An out-of-service Warren (MI) ambulance that saw years of heavy use is heading to rural West Virginia, reports candgnews.com.

The apparatus will be refitted and put back into service by volunteer firefighters and paramedics in the town of Cairo, the report says. The alternative, officials say, was simply scrapping the ambulance; officials say that would have netted between $4,000 and $7,000.

According to the report, the MI and WV connection was forged when visitors in Cairo met with volunteer firefighters during an emergency response.

Cairo fire officials say the department’s 20 volunteers serve a population of 382 in the city and about 2,500 in the area; it’s dispatched to about 200 runs a year over an area of 50 square miles, 85% of which require EMS, the report says.

The department’s fleet consists of five vehicles: a 30-year-old main engine, a tanker, a medical rescue pickup truck, a brush truck, and a reserve tanker.

Officials say the last time Cairo had an ambulance was 40 years ago. The department has an annual budget of about $30,000, the report says, and holds raffles and dinners and even started a GoFundMe page two years ago.

The Type III ambulance would have cost about $190,000 new before it was fitted with equipment, the report says.

Surprise, AZ (September 20, 2021) Construction is complete on Fire Station 308, located on the south side of Cactus Road, east of Litchfield Road, and the station is operational as of today. 

This public safety project was completed as part of the voter-approved 2017 General Obligation Bond to meet the needs of our city’s growing service call demand. The southeast portion of Surprise, where this station is located, continues to see growth in new homes, schools, commercial businesses and large manufacturers. 

Fire Station 308 is approximately 16,000 square feet with four bays for fire apparatus. It houses an Engine Company and Hazardous Materials Response Team – an important component due to the station’s proximity to the city’s industrial district. The station is designed to provide training specific to responses to hazardous materials emergencies and also has room for a future ambulance.

As part of City Council’s commitment that one and one-third percent of the budget for capital projects be set aside for art, there is an art piece in the works for this station that is expected to be completed this fall. It consists of large staggered metal panels that have the word “courage” cut out.

The city will host a public ribbon-cutting event at the fire station this fall. Details will be released at a later date. 

Fire Station 308 is one of two stations that were constructed with General Obligation Bond dollars. Fire Station 304, located in the city’s northern area on 163rd Ave. near Happy Valley Rd. was completed in January of this year. It replaced a temporary, modular fire station to better serve another high growth area of the Surprise. 

To learn more about the city’s 10 General Obligation Bond Projects, please visit surpriseaz.gov/decidesurprise.

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According to a report from WJLA, approximately 20 percent of DC Fire & EMS workers (DCFEMS) are requesting a exemption to avoid a mandate requiring city employees to get vaccinated against COVID. The figure comes from the office of Mayor Muriel Bowser. The requests represent the vast majority of religious exemption requests across Washington, D.C.

Out of the 475 requests for vaccine exemption across the city, 419 work for DCFEMS, which employs 2,124 members.

Despite many DCFEMS employees already being vaccinated, hundreds still have not reportedly still received a shot. Bowser said that should change.

The city is requiring firefighters and other health care workers to receive at least one COVID-19 vaccine shot by September 30. If they don’t, they face potential disciplinary action.

Those DCFEMS workers who receive the exemptions can submit weekly negative COVID tests in lieu of receiving the vaccine. Other D.C. government workers were required to be fully vaccinated by September 19.

Some firefighters have pushed back against the city’s mandate, saying they would accept a compromise they consider less strict.

A fire truck responding to an Orange County (FL) house fire was involved in a crash early today, reports clickorlando.com. The crash happened on Goldenrod Road near State Road 408.

The fire broke out around 1 a.m. in the 4000 block of Sansevieria Lane, southeast of Orlando, the report says. Fire officials say flames and smoke were visible from the roof, but firefighters extinguished it. There was visible damage to the home, but no injuries were reported.

No other details have been released.