Two weeks after moving in, the Anna (TX) Fire Department is comfortable in its new station and has bid adieu to its predecessor, reports amtrib.com. A ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new central station is set for Friday, November 19 at 4 p.m.

The newly constructed modern facility is a major upgrade from the previous station, which was originally built for a small-town volunteer department, according to the report.

One of the most noticeable changes is the larger truck bay, which has myriad benefits, the report says. In addition to more space, the expanded bay also gives the city space to run its own ambulance service. It currently contracts with a third-party vendor for most ambulance needs, but that will change next spring when Anna receives its second ambulance.

A ladder truck will also be added to the department’s fleet next year, the report says. The old station will most likely be demolished within the next month in favor of more parking.

Pekin (IL) City Council voted to give Dewberry Professional Services a contract for the design of three new fire stations, reports Yahoo; two are being rebuilt and the third will be new.

The design phase will be two-fold, with phase one consisting of programming and site testing; city officials estimate that phase one will cost $36,400, the report says. Council will then mull a separate agreement for the second design phase when the final scope is established.

In addition, Council approved a $29,586 proposal from Security Electronics Integration Company (SEICO) for the installation of a fire alarm system at Station 1.

Obsolete San Diego (CA) fire and police department radios will be replaced under a $51 million contract the city has with Motorola Solutions Inc., reports sandiegouniontribune.com.

The city will use bond proceeds to pay for the upgrades under a financing plan approved in August, according to the report.

The deal will replace more than 7,000 radios that police, firefighters, and dispatchers use. San Diego Fire-Rescue Department officials say there are two key benefits to the upgrade: The radios will meet national standards and the new technology will improve GPS capabilities.

The upgrades mark the final step in a modernization project; the city has over the past three years made upgrades to its public safety radio communication infrastructure and mountaintop towers to transition from analog to digital technology, the report says.

The upgrades will happen in two phases, officials say. In January, 5,000 hand-held radios and 35 dispatcher control stations will be upgraded for $28.5 million; a year later, about 2,500 vehicle-mounted radios will be replaced for $14 million; and an additional $8.5 million will be spent as needed for accessories, training, repairs, and future upgrades, the report says.

Grant County (WA) Fire District 5 has been awarded a nearly $900,000 AFG grant to purchase a 2022 aerial truck, reports ifiberone.com.

The $877,523 grant was the largest for apparatus acquisition given out in WA and third largest in the country, according to the report. The apparatus is expected to be delivered toward the end of 2022.

Officials note that the grant comes with a 5% match, meaning taxpayers will be responsible for about $44,000.

The department has secured more than $1.7 million in grants through FEMA program over the last two years, as a 2020 grant replaced its air packs, the report says.

Fire officials plan to fly to NE in December to dot all the remaining I’s and cross similar T’s.