Tusculum fire crews are dealing with cramped space and COVID-19 restrictions and hoping for an expansion, reports WVLT 8.

The fire department is spread between two buildings. Inside one, the fire truck barely fits.

The fire chief is working with the town council on a three-phase expansion project that includes a new fire station, which is expected to cost $150,000. The project had been put on hold because of the pandemic.

The added space would allow the department to consider other additions as well. This would bring the possibility of living space, areas of restrooms, a small kitchen, a meeting area just to name a few. The police department is also expected to expand into the fire station at some point.

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According to a report from WTHI, on Monday, the Brazil (IN) Fire Department (BFD) took delivery of its first new fire truck in 20 years: a Pierce pumper that will go out on every call for service. 

BFD Chief Jake Bennett said that since the older truck was built, new safety equipment has been added, such as a backup camera. He continued that the financing for the vehicle has been four years in the making.

Mayor Brian Wyndham and the city council ended up floating a bond issue to finance the new truck, which cost the city $530,000.

The BFD also has a 1996 ladder truck, but it does not respond to every call for service and does not have the wear and tear on the pumper that was replaced. 

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According to a report from Rome News-Tribune, by the end of 2021, Catoosa County (GA) Fire Department (CCFD) firefighters will be training in a new state-of-the-art training facility after county officials awarded a nearly $600,000 bid for the project on December 15, 2020.

During December’s Board of Commissioner’s meeting, officials agreed to a deal that will bring a multipurpose training tower near the CCFD’s Fire Station 6 on Three Notch Road.

CCFD Assistant Chief Daniel Walston presented the recommendation to the board and explained the processes, from the bidding to what the county can expect with building the new Class A tower.

Walston said the structure will be 5,440 square feet: four stories high with a repel roof on the fifth story. He continued, saying that the department will be able to simulate just about any response with which they can train, such as residential structure fires to commercial-type buildings. With the growth in the county, he said that the new tower will allow the CCFD the ability to create simulation scenarios for all types of buildings.

Regarding the bid process, Walton explained that the CCFD went out to bid earlier in the year, but that only one bid came in, which prompted them to advertise for a second round of bids. During the second round, four companies submitted bids on the project and a committee evaluated those bids closely.

Walston said the final bid was $596,320, and the department wants it to come out of some of its remaining 2014 Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax. He said that, currently, the CCFD has approximately $929,000 left in those funds. If used, the department would have $332,680 remaining after the purchase of the new tower.

Walston said the facility could be erected by mid-May 2021, and training could begin in early June after the building is finalized and inspections passed.

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According to a report from AJC.com, Milton (GA) Fire-Rescue (MFR) Fire Station 42 (FS42) at 15240 Thompson Road, closed on February 6 for demolition, to eventually be replaced by the construction of a larger fire station. During the transition, Fire Station 44, located at the Public Safety Complex on Highway 9, will house FS42′s firefighters.

MFR firefighters there and elsewhere around the city will respond to calls formerly served out of FS42.

The new 6,500-square-foot, one-story FS42 will feature 12 parking spaces and eight bunk rooms, and its drive-through bays will allow firefighters to avoid backing the fire truck in from Thompson Road. The station will also have a barn-like look, a back patio, open trusses, and a fireplace in the center of the main communal space.

The city is encouraging those travelling by car, bike, or foot along Thompson Road to use caution while the demolition and construction takes place. The new building is expected to open by the end of the year.

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