A $400,000 Rural and Small Town Grant will go toward design work on the Williamstown (MA) Fire Department’s new station.

The Williamstown Prudential Committee purchased a Main Street property in 2018 with the intent of constructing a new station on it. The current Water Street facility was built in 1950 and has been deemed too small.

“The Town of Williamstown will create specification and schematic designs for redesign phase of a Fire Station built in 1950,” a press release notes, “to improve and meet standards and guidelines as recommended by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and the Aire Force Fire Station Design Guide to improve the station’s response time, deployment, and rescue process.

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Two Tate County (MS) volunteer fire departments, District 1 and Looxahoma, have been approved by the Board of Supervisors to order new pumper trucks, with expected delivery by the end of 2022, reports taterecord.com.

Officials say the replacement plan is Round 13 and 14 of the Rural Fire Truck Acquisition Assistance Program, and the county receives a $90,000 rebate on each truck it orders. They’re finalizing the necessary forms before they’re sent to the state fire marshal for approval.

The new pumper trucks have an estimated price tag of $330,000 each, the report says.

If awarded, the department can use either a cap loan or pay for the trucks in cash, the report says. The former, set up to be paid off in 10 years, is what the department will likely do, officials say.

A man was recently flown to a hospital following a collision with Front Royal (VA) Fire Department’s Engine 1-Bravo, reports winchesterstar.com.

The accident occurred near Strasburg Road and Homestead Drive just before 6 p.m. Thursday, according to the report. The apparatus—carrying three crew members—had responded to reports of a nearby crash and was returning to headquarters when it collided with a pickup truck carrying just the driver.

The truck was traveling east on Strasburg Road when it swerved to avoid hitting a stalled eastbound vehicle attempting to make a left turn, the report says. As a result, the apparatus collided with a westbound Toyota Tacoma. Fire crews found the pickup’s driver entrapped, and he was extricated after about 30 minutes.

The report notes that the driver, who was wearing a seatbelt, suffered serious-but-non-life-threatening injuries before he was flown to INOVA Fairfax Hospital for treatment.

The three firefighters involved in the crash, who also were all wearing seatbelts, were transported to Warren Memorial Hospital and released without significant injury, the report says. Officials say Front Royal’s Conor Wright, 25, was operating the apparatus.

The apparatus will be out of service for a significant period, but that will not affect the department as the engine was a back-up.

Charges are pending as the crash remains under investigation by police officials.

Vancouver hopes to be the first city in Canada with an electric fire truck, reports theprovince.com, as the city has ordered a $1.5 million Rosenbauer RT pumper. The city hopes to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 60% by 2030.

Fire officials expect to have the apparatus inspected a year from now and responding to calls by mid-2023.

The battery-powered pumper, which recharges when plugged in at the station, comes with a diesel range extender, which aims to allow the truck to be operational for longer than normal—about 62 miles and 90 minutes, the report says.

The cost of a traditional diesel pumper truck is $1.2 million, and officials note that when vehicles and larger pieces of equipment are electrified the cost is often 50% more, according to the report.

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In addition to the environmental benefits, the apparatus also boasts:

-If stopped at a red light and boxed in, the pumper can turn all its wheels to move sideways out of traffic.

-If there’s a disaster, the truck body can be raised to pass over road debris.

Officials say Berlin recently completed 440 runs with its Rosenbauer RT, using electric power 99.81% of the time, and, in four months, it used just more than two gallons of diesel. In addition, the apparatus’ batteries are estimated to last up to 20 years.