A $1.4 million rear-mount platform aerial was recently put in service by the Sault Ste. Marie (MI) Fire Department.

The 100-foot aerial will replace a 30-year-old 75-foot apparatus, according to a report broadcast by News 9&10.

The new apparatus has controls checked by computer to limit human error, the television station reported.

It’s expected that all firefighters on the department will be trained on its operations and everyone will be able to drive and operate it after lessons have been completed, the station reported.

The new truck is expected to be in the community’s July Fourth parade and in service by the end of next week, according to 9&10 News.  

The fire truck will be in the Fourth of July parade in Sault Ste. Marie Sunday. LaBonte said it should officially be put into service by the end of next week.

Hillsborough (FL) Fire Rescue recently broke ground on its new state-of-the-art Station 45, which aims to provide faster service in Eastern Hillsborough County.

Station 45 will be the headquarters for at least six first responders who will serve the Central Brandon area. The facility will house a fire engine, rescue ambulance, and a battalion chief.

The station will also include cleaning innovations to rid first responders and their gear of cancer-causing contamination.

With a grant and loan, totaling more than $1 million, the Potters Hill (NC) Volunteer Fire Department will replace three aging fire apparatus, according to a newspaper article published by the Duplin Times.

The newspaper reported the fire department received a United States Department of Agricultural (USDA) grant of $375,000 and will be securing a $795,000 loan to replace the three high-mileage fire trucks.

County officials told the newspaper that the USDA Rural Development and the Volunteer Fire Department Fund are vital programs that help rural communities provide emergency response services.

With the help of funding from a grant, the Hickory Flat (MS) Fire Department has taken delivery of a new pumper, according to an article published by the Southern Sentinel newspaper.

The paper said that Mississippi Representative Steve Massengill helped secure a grant for $250,000 for the new truck that was purchased from Sunbelt Apparatus, a fire truck dealer based in Alabama.

The truck was purchase by a joint effort from Hickory Flat and Benton County which made up the difference not covered by the grant, the paper reported.