On March 7, residents of Audubon will have the opportunity to vote on a proposed $2.8 million general obligation bond. If passed, this proposed bond would strictly be used to help fund the construction of a new Audubon Fire and Rescue Station.

Audubon Fire and Rescue currently uses a building built in 1971 as a car dealership. Audubon Fire and Rescue moved into the building in 1975. The building has been added to three times since then, but the facility can no longer be expanded due to floodplain issues and existing property lines.

Voters approved the purchase of a new fire truck at a special town meeting held on Thursday at the Sorrento-Sullivan Rec Center, ellsworthamerican.com reported.

The article was passed in a 31-20 vote after hours of heated debate, the report said.

The new truck, an International pumper and tanker combination, will be paid off over a period of 10 years, and is expected to be in service for at least 20, according to the report.

The new truck will replace Sullivan’s existing tanker truck, which is a 1992 Ford and at more than 30 years old is no longer in active use. The current truck is too old to find parts for, making it difficult to refurbish, the report said.

A big point of contention at the meeting was that up to $650,000 was sought to purchase the truck, as specified in the warrant article, but the truck is expected to cost roughly $100,000 less than that amount, according to the report. Some residents said that they felt this was a way for the Select Board to write a “blank check” for any amount.

Officials said the extra financial wiggle room was added due to the volatility of truck prices, but that no more money than was required to purchase the truck would be used, the report said.

The Gadsden City Council last Tuesday approved the $1 million purchase of a new ladder truck for the Gadsden Fire Department, weisradio.com reported.

The E-One HP75 Quint on an E-One Typhoon chassis will replace a 16-year-old ladder truck at Station No. 4 in Alabama City, and according to a fire official is a case of needing to move now or face a lengthy wait, the report said. 

The $1,019,956 tab will be paid from American Rescue Plan funds that had been set aside for renovations to the Memorial Bridge on Broad Street, according to the report. But the council must approve an ordinance shifting those funds to the fire department’s account after its second reading. 

A city official said he’s confident after a city delegation’s recent visit to Washington, D.C., that Gadsden will be successful in its request for federal grant money for bridge upgrades, the report said. 

Fire Apparatus & Emergency Equipment is excited to announce that Chris Mc Loone has joined the staff as Editor in Chief. Chris brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in the fire service to the Clarion Fire & Rescue Group. He is intimately familiar with all our Clarion Fire & Rescue brands, including FDIC International.  “His vision and knowledge of the products, plus established relationships with manufacturers in our industry, are already established, making him ready to take on the responsibilities of this position,” says Eric Schlett, Executive Vice President, Clarion Fire & Rescue.

Chris is a 30-year veteran of the fire service and has held multiple roles as firefighter, engineering officer, company officer, and chief officer. He is currently a safety officer. He was previously Senior Editor for Fire Apparatus & Emergency Equipment for six years and a contributing editor to Fire Engineering for four years.

“Fire Apparatus & Emergency Equipment is a critical brand for the fire service. More than any brand, fire department personnel responsible for apparatus and equipment purchasing rely on Fire Apparatus & Emergency Equipment to lead them to informed purchasing decisions. I am looking forward to broadening the brand’s scope digitally and to developing new opportunities to connect buyers with suppliers,” Mc Loone says.

“We are thrilled to have Chris join our team and look forward to his leadership in helping us provide the best in fire service news and information to our audience,” Schlett says.