The Reno County Public Works Department is getting some new trucks. The county commissioners unanimously approved one new red fire truck headed for Arlington or Abbyville, and several fire-related vehicles, hutchnews.com reported.

On Tuesday, the Reno County Commission approved one new fire truck for Fire District No. 4. The truck will cost between $279,000 and $300,000. Fire District No. 4, which operates out of Arlington, Abbyville, Partridge and Plevna, was approved to purchase a new truck. This is the largest fire district in Reno County. Currently, they operate two large fire trucks. One is stationed at the Arlington station and the other at Abbyville, the report said.

In Buhler, the Reno/Harvey Joint Fire District #2 will be getting a new utility task vehicle-fire unit for about $32,000, the report said.

Anne Marie Tobin
Daily Item, Lynn, Mass.
(TNS)

Mar. 3—LYNNFIELD — A new ambulance and fire engine headline the Fire Department’s $1.4 million capital funding request for fiscal year 2024.

In a recent presentation to the Select Board, Fire Chief Glenn Davis said they are necessary to replace existing vehicles that have exceeded their lifespans and are unsafe to operate.

The new ambulance comes at a cost of $385,000 and is the department’s top priority. The department has requested a new vehicle for the last five years to replace a 2006 ambulance that Davis said is well beyond its lifespan.

“(The) COVID-19 pandemic had a great impact on the lifespan of our ambulances,” Davis said. “Harsh and corrosive chemicals used for cleaning and disinfecting during the pandemic have rapidly deteriorated surfaces and electronics in all our ambulances.”

Davis said the new ambulance will have “state of the art features to help keep the crew and patients safer,” complete with air purifiers. It will be funded with retained earnings from the town’s enterprise account.

Davis wrote in a funding request form that “Essex County and the rest of the United States is in an EMS crisis” due to staffing shortages and increased demands for assistance. As a result, the department has answered a “significant increase” in mutual aid requests resulting in “additional wear and tear on our vehicles.”

Davis said he has a firm quote of $840,000 for a new engine, which he described as a “big ticket item” that will replace Engine 4, a pumper that is 39-years-old and unsafe by contemporary standards. Davis said that the engine has a bad cylinder and lacks current safety features and technology. Its braking system is “less effective” and the front seat belts only have lap belts. The pump capacity is 750 gallons per minute, half of today’s standard of 1,500 gallons per minute.

“At any time, any possible major repairs could exceed the actual value of the truck,” Davis said.

The department also has two engines that are 20-years-old.

Davis said he submitted a request last week to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for an $850,000 grant to fund the purchase, but that the grant process is “competitive” and the town has recently been unsuccessful in securing grants despite applying every year.

“Last year we came as close as ever and we made it to the peer level,” Davis said. “Who knows? We could bubble to the top this year. We’re hoping that we get there this year but we still need to plan on that replacement.”

Select Board member Dick Dalton said he thought it is i

At least 11 incidents of life-saving equipment theft since 2022

At least four different fire departments, including the one in Houston, have fallen victim to theft, and tens of thousands of dollars of equipment, purchased with public funds have disappeared, KPRC 2 Investigates has learned.

Recently, police recovered a “Jaws of Life” from a stolen vehicle that was connected to both ATM thefts and catalytic converter thefts, the report said.

No arrests have been made in any of the cases, although a combination of police agencies are aware of the issue, and suspect information is circulating among law enforcement, according to the report.

If you have information about theft from area fire trucks or ambulances you are urged to call Crime Stoppers of Houston at 713-222-TIPS. You can remain anonymous.

Jennifer Bailey
Commercial-News, Danville, Ill.
(TNS)

Mar. 2—DANVILLE — It was a little more expensive than expected, but the Danville City Council’s Public Works Department recommended approving purchasing a new 100-foot aerial ladder fire truck.

The purchase cost is $1.686 million from dealer A.E.C. Fire & Safety. The low bid was $1.758 million for the Ferrara fire apparatus, but the city will be receiving a lower cost demonstration model of a similarly manufactured vehicle that would be made available this summer.

The full city council will act on the purchase next week.

The $1.637 million price includes a pre-build estimate of 3 percent factored for $49,111.

In the city’s ARPA spending plan from May 2022, the estimated aerial truck cost was $1.4 million.

City officials are trying to work out the overage on the aerial to pay for a pumper.

Fire Chief Aaron Marcott said they have bids for the pumper and it likely will have a 650-day wait to receive it.

Mayor Rickey Williams Jr. said the demonstraiton aerial truck hasn’t been used or showcased. It was ordered by another company which ended up not needing it, he said.

He said the city can receive it this summer instead of waiting two more years.

The city then would have a little less ARPA money to purchase the pumper truck, Williams added.

City officials are looking at selling some old equipment to help pay for the pumper.

The committee also discussed, but didn’t act on, the SAFER grant application for six additional firefighters.

Marcott and Williams said the SAFER grant would pay for 100 percent salary and benefits for three years, with the city required to pay for equipment and training. The city also has the opportunity for some equipment cost reimbursement through another grant.

Marcott said the SAFER grant will eliminate fire department overtime expenses. He reminded the aldermen the fire department has about a dozen firefighters at or near retirement age in the next three years. The SAFER grant would put two additional firefighters on each shift.

Williams said the grant would save the city $500,000 to $700,000 a year in overtime for the next three years, primarily due to minimum manning requirements. These also don’t have to be permanent positions to lock the department into having 51 firefighters. The city can assess how the casino and additional businesses will be affecting the fire service in the next few years, he said.

Williams said the city could lay off firefighters through attrition.

“I think this is the best way to control overtime until that time,” Marcott said of the SAFER grant, adding that the city also could again apply for another grant in a few more years.

In other fire department reports, since the city changed residency requirements for city employees, aldermen learned that four of the newest probationary firefighters live outside of Danville: Justin Moore of Covington, Ind., Nathan Michael and Jaren West of Hoopeston, Jeffrey Christison of Oakwood.

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