Jana DeCamilla
The Post-Star, Glens Falls, N.Y.
(TNS)

Mar. 8—A local fire department told Warren County they “don’t want a pancake to stop us from saving a life.”

The North Queensbury Volunteer Fire Company on the east side of Lake George is requesting $150,000 to replace a hovercraft airboat from the 1990s used for water rescues in Warren County.

Volunteer fireman of 50 years Harold Halliday and assistant fire chief of the company Peter Carr went before the Warren County American Rescue Plan Act Committee on Friday to explain the need for replacing the current piece of equipment.

The boat, originally intended for recreation, was given to the fire company from the Warren County Sheriff’s Office after they experienced numerous maintenance issues with it.

“It came to a head a couple weeks ago. You probably saw on TV. We had a gentleman ice skate across Glen Lake to test the ice for everybody and it wasn’t good, so he fell through and unfortunately our hovercraft broke down after leaving shore to rescue the guy,” Halliday said.

“We were still able to get out of the lake safely. ‘The elders,’ as I call us, talked at the station and decided we need to replace this vehicle to take care of the people in the county.

“In order for us to replace the hovercraft we would need to have 67 pancake breakfasts or spaghetti dinners, but if someone is in trouble on thin ice, I don’t want a pancake to stop us from saving a life.”

Halliday said in his 50 years at North Queensbury, he has never come before any board or committee to request funds or grants for services, aside from their allotment factored into the Queensbury town budget.

“I’m very proud that our fire company has been very fiscally responsible in taking care of the equipment that we have and with everything we do keeping the budget in mind,” he said. “We have a great board of directors and a lot of businessmen running the fire company.”

Halliday went on to tell the committee they have maintained the hovercraft in-house and have not requested funds for a replacement, but the boat is used all over the county.

“Help us help all the people in Warren County,” he said.

Halliday noted that the county also has a marine rescue team that responds to any marine incident within the county. His department’s full rescue team has five or six fully-trained, certified scuba divers with their own gear.

The money requested would cover the costs of a new boat, trailer and gear.

“I don’t want to be greedy; I’ve never done this before. I’m just telling you what we need and if not, we ask you to come to our pancake breakfasts and spaghetti dinners,” Halliday said.

The fire company’s request was tentatively approved by the committee, pending the submission of a formal application for ARPA funds which had not been completed at the time of the meeting, and approval from the full Warren County Board of Supervisors.

Other business

The committee also reviewed some of the remaining ARPA applications. The remaining ARPA fund balance was at $734,704 at the start of the meeting.

The committee voted to approve the following recommendations totaling $455,873:

* $100,000 for the Salvation Army of Glens Falls

* $150,000 for the North Queensbury Fire Department

* $80,000 for the Warren County Historical Society

* $28,358 for the Bay Ridge Fire Department

* $97,515 for the Warrensburg Emergency Squad

The recommendations are all subject to approval from the full board at the March 17 meeting

For the first time in 25 years, Tampa’s South of Gandy neighborhood will have a second rescue vehicle at Tampa Fire Rescue Station 19, filling a critical need for this community, the city said in a press release. 

The new ambulance will help in reducing response times during emergency situations. Additionally, this vehicle may be used to assist in responding to water rescue operations in South Tampa.

“We are excited to be able to provide this much-needed resource to the South of Gandy neighborhood,” Tampa Fire Rescue Chief Barbara Tripp said. “Our goal is to improve the level of service we provide to our community, and this new ambulance will help us achieve that.” 

This additional resource is part of a broader effort to enhance emergency services in South Tampa. Tampa Fire Rescue continues to invest in additional resources, including personnel and equipment, to ensure the safety and well-being of growing communities.  

The new rescue vehicle is now responding to calls.

Mercer County officials are still assessing the damage from last week’s historic wind storm in Kentucky, wymt.com reported.

• More photos of the damage to Mercer County (KY) Station 12

Powerful winds damaged the Mercer County Station 12 building near Harrodsburg. The building is still standing, but officials believe it will likely have to be demolished and rebuilt, the report said.

A fire official said the winds ripped off the roof then caused part of the structure to collapse. Part of a ceiling collapsed and settled on top of a fire engine.

According to the fire official, 75 percent of the building sustained major damage. He added the building was just remodeled, and now it will have to be rebuilt. He said the station also doubles as a training facility for 75-80 firefighters, the report said.

Insurance will cover some of their losses, but the fire official doubts they will be able to build a station the size of the current one, the report said.

The Tunnelton Volunteer Fire Department took delivery of its latest truck Saturday, wvnews.com reported.

Like the last truck the department purchased, the truck is painted orange and was purchased used, the report said. The 2012 truck with a commercial International chassis came from Command Fire Apparatus of Mount Hope (PA), according to the report. The refurbished truck has only 11,000 miles on it, a fire official said.

It’s referred to as a “wet rescue” truck because it has a pump and tank, as well as being able to carry the department’s Stokes baskets and rescue tools in four “coffin boxes,” as the built-in tool boxes are called, the report said.