The Gadsden City Council last Tuesday approved the $1 million purchase of a new ladder truck for the Gadsden Fire Department, weisradio.com reported.

The E-One HP75 Quint on an E-One Typhoon chassis will replace a 16-year-old ladder truck at Station No. 4 in Alabama City, and according to a fire official is a case of needing to move now or face a lengthy wait, the report said. 

The $1,019,956 tab will be paid from American Rescue Plan funds that had been set aside for renovations to the Memorial Bridge on Broad Street, according to the report. But the council must approve an ordinance shifting those funds to the fire department’s account after its second reading. 

A city official said he’s confident after a city delegation’s recent visit to Washington, D.C., that Gadsden will be successful in its request for federal grant money for bridge upgrades, the report said. 

Fire Apparatus & Emergency Equipment is excited to announce that Chris Mc Loone has joined the staff as Editor in Chief. Chris brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in the fire service to the Clarion Fire & Rescue Group. He is intimately familiar with all our Clarion Fire & Rescue brands, including FDIC International.  “His vision and knowledge of the products, plus established relationships with manufacturers in our industry, are already established, making him ready to take on the responsibilities of this position,” says Eric Schlett, Executive Vice President, Clarion Fire & Rescue.

Chris is a 30-year veteran of the fire service and has held multiple roles as firefighter, engineering officer, company officer, and chief officer. He is currently a safety officer. He was previously Senior Editor for Fire Apparatus & Emergency Equipment for six years and a contributing editor to Fire Engineering for four years.

“Fire Apparatus & Emergency Equipment is a critical brand for the fire service. More than any brand, fire department personnel responsible for apparatus and equipment purchasing rely on Fire Apparatus & Emergency Equipment to lead them to informed purchasing decisions. I am looking forward to broadening the brand’s scope digitally and to developing new opportunities to connect buyers with suppliers,” Mc Loone says.

“We are thrilled to have Chris join our team and look forward to his leadership in helping us provide the best in fire service news and information to our audience,” Schlett says.

By Alan M. Petrillo

York (PA) Department of Fire/Rescue Services covers a five square mile area with a population of 44,000 residents in a city area that has some tight, narrow streets, as well as close alleys that need to be negotiated. The department was on schedule to replace an engine according to its 20-year plan, but an accident to a pumper caused the department to spec two engines at the same time. The winning bidder for the rigs was E-ONE.

Bill Sleeger, York’s chief, says the department’s protection area is a mix of residential and commercial structures. “We run three engines and one truck, with our engines being first response rigs with EMTs (emergency medical technicians) who respond to major Class 1 calls like severe traumas, cardiac calls, and shootings.”

Larry Daniels, E-ONE’s director of sales, says that the two pumpers are built on Typhoon chassis and medium cabs with seating for four firefighters, three in H.O. Bostrom SCBA (self contained breathing apparatus) seats, and 304L stainless steel bodies and painted roll-up doors,  powered by 450-horsepower (hp) diesel engines, and Allison 3000 EVS automatic transmissions. He notes they have Waterous CSU 1,500-gallon per minute (gpm) pumps, and 780-gallon polypropylene water tanks.

Daniels says the pumpers each have two single-stack cross lays above the pump panel, four rear preconnects, and a

Voters participating in a Town Meeting in the Council Chambers of Monroe Town Hall approved close to $3 million in bonding for capital projects and equipment Monday, themonroesun.com reported.

The bond authorizations included $1,195,000 for fire apparatus and safety equipment, the report said.

The fire safety equipment breaks down this way, according to the report:

• $360,000 for a mini-pumper for the Monroe Volunteer Fire Department. A city official said no special license is required for the smaller apparatus, allowing younger firefighters — age 18 to 20 — in the station to respond to calls immediately.
• $430,000 for the Stevenson Volunteer Fire Department to refurbish Engine Rescue 302, converting it to a dual purpose truck. Kellogg said this will allow the fire company to reduce the size of its fleet by removing Rescue 320,  while improving efficiency and its response.
• $381,000 for life saving self-contained breathing apparatus and associated equipment and supplies to meet National Fire Protection Association standards.
• $24,000 for bond issuance costs.

The bonding was approved by a vote of 34 to 1, the report said.