Thomasville Fire Rescue was recently awarded an Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) of $248,000, which will fund 42 new Dragger Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA), reports WALB News 10.

Recipients of the grant are required to also contribute financially toward the purchase of the equipment. The fire department’s current SCBA are 18 years old and three standards behind the current industry standards.

They cannot be refurbished due to the age and lack of parts. The packs also lack the necessary capabilities to provide efficient radio communications.

A new pumper truck has been added to the Wadena Fire Department fleet, reports Wadena Pioneer Journal.

The fire department posted to Facebook, “Many people didn’t know we operate out of two halls. Our South Hall is connected to the police department located at 121 SE Colfax Ave and our North Hall is located at 222 NW 1st St. Reason behind having two fire halls is to have quick response with the railway and Highway 10 splitting town in half. Staffing has 14 firefighters assigned to our south hall and 6 firefighters assigned to our north halls. Assignment is based upon a firefighters residence location to one of our fire halls. Our south hall houses the following trucks: Rescue 4370, Engine 4358, Engine 4357, Tender 4362, Grass 4371, Utility 4373, and UTV 4374. Our north hall houses the following trucks: Engine 4355, Tender 4361, and Grass 4272. With having these halls on both sides of town allows for us to better serve you with quick rapid response. On average first due truck is enroute to a scene within 3.5 minutes of receiving the dispatch page.”

The new truck is a 2021 International MV Rosenbauer Engine with a 1,500 gallons per minute pump and a 1,250 gallon on board tank with a 30-gallon foam cell on board the engine, according to a fire department news release. The truck is also equipped with emergency lighting, a 360 degree LED large floodlight tower on top of the engine that can be raised at scenes, 360 degree cameras mounted on the truck that can be viewed from two LCD camera screens mounted inside the cab and on the pump panel, and automatic pumping capabilities.

The Pella City Council held a special session to approve the purchase of a new fire truck, reports KNIA-KRLS.

The Pella Fire Department used Sourcewell to acquire a bid and the organization combines the buying power of 50,000 government entities, including several in central Iowa.

The purchase agreement with Reliant Fire Apparatus, Inc., is for $666,693 for a new Pierce Enforcer Pumper truck, with delivery occurring after July 1st, 2022.

Pierce Manufacturing has secured an order for its 3,000th Pierce® Ultimate Configuration (PUC™) pumper, which will go into service with the Minnetonka Fire Department in Minnesota.

APPLETON, Wis. (May 12, 2021) – Pierce Manufacturing Inc., an Oshkosh Corporation (NYSE:OSK) company, announced today it has sold its 3,000th Pierce® Ultimate Configuration (PUC™) pumper. Sold through MacQueen Emergency, the apparatus will go into service with the Minnetonka Fire Department in Minnesota, adding to a predominantly Pierce fleet.

The patented PUC product, first introduced in 2007, is available on pumpers, rescue pumpers, tankers, and aerials. It removes the need to build the body around the pump and pumphouse and is the first apparatus that offers the most complete single-source build, from the chassis and body down to the pump. The PUC product eliminates the pumphouse and minimizes vehicular space used for fire suppression while still providing superior pump, foam, and CAFS capabilities.

“Producing 3,000 PUC pumpers is a significant milestone for Pierce and represents the remarkable impact this apparatus has made on fire service capabilities,” said Jim Johnson, president of Pierce Manufacturing. “The PUC pumper provides a solution to the shared challenges fire departments face to simplify firefighters’ actions and reduce unnecessary risk.”

Features of the Minnetonka Fire Department’s new PUC pumper include:

• Pierce Enforcer™ chassis
• Cummins L9 450 hp engine
• Allison EVS 3000 transmission
• PUC™ 1500 GPM pump
• 500-gallon water tank
• TAK-4® Independent Suspension
• Husky™ 3 Foam System
• Pierce CARE™ (Carcinogen Awareness and Reduction to Exposure) cab customization
• Will-Burt light tower
• Low, easy-to-access hose bed with roller cover

The Minnetonka Fire Department is made up of five stations and is located in a suburban community approximately 10 miles west of Minneapolis with nearly 55,0000 residents. When ordering the new fire truck, Kevin Fox, deputy fire chief of the Minnetonka Fire Department, considered the PUC pumper’s safety features that could not have been obtained by continuing to build apparatus on a commercial chassis.

“First and foremost, we need an apparatus that can operate in Minnesota’s extreme winter conditions, and having the pump panel and vital components in an enclosed and heated compartment limits freeze up and corrosion due to environmental exposure,” said Chief Fox. “The pump design, low hose bed, short wheelbase, and overall simplicity of operating the apparatus fits the unique needs of a combination fire department such as ours, where up to 80 firefighters need to be proficient with the apparatus.”

Since its introduction, the PUC product has been particularly popular in geographic locations with challenging environmental conditions. An enclosed pump panel and crosslays and the safety attributes of positioning hoses to the left of the operator and free of any interference, make the PUC pumper an optimal choice for many fire departments.

“The position of hose connections and enclosed pump controls are benefits to pump operators dealing with the climate in the Midwest,” said Brad White, sales manager with MacQueen Emergency. “These are instrumental factors that contribute to the high demand for the PUC pumper in our region. As the Minnetonka Fire Department gets ready to add a second PUC pumper to its fleet, our team is honored to once again support the department with a fire apparatus that will serve their community well for many years to come.”

To learn more about Pierce Manufacturing, MacQueen Emergency, and the 3000th PUC pumper, visit www.piercemfg.com.

About Pierce Manufacturing

Pierce Manufacturing Inc., an Oshkosh