Although West Perth (Toronto, Canada) Fire Department (WPFD) firefighter Brad Brace has only been with the department for four years, he has—quite literally—left his mark on West Perth’s new station, reports o.canada.com.

Brace owns and operates Mitchell Ironworks, which designed the department logo sign on the new facility; the sign is 8×8 and made of powder coated aluminum and stainless steel. Prior to fixing it to the station on October 2, Brace wrote his name on the back, according to the report.

WPFD used its ladder truck to install the sign with 180 stainless screws, the report says. All firefighters who helped assist in hanging it signed the back as well and dated it.

Brace says he put in about 50 hours of work off and on for a couple of months to create the logo, which was paid for by the West Perth Firefighters Association.

The Beaufort-Port Royal (SC) Fire Department has a new $800,000 custom-built pumper with more pumping capacity and the ability to carry equipment such as extrication tools and a defibrillator, reports islandpacket.com.

The 33-foot-long, red-and-black rig replaces a 14-year-old apparatus and is the department’s fifth in-service pumper, including two reserves, the report says. Stationed at Station 4 on S.C. 170, the pumper’s first day of service will be Monday.

The pumper was purchased from Spartan Emergency Response in Summerville, but Pierce Manufacturing in Appleton (WI) built it. It can hold 1,000 gallons of water—250 gallons more than any other pumper in the department’s fleet—and carry 1,000 feet of supply line hose, as well as three shorter attack-line hoses, the report says.

The department has 48 shift firefighters and operates out of four stations serving Beaufort and Port Royal.

Portland Fire & Rescue is teaming up with CareOregon in an attempt to improve medical care and reduce the burden on the emergency 911 by providing a new response plan for low-risk medical calls, according to a report published by The Oregonian/Oregon Live.

According to the report, the Portland City Council accepted a $2.5 million grant from CareOregon to create a smaller pilot team of two fire medics that would respond to calls deemed low risk to help reduce the burden of repeat patients who need medical care, but do not need transport to the hospital.

Under the current plan, a fire engine, ladder truck and ambulance respond to all medical calls, the report said, adding the new nine-month trial program will begin on Nov. 15 with two fire medics working from noon to 2 am daily. A roving critical care nurse for each team hired by Portland would be available if needed to help the medics at any location, according to the report.

The newspaper/web site said Portland Fire and CareOregon will evaluate the program at the end of nine months with the hope of extending it throughout the city, if successful.

Madawaska Valley Township (Ontario, Canada) took delivery of a new $386,000 pumper last week that will replace one with more than 30 years of service, reports Yahoo.

The new truck can pump 1,050 gallons of water per minute and has a 30-gallon C02 fire suppressant foam cell on board, according to the report. The real advantage, officials say, is the truck’s high-hat deck with a hose that can shoot 80 feet in the air.

Fire officials expect the apparatus—purchased from Carrier Firetrucks and built by Metal-Fab in New Brunswick—to last as long as its predecessor “Old Faithful” did.