Officials say the Hot Springs (AR) Fire Department’s 1995 LTI tiller has been showing its age recently, and now the board will consider Tuesday night a resolution to award a $1,999,695 contract to Emergency Vehicle Specialists for the purchase of a Pierce Manufacturing tiller and loose equipment, reports hotsr.com.

A workhorse since it arrived at Central Fire Station 25 years ago, the current truck was used to respond to a fire on Prospect Avenue earlier this week, but it’s in need of maintenance.

An official says a potential new truck would be delivered from Pierce’s Appleton, Wisc., factory in 2022 if the board endorses the purchase. Debt the state Constitution allows local governments to finance over five years would be used to purchase the truck. The 1995 apparatus would then be used as a reserve.

The $135 million 2021 budget the board adopted in December included $2.95 million in capital expenses purchased with Amendment 78 financing. It included $2.24 million for a new ladder truck. In March, the board selected U.S. Bancorp Government Leasing and Finance, Inc. to carry the note at an interest rate of 1.29%. The ladder truck was budgeted in the fire fund’s firefighting equipment line item.

Related Articles:
Fayetteville (AR) Fire Department’s New Tiller Leaves Plant
Richmond (VA) Fire Department Adds City’s First Tiller in 23 years
Wilkes-Barre City (PA) Firefighters IAFF Local 104 Trains with New Tiller Ladder
Philadelphia (PA) Fire Department to Unveil New Tiller Ladders

Sutphen—Eastlake (OH) Fire Department pumpers (2). Monarch cabs and chassis; Cummins L9 450-hp engines; Hale Qmax 1,500-gpm pumps; UPF Poly 750-gallon water tanks; Command Light KL415-D-FS light towers; Whelen M9V2 warning/scene lights. Dealer: Ray Capezzuto, Herb Fire Equipment, Powell, OH.

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Columbia Southern University Names Inaugural 2021 Outstanding EMS Professionals

ORANGE BEACH, Ala. — Columbia Southern University (CSU) recently recognized Philadelphia paramedic Lt. Patrick Carey as its inaugural 2021 Outstanding Emergency Medical Services Professional of the Year. Carey began his career in 1994 and has earned several awards for acts of heroism since, including the National Liberty Award of Valor for rescuing an infant from a car fire in 2013.

“Being a paramedic in stressful situations, I am able to keep patients calm while protecting them and providing excellent medical care. It’s a wonderful feeling and makes me feel proud,” said Carey.

Carey is an EMS instructor for Pennsylvania and a state evaluator for paramedic and emergency medical technicians. He is currently pursuing a master’s degree in public administration with a concentration in emergency services management from CSU.

Runner-up for the debut award is Michael Wolfe, an EMS/emergency preparedness coordinator for Hendricks Regional Health in Danville, Indiana. He began working as an EMT in 1984 and became a paramedic in 1987. He has worked in the private sector, volunteer and career fire services. In 2016, he retired as division chief of EMS for the Plainfield, Indiana, Fire Territory after 18 years and began working for Hendricks Regional Health. Wolfe is also seeking a master’s in public administration to add to his bachelor’s degree in homeland security.

A leader in public safety education, CSU established the Outstanding EMS Professional Award to recognize students and graduates serving in the EMS field for their commitment to saving lives, professionalism and their accomplishments in the field during National EMS Week (May 16-22). CSU also awards outstanding law enforcement, fire service and occupational safety and health professionals.

About Columbia Southern University
As an innovator in online education, CSU was established in 1993 to provide an alternative to the traditional university experience for today’s adult learner. CSU offers online associate, bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs such as business administration, criminal justice, fire administration and occupational safety and health. Visit ColumbiaSouthern.edu or call (877) 347-6050 to learn more.

QUINCY, MA May 13, 2021 – Fire departments and public safety advocates across North America will unite May 16-22 to participate in a digital campaign and conduct community outreach activities to increase awareness about how dangerous home fires can be and the benefits of home fire sprinklers. Home Fire Sprinkler Week is co-hosted by the Fire Sprinkler Initiative project of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and the HFSC.

Whether urban or rural, large or small, fire departments in every community share one problem in common: the tragedy of home fire injuries, deaths and property destruction. According to NFPA, more than three-quarters of all civilian fire deaths are caused by home fires.

This universal challenge is due to the fact that today’s home fires become deadly in as little as two minutes. Our homes are filled with synthetic furnishings that burn hotter and faster than natural materials and they produce toxic smoke. Unprotected home fires are fast and deadly – to residents as well as responding firefighters. 

When installed, home fire sprinklers overcome this vulnerability and protect residents and responders. They work automatically, controlling or extinguishing a fire in seconds. Their fast action makes it possible for residents to escape to safety and reduces the chance for structural collapse. Home fire sprinklers uniquely prevent injuries and deaths, and they protect the structure making it safer for responding firefighters.

Yet this lifesaving technology remains underutilized. While a million homes will be built in 2021, the prevalent myths, legislative barriers and lack of public awareness in most states will result in only a tiny fraction being protected with installed fire sprinklers.

“That’s unacceptable,” says Lorraine Carli, NFPA vice president of Outreach and Advocacy and president of the HFSC.  “We know that home fires are needlessly killing thousands of people every year. We know that new homes can easily and inexpensively be protected with sprinkler technology that’s been proven over more than a century. We safety advocates know; but clearly local stakeholders, the homebuilding community and homebuyers don’t know. So we are setting aside a week to try to reset this lack of public knowledge in the interest in better public safety.”

A wide range of digital content will post daily on the Home Fire Sprinkler Week Website to encourage the spread of facts and educational resources through local news and social media messaging and other online platforms. These will include dramatic home fire sprinkler videos, colorful graphics, stories and interviews, and other awareness tools to help tell the story of home fire sprinkler protection.

The week coincides with HFSC’s 25^th anniversary. In 1996 HFSC was founded to provide a singular focus on home fire sprinkler education. What began as a small group working with local and state fire service has grown into a national, independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit continuing its original mission.

“The data has been clear for decades that installing home fire sprinklers will dramatically reduce home fire deaths for residents and responding firefighters,” Carli said. “As a result, all national building codes require sprinklers in new construction. What that means is that every new home that is built without fire sprinklers today is substandard. The public deserves better than that. It’s our hope that the shared messaging during Home Fire Sprinkler Week will tip the scales toward a safer future for new developments, communities and all