The city of Othello said it will spend $637,670 to buy a new pumper, according to a report on ColumbiaBasinHerald.com.

The pumper will be built from the chassis up and construction will take a year to 18 months, the report said.

Othello City Council members voted April 5 to buy the truck and make a down payment of 75% of its total cost. Officials said that would earn the city an estimated discount of $10,897 on the final purchase.

City officials have a contract with Adams County Fire District 5 for firefighting services, but the city buys its own trucks, the report said. The new pumper will join Othello’s two existing pumpers, one of which is scheduled for replacement around 2023.

Related Articles:
The Shreveport (LA) Fire Department Orders Three Ferrara Cinder® Rescue Pumpers
Photo of the Day: April 9, 2021

At a recent town meeting, Falmouth (MA) Fire and Rescue Department had its proposed budget of $1.7 million for overtime and to fund the design of a new fire station approved, according to a report on CapeNews.net.

Article 9 asked for $900,000 to pay for overtime hours for firefighters to keep all the fire stations staffed, the report said. Since July 1, the department increased the start of shift staffing from 10 firefighters to 14 and required two firefighters at each of the town’s fire stations. Thus, due to a lack of manpower, all five stations could not be opened.

Retirements and resignations over the last year and a half have also contributed to a rise in overtime—and the pandemic has hindered the hiring of more personnel, according to the report.

During the meeting, the board also allocated $800,000 to hire a program manager and design architect for a new fire station to be built on Sandwich Road. The report noted that the funds aim to provide the town with a construction estimate that would go to Town Meeting in April 2022 and to voters in a debt exclusion on the May 2022 ballot.

Related Articles:
Falmouth (MA) Fire/Rescue Receives New Ladder and Rescue Truck
New Fire Station Location Proposed for Hatchville Area in Falmouth (MA)
Falmouth (MA) Board Approves Purchase of Two Fire Trucks

Plans were recently approved for Liberty County Fire Services’ Miller Park (GA) Fire Station project, according to a report on CoastalCourier.com.

The new facility, the report said, will serve as the main headquarters for the Liberty County Fire Services, bearing offices to the fire chief, deputy chief and fire marshal. Plans for the new facility include a large training area on the ground floor that will also be open to the public for certain events.

The ground floor will also have bays to accommodate several trucks and vehicle apparatus, in addition to a decontamination room and a gym. The second floor will house the living area for firefighters.

According to a report on BayNews9.com, the Hillsborough County (FL) Firefighters Union said that a lack of funding has caused the county to fall behind on its public safety plan.

Union officials said that county firefighters are “overutilized” and that there’s a growing need for more firehouses, the report noted.

The 2003 Fire Rescue Master Plan, which was updated in 2019, showed that 24 new stations were needed to sustain population growth through 2030. 

Recently, the County Commission approved updates to another station, and new stations are currently being built in Riverview and Brandon, the report said.