue Plan dollars, according to the report.

The Baton Rouge Fire Department showed off five new trucks during a ceremony Thursday.

The trucks will go to the following fire stations:

• Fire Station 1 at 3024 Florida Boulevard
• Fire Station 2 at 3333 Choctaw Drive
• Fire Station 3 at 3142 Evangeline Street
• Fire Station 12 at 555 Government Street
• Fire Station 13 at 835 Sharp Road