Using funds from the American Rescue Plan, Rockingham (NC) Fire Department is purchasing a new custom fire truck, according to a report published by the Richmond County Daily Journal.

The newspaper reported the 2022 custom pumper, being built by E-ONE, will cost $475,000 and replace a 1989 Mack which will be used as a training and reserve engine.

Funds for the new truck were in two previous budgets, but was removed for lack of funds, the paper reported. The city’s fire chief discussed the need for the new truck at a budget session in June and city officials said the ARP money is well suited to fill the need.

The finished truck will likely be delivered to Rockingham in mid October, according to the newspaper.

LaFayette (AL) Fire & EMS has received a $347,619 federal grant to buy a new front-line fire truck, according to a report published by The Times-News.

According to the newspaper, the fire department has been without a front-line engine for about a year and the 2020 Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program money will help correct that issue.

The department has not yet decided on what kind of truck they will purchase, but based on research, the department has learned that commercial cabs and chassis will not be available to middle to late next year, the newspaper reported.  

A fire lieutenant with Brevard County (FL) Fire Rescue escaped serious injuries when a Mercedes traveling over 80 mph slammed into the fire station where he was sleeping on Wednesday, according to a report from WOGX FOX51.

According to the television station, the wall that the 26-year-old woman hit was just feet away from where the firefighter was sleeping. Photos show the bed littered with debris from the crash. The station reported the crash happened at Station 89 in Palm Bay.

The driver reportedly lost control of the car, struck a curb, traveled across the parking lot at Bayside High School, hit a tree and then slammed into the fire station, according to the television station, which also reported the woman was ejected from the vehicle upon impact with the tree.

The lieutenant who was not seriously injured, immediately started treating the driver who was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment, according to the television station.

(LUVERNE, MN) 9/7/21 – For the fifth time in seven years Midwest Fire Equipment & Repair Company (Midwest Fire) was named one of fifty winners in Prairie Business Magazine’s (Prairie Business) “50 Best Places to Work 2021” contest. This is the third time the company has received the award in back-to-back years.

“Given the manufacturing reputation in Minnesota, it’s a huge honor to be featured among so many other successful businesses in our state, and even more so to be chosen a fifth time,” said Midwest Fire’s CEO Sarah Atchison. “I attribute our success entirely to our team. At Midwest Fire everything from building the apparatus to delivery of the apparatus is a team effort, and we could not be successful without them.”

Prairie Business Magazine holds this competition each year to reward and highlight the region’s best places to work, based solely on employee appeal and nomination.  Midwest Fire also received this recognition in 2015, 2016, 2019, and 2020.  The award recognizes employee-nominated companies for exceptional benefits, work culture, general employee happiness and various other pull-factors that retain employees. The winners will be featured in the September issue of the publication. 

Midwest Fire is a manufacturer and direct seller of custom fire apparatus and offers continued support to customers with maintenance and repairs. Employees work directly with fire departments across the country to customize and build state-of-the-art firefighting apparatus. They were previously nominated for the 2018 and 2016 Minnesota Manufacturing Awards among many other honors in recent years.

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ABOUT MIDWEST FIRE:
Midwest Fire Equipment & Repair Company has been manufacturing high-quality fire tankers and pumpers since 1987. We work directly with our customers, never through dealers, to keep costs down and communication consistent during the entire sales and manufacturing process. By creating long-term relationships with our customers, we are able to help devise state-of-the-art approaches to meet each department’s needs. We take pride in our work and our ability to produce some of the highest quality, most innovative tankers and pumpers on the market. www.midwestfire.com