According to a report from Spectrum News 1, Chicopee (MA) Fire Department (CFD) members are now training on their new $1.2 million ladder truck, Ladder 5, after their previous truck was deemed unsafe to use by the the city.

Mayor John Vieau and the city council approved the funds to replace the previous ladder truck, which had been in use the CFD for more than 15 years. The new apparatus shares many similarities to its replacements. The KME ladder extends 101 feet tall; although there are no high-rise buildings in the town, the CFD says the ladder is needed to reach a building or its occupants from the roadway in the event of a fire or rescue. 

CFD Lieutenant Katie Kalbaugh said the CFD’s previous ladder truck was from 2005 and was rusting and becoming unsafe to use.

The new truck will respond from Station 5 in Willimansett, located on Chicopee Street. 

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A historic downtown Charleston fire station has reopened two weeks after firefighters reported a mysterious odor in the building, reports Post and Courier.

Officials concluded an air quality survey that tested five gases sampled. No detectable amounts of the gases were identified, so firefighters will resume using the station.

When the department’s hazardous materials team initially conducted testing, their monitors showed elevated levels of hydrogen sulfide, a flammable and toxic gas known for its potent rotten egg smell.

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The updated design for a fire station in Jersey City Heights has been revealed, reports Jersey Digs.

An initiative to replace an aging police facility has officially entered the next development stage and the initial proposal has been revamped significantly following community input.

The property, built in 1901, has outlived its usefulness due in part to decades of neglect. A new station has been pitched for several parcels that currently host a surface parking lot. The city released a preliminary design in 2019 and requested input from residents, hosting many meetings and launching several online surveys.

Jersey City Mayor posted to Facebook, “We have been upgrading facilities in Jersey City that has been neglected for decades. The North Police Precinct is a good example of this. So… we are building a new North District (across from Renato’s Pizza Masters) that will achieve a couple goals for the community: 1) will update the current North District that is more than 100 years old and in disrepair 2) will get all of the police vehicles that park on the street to be off the street and located in the police facility 3) will create meeting space for community groups that want to utilize it. We have met with the community in the surrounding area numerous times and have incorporated their feedback. They requested the building design be changed to be more consistent with the aesthetics in the area, and they requested that we don’t use Sherman as an access point being it is one way – both of those requests we took seriously and incorporated. The next step is getting the formal construction documents completed so we can bid out the project.”

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Officials unanimously voted to accept a total of $69,000 in donations that will increase the fire station budget, reports YourObserver.com.

Siesta Key Fire Rescue Advisory Council is donating $16,000 for gym equipment. The Gulf & Bay Condominium Association is donating $53,000. The two donations increased the project’s overall not-to-exceed limit from $5,923,707 to $5,992,707.

The $53,000 donation will be used to construct the wall while the county will pay for redesign and permitting from its existing contingency. The wall is mandated by county regulations.

Construction of the wall will be rolled in with construction of the 10,500-square-foot facility, which is expected to be complete this summer.

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