Nelson Fire and Rescue has the oldest working fire hall in British Columbia but it needs replacing, boundarycreektimes.com reported. The fire hall is 110 years old and does not meet current standards.

Nelson city manager Kevin Cormack told council at a meeting Jan. 31 that the hall, which is known outside the city for being a central location in the 1987 movie Roxanne, can no longer be used by the department, the report said.

He said the city has hired a consultant to look at possible locations for a new fire hall.

Even with extensive renovations, he said, the current fire hall, which was built for horses, would not meet safety standards, and in any event the lot on which it is located is too small for current needs, the report said. He said he cannot speculate on the cost until he sees the consultant report.

Cormack said the consultant is an architect with experience in locating emergency sites in terms of both topography and emergency response times. He said this expertise is especially needed in a town with limited space and a steep landscape.

After the fire hall is replaced, the current building will be treated as a heritage building and another use found for it, Cormack said.

By Brandi Makuski

The Stevens Point Fire Department learned this week that it had won its largest grant ever from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, spmetrowire.com reported.

The department was awarded a $228,750 grant through FEMA’s Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) program to cover the costs of an updated batch of Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA), also sometimes referred to as an “air pack.” The devices allow firefighters to breathe on the scene of a fire, protecting their airway and lungs from toxic gases and harmful, cancer-causing particulates.

According to Fire Chief Jb Moody, the city is responsible for covering 10 percent, about $22,875, of costs in accordance with the grant application. The city initially budgeted to replace the SCBAs in 2023 via its capital budget, but now, Moody said the highly-competitive grant funding will loosen up about 60 percent of those anticipated costs.

SPFD took receipt of 35 new MSA-brand SCBAs, each weighing about 16 pounds, in mid-January. The new devices come with a 30-minute, 4,500 psi cylinder, and are lighter, more comfortable, and have longer-lasting, rechargeable batteries.

The department was previously using SCBAs purchased in 2009, also through an AFG grant. The February grant marks the second FEMA award the department has received, although Moody said it’s the largest the SPFD has ever received.

“A lot of people from our department were responsible for this grant application,” Moody said by phone this week. “Our people have put a lot of work into this and it’s paid off.”

Moody added that the grant funding removes a “large burden from the city and taxpayers.”

The new SCBAs are “state-of-the-art,” Moody said, and come with Bluetooth radio communications and “buddy-breathing” capabilities. Each member of the department has their own facepiece.

Th department also purchased two rapid intervention packs for firefighters with air management emergencies on a fire scene.

Moody said its the department’s policy to provide the best equipment available whenever possible.

“A significant component of the ‘best’ equipment is that which is the safest,” Moody said in a Thursday email. “This Federal Emergency Management Assistance to Firefighters Grant program has provided the funding to accomplish just that.”

Sutphen—Fostoria (OH) Fire Department rescue pumper. Monarch cab and chassis; Cummins L9 450-hp engine; Hale Qmax 1,500-gpm pump; UPF Poly 1,000-gallon water tank; Whelen LED warning and scene lights; enclosed pump panel; front bumper discharge. Dealer: Andy Herb, Herb Fire Equipment, Powell, OH.

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By Bill Adams

Pierce Manufacturing, Incorporated, is one of the largest fire apparatus manufacturers in the nation. The company advertises six “configurations” of custom chassis with names that reflect both the cab and the chassis.

Pierce’s chassis brochure and literature illustrate the configurations with available options. They could be expounded on. Dave McAlice, the Eastern regional vice president for Pierce, agreed to be interviewed to answer some specific “how and why” questions about them.

McALICE INTERVIEW

Q: Does Pierce build cabs at the Appleton, WI, and Bradenton, FL, plants?

A: “We build cab structures at both our Appleton and Bradenton facilities. The custom cab and chassis from Bradenton is our Saber model.”

Q: Are all cabs aluminum?

A: “Yes, all our cabs are aluminum.”

Q: Are all cabs full tilt?

A: “Yes, all our cabs are full tilt. Fixed cab offerings faded away [late 1980s, early 1990s] when 4-door enclosed cabs became the industry standard. Full drivetrain and cooling system access for maintenance became much easier by tilting the cab instead of trying to access via jump seat/canopy areas.”

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