5,000 homes, 400 businesses, 30 apartment complexes, and many schools in the Gate Parkway area will now have from faster response times and lower insurance rates as @THEJFRD Fire Station 63 opened today. Hear from Mayor @lennycurry & City officials why this is great for our City. pic.twitter.com/QpiE6UyZmg

— City of Jacksonville (COJ) (@CityofJax) October 26, 2021

Those in the Gate Parkway area will now have a faster response time and lower insurance rates as Jacksonville (FL) Fire and Rescue held the grand opening for its Station 63.

The $7 million facility is located on Gate Parkway and will cover 5,000 homes, 400 businesses, 30 apartment complexes, and many schools.

Today we officially opened station 63 on Gate Parkway…there is so much growth in the area that call volumes are up over 45% since they were put into service in a trailer 2 years ago. @CityofJax @lennycurry pic.twitter.com/PSENdV3B6c

— THEJFRD (@THEJFRD) October 26, 2021

New Aircraft Rescue Firefighting Truck to Honor Fallen Firefighter

What:   Dedication and Commissioning Ceremony – Rescue 1      

When: Thursday, October 28, 10:00 a.m.           

Where: Corpus Christi International Airport

             Outside of the Del Mar Hangar

             7179 Glasson Dr.

Who:    Tyler Miller, CCIA Deputy Director of Aviation    

             John Hyland, CCIA Chief of Public Safety

CORPUS CHRISTI, TX – Corpus Christi International Airport (CCIA) will dedicate and commission a brand-new Aircraft Rescue Firefighting (ARFF) truck before placing it into service. Funding for the new $860,000 ARFF truck came from a $692,000 federal grant, with the remaining $168,000 coming from airport revenue. The truck can carry 1,500 gallons of water and 500 pounds of dry chemicals for fighting fires.

The ceremony also will honor Lt. Bobby Almager, Public Safety Officer who served at CCIA for 24 years as a law enforcement officer, firefighter, and Emergency Medical Technician (E.M.T.). Lt. Almager passed away from complications of COVID-19 in July 2020.

Members of the media wishing to cover the dedication and commissioning can park at the Del Mar Hangar on Glasson Drive. When heading south on International Drive toward the terminal, take a left on Glasson Drive and follow the road to the end. The Del Mar Hangar is on the right-hand side. The ceremony will be held just outside the hangar.

Please plan to arrive no later than 9:50 a.m. so that airport employees can escort you to the outdoor location.

For more information, media representatives can contact Marketing Manager Kim Bridger-Hunt at 361-774-7871 or email at kimb@cctexas.com.

The Morristown (NJ) Fire Bureau recently took delivery of a $589,805 2021 Pierce Saber pumper, reports morristowngreen.com.

The apparatus, a six-cylinder diesel truck equipped with a 525-gallon water tank, is the first engine the town has purchased in 15 years. It was manufactured in Florida, the report says.

To commemorate one of Morristown’s earliest and still-operational fire houses, the engine will be named after the First Ward Hose Co. at 155 Morris St., according to the report. Following some final details, the apparatus is expected to be operational within two weeks.

Tangipahoa Parish (LA) Rural Fire Protection District No. 2 is mandating that all of its fire truck operators complete a defensive driving course, reports hammondstar.com.

The mandate comes on the heels of multiple apparatus accidents in a short period of time. Now, those who drive the district’s vehicles will be required to complete the course by the end of January, according to officials.

Talks around the defensive driving course began earlier this year when the district became aware that its insurance rates had been raised upon renewal in April, the report says. The course is eight hours and taught by an instructor from the insurance company.

Drivers in accidents are being drug-tested immediately after the accident, officials say.