East Jefferson (WA) Fire Rescue (EJFR) and the Marrowstone Island Foundation (MIF) have broken ground at Fire Station 1-2’s construction site.

On Thursday, members from EJFR and MIF gathered at the construction site on Flagler Rd to formally begin the improvement project. In addition to the current apparatus bays on-site, there will soon be quarters to house volunteer first responders, the department says on Facebook.

EJFR covers 68 square miles and responds to approximately 4,500 calls for emergency service annually. Three strategically placed fire stations are staffed with firefighters, EMTs, and paramedics 24/7, while three supplementary fire stations serve as additional coverage via volunteer service.

The new volunteer crew quarters will allow EJFR to staff Marrowstone Island’s area during peak hours/days.

The Williston (VT) Fire Department plans to put into service two new apparatus this weekend, reports willistonobserver.com.

However, the department lacks the staff to consistently operate the new equipment, the report says. Voters in 2019 approved taking on $1.4 million of debt for the purchase; after some delays they arrived at the Talcott Road station in October.

At the time of their arrival, according to the report, the department received a staffing needs report it commissioned last fall. It presented a grim reality of the department’s ability to provide fire and emergency medical coverage.

The report, completed by CA-based AP Triton, recommended an immediate increase of nine career firefighters, and, over a five-year period, for nearly 40 new firefighters. Those moves would increase the overall budget by roughly $2.5 million annually, the report says.

The department currently has between three and four firefighters on-duty 24/7, which has been par for the course over recent years. However, the report notes that there has been a drop in on-call firefighters; the department has gone from about 30 on-call firefighters in 2016 to eight now.

The new engine has a rear-mounted, 100-foot ladder and enough removable ground ladders for nine additional firefighters; its predecessor had a mid-mounted 95-foot ladder with a bucket, the report says. It also carries 500 gallons of water, 200 more than the old apparatus. The other new apparatus is a water tanker. It can carry 1,500 gallons of water.

In total, the fire department has four fire trucks, two ambulances, and a utility pickup truck, the report says.

The Nutter Fort (WV) Fire Department recently took delivery of its new $1 million aerial truck.

The apparatus’ ladder can reach 107 feet, while its predecessor, which required expensive repairs, topped out at 50 feet.

Crews will begin training on the apparatus in the coming weeks.

Officials say the truck was paid for with community donations and fundraising.