Melissa Frick
mlive.com
(TNS)

GRAND RAPIDS, MI – A new 10,640-square-foot building is currently under construction at the corner of Kalamazoo Avenue and Kendall Street.

Once completed, the facility will speed up emergency response times for residents in Grand Rapids’ Third Ward, which has roughly 14,000 residents on the city’s southeast side.

Construction began on the new Kendall Street Fire Station last fall, and it is expected to be ready for move-in by this September, a city spokesperson said.

RELATED: New $8.1M fire station being built on Grand Rapids’ southeast side

The two-bay facility, located at 4044 Kalamazoo Ave. SE, will include private living quarters for firefighters, modern amenities, kitchen and dining areas, a fitness room and on-site parking, the city said.

It will also feature drive-thru apparatus bays, advanced exhaust systems and ample storage for equipment.

Holland-based EV Construction is the building contractor for the project, while Integrated Architecture is designing the new fire station.

Currently, the Grand Rapids Fire Department has only one fire station located directly in the city’s Third Ward, following the consolidation of southeast side stations in the 1980s.

Grand Rapids Fire Chief Brad Brown said that move has left the city’s firefighters stretched too thin as the ward has grown.

The new Kendall Street Fire Station will improve timely responses and ensure resources are equitably distributed across the city, Brown previously told MLive/The Grand Rapids Press.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) awarded the city of Grand Rapids a $3.17 million grant to fully fund the staffing of the fire department for the first three years.

The construction of the new fire station is being fully funded by a $35 million state grant that was allocated by lawmakers in last year’s state budget.

The grant will also fully cover the construction of another new fire station on Division Avenue, as well as partially fund the construction of a fire training and operations center.

RELATED: $46M Grand Rapids firefighter training facility construction to begin this year

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Hunterdon County Department of Public Safety in New Jersey will take delivery of a Frontline Communications Saber C-40X-4 Command Unit, which will be Showcased in Pierce Manufacturing’s Booth at FDIC 2025.

APPLETON, Wis. (April 9, 2025) – Frontline Communications, a division of Pierce Manufacturing Inc., an Oshkosh Corporation (NYSE:OSK) business, is proud to announce the upcoming delivery of a new Saber^® C-40X-4 mobile command vehicle to the Hunterdon County Department of Public Safety in Flemington, New Jersey. This next generation command vehicle, delivered through Frontline Communications and Pierce Manufacturing dealer Fire and Safety Services, marks a significant milestone in Hunterdon County’s emergency response capabilities and will be prominently displayed at the Fire Department Instructors Conference (FDIC) 2025 in Indianapolis, Indiana, in Pierce Manufacturing’s booth #5337.

Designed as a county-wide asset, the new mobile command vehicle is tailored to support emergency management, on-scene operations, SWAT teams, and major disaster response. The unit enhances communication capabilities, providing a mobile dispatch center that supports the workload of Hunterdon County’s communications division during high-demand incidents.

“This Mobile Command Vehicle is a game-changer for Hunterdon County,” said Brayden Fahey, Public Safety Director/County OEM Coordinator with Hunterdon County Department of Public Safety. “The technology upgrades, additional space, and overall versatility will allow us to provide more efficient and effective emergency response services. This investment ensures that we are better equipped to handle incidents of any scale, supporting not only our first responders but also the safety of our residents.”

Built on a tandem axle Saber chassis, the command vehicle is powered by a Cummins L9, 450 hp engine and features a Command Zone™ Advanced Electronics System to ensure seamless operational control. At 41’ 3” in length and 13’ 3” in height, the vehicle provides ample space for critical response operations, with advanced technology integration, including:

• Enhanced communications: A fully integrated dispatch area with upgraded technology, providing real-time coordination for emergency responders.
• Surveillance and visibility: A Will-Burt Night Scan Light Tower mounted on the roof and a 42’ heavy-duty mast system with IC Realtime HD PTZ camera for extended visibility and intelligence gathering at the rear of the apparatus.
• Powerful and efficient operation: A Harrison Hydraulic 25 kW generator ensuring reliability in the most demanding environments.
• Comfort and efficiency: A 20’ 12VDC electric awning for exterior operations and field coordination.

Replacing a 24-year-old command unit that previously responded to major incidents—including 9/11 incident response—this new vehicle represents a significant upgrade for the Hunterdon County Department of Public Safety. The unit provides first responders with increased space, versatility, and a higher level of service across widespread emergencies such as natural disasters, multi-agency responses, and tactical law enforcement operations.

The Hunterdon County Board of Commissioners played a crucial role in the acquisition of this new vehicle, and a dedicated plaque will be placed on the unit to recognize their contributions and commitment to public safety.

FDIC 2025 attendees will have the opportunity to see the Hunterdon County mobile command vehicle firsthand in Pierce Manufacturing’s booth #5337. Frontline Communications and Fire and Safety Services representatives will be available to discuss the

Company Also Highlights Continuous Innovation with New Globe Turnout Jacket

PITTSBURGH (April 9, 2025) – Innovation in the fire service is a continuous journey, where changing customer needs are driving forces in developing the newest safety solutions. For MSA Safety (NYSE: MSA), that means taking the best and making it even better with the latest edition of its market-leading self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) and designing an all-new turnout jacket. This week at FDIC International, MSA Safety will do just that by announcing the MSA^® G1^™ SCBA XR Edition and all-new Globe^® G-XTREME^® PRO Jacket.

The G1 SCBA XR Edition and G-XTREME Pro Jacket join the MSA Cairns^® 1836 Fire Helmet as a trio of new fire service safety innovations introduced by MSA Safety in just the past year. These build on the growing list of solutions designed to help protect firefighters and enhance safety by assisting with accountability and situational awareness.

“Our customers drive our innovation and lead us to design safety solutions that best meet their safety needs,” said Stephanie Sciullo, President of MSA Americas. “In the past decade the fire service has evolved, and so has MSA by bringing new safety solutions to the market. As the leader in head-to-toe firefighter protection, we’re committed to helping advance firefighter safety, and we’ll continue to evolve and innovate by designing the next generation of safety equipment.”

Building on 10 years of continuous innovation, the MSA^® G1^™ SCBA XR Edition is the latest evolution of the G1 SCBA, featuring enhancements to the breathing air regulator and to various soft goods, including the straps, lumbar pad, and emergency and quick-fill pouches. All soft goods are removable for easy cleaning, and all enhancements are backwards-compatible to existing G1 SCBA units. The G1 SCBA XR Edition will be available for order beginning in May.

With 15 U.S. patents, the G1 SCBA has a broad range of innovative features to enhance firefighter safety, comfort, situational awareness and operational efficiency, including standard voice amplification and radio interface capability, an advanced

Company Also Highlights Continuous Innovation with New Globe Turnout Jacket

PITTSBURGH (April 9, 2025) – Innovation in the fire service is a continuous journey, where changing customer needs are driving forces in developing the newest safety solutions. For MSA Safety (NYSE: MSA), that means taking the best and making it even better with the latest edition of its market-leading self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) and designing an all-new turnout jacket. This week at FDIC International, MSA Safety will do just that by announcing the MSA^® G1^™ SCBA XR Edition and all-new Globe^® G-XTREME^® PRO Jacket.

The G1 SCBA XR Edition and G-XTREME Pro Jacket join the MSA Cairns^® 1836 Fire Helmet as a trio of new fire service safety innovations introduced by MSA Safety in just the past year. These build on the growing list of solutions designed to help protect firefighters and enhance safety by assisting with accountability and situational awareness.

“Our customers drive our innovation and lead us to design safety solutions that best meet their safety needs,” said Stephanie Sciullo, President of MSA Americas. “In the past decade the fire service has evolved, and so has MSA by bringing new safety solutions to the market. As the leader in head-to-toe firefighter protection, we’re committed to helping advance firefighter safety, and we’ll continue to evolve and innovate by designing the next generation of safety equipment.”

Building on 10 years of continuous innovation, the MSA^® G1^™ SCBA XR Edition is the latest evolution of the G1 SCBA, featuring enhancements to the breathing air regulator and to various soft goods, including the straps, lumbar pad, and emergency and quick-fill pouches. All soft goods are removable for easy cleaning, and all enhancements are backwards-compatible to existing G1 SCBA units. The G1 SCBA XR Edition will be available for order beginning in May.

With 15 U.S. patents, the G1 SCBA has a broad range of innovative features to enhance firefighter safety, comfort, situational awareness and operational efficiency, including standard voice amplification and radio interface capability, an advanced