The Rapid City (SD) Fire Department could receive more than $15 million to remodel Fire Station 1, according to a report published by the Rapid City Journal.

The paper reported the money would come from the $20 million the city got for COVID-19 funds from the federal government.

If the city council approves the allocation, the money will be used to expand the current station from 17,400 square feet to about 40,000 square feet, the newspaper reported.

Infrastructure work and a burn building are included in the proposal, according to the paper, which also reported the department is also seeking about $1.5 million for a training tower.

Task Force Tips (TFT) was created 50 years ago by a firefighter to provide tools to help first responders to do their job more safely and effectively. Now today, TFT is helping to keep firefighters healthier as well. TFT has partnered with Purafil – part of the largest air filtration company in the world – to integrate proven and patented filtration technology into a new TFT product: CrewProtect^TM.

Put simply, CrewProtect cleans the apparatus air that firefighters and EMS personnel breathe. It rapidly filters cancer causing particulate soot and VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) that can off-gas for up to 45 minutes. In addition, because of medical responses and close quarters in apparatus, CrewProtect also filters a wide range of bacterial and viral threats like COVID-19. Systems with similar filtration technologies are used globally today in hospitals, industrial sites, schools, telecom, energy sites, agriculture, and food production.

CrewProtect tackles all three major air threats in the cab and ambulance body:  particulates, VOCs and aerosols carrying bacteria and viruses. Other systems only tackle one or two. Most importantly, CrewProtect is safe. Many other systems are ineffective at particulate and VOC removal or have the unintended consequence of adding more harmful elements, such as ozone and formaldehyde during operation.

TFT designed CrewProtect specifically for fire apparatus. It’s an easy installation in a new truck or retrofit into an in-service unit. It’s encased in steel, compact and rugged. CrewProtect is fast and effective as it filters the air in the average cab every 3.5 minutes, which exceeds the air exchange rate of “clean rooms” and operating rooms in hospitals! Lastly, CrewProtect is automatically helping to protect occupants whenever the apparatus is in use without switches or adjustment controls.

For more information, contact your local TFT dealer or go to https://crewprotect.net/

Spencer—Pittsburgh (PA) Fire Department seven pumpers. Spartan Metro Star cabs and chassis; Cummins L9 450-hp engines; Hale Qtwo-23X 2,000-gpm pumps; APR polypropylene 515-gallon water tanks. Dealer: Spencer Manufacturing, South Haven, MI.

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Warren firefighters want a share of the city’s $28 million federal dollars from the American Recovery Program spent on fire equipment, reports WFMJ 21.

The president of Warren Professional Fire Fighters IAFF Local 204 emailed a letter to 21 News and posted on the local’s Facebook page. The letter urges city residents and business owners to urge city leaders to use some of the ARP funds to purchase fire department apparatus.

A survey will ask participants to rank possible uses for ARP funds on a one to five basis, with one being the highest priority and five being the lowest.

The fire department’s goal is to purchase a total of three new trucks using ARP funds.