The City of Ashland Fire and Rescue Department has ordered a new fire engine and production of the engine is underway in Bradenton (FL) at a Hughes Fire Equipment facility, the city said in a news release. Construction of the Pierce Fire Engine began on Jan. 28, 2023.

Ashland City Council ordered the engine last year in an effort to head off maintenance and supply chain concerns. Fire engines are typically replaced every 20 years. This means for the Ashland Fire and Rescue Department to stay on task and keep their fleet of engines current, a fire engine needs to be ordered every five years. Doing so also meets the national performance standards for fire engines. 

The project is set to be complete in mid-April 2023, with the engine going into service later in the summer months. “We will host a dedication ceremony at Fire Station One when the engine is ready to go into service and invite the community, Council and staff to attend,” stated Ashland Fire and Rescue Chief, Ralph Sartain.

Go on this journey with the City of Ashland and watch as the build progresses. The City will post pictures regularly over the next couple of months as the steel and vehicle components slowly become a fire engine for the citizens of Ashland.

EVI—Pioneer Hose Company, Brick Township, NJ, dive rescue unit. Spartan RC-94 cab and chassis; Cummins L9 450-hp engine; 23½-foot walk-in dive rescue body with seating for eight; Will-Burt Night Scan light tower; Onan 25-kW generator; Sabre-Vent compartment ventilation system; Warn 10,000-pound portable winch. Dealer: William Bartos, Campbell Supply Co, South Brunswick, NJ. (Photo by John M. Malecky.)

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A vehicle crashed into the Bower Hill Volunteer Fire Department station on Vanadium Road in Scott Township Tuesday night, causing significant damage, wpxi.com reported.

The incident occurred after 11 p.m. Officials say no one was hurt.

A corner of the fire station and a garage door were heavily damaged and the car, which has since been towed away, was severely damaged, the report said.

The volunteer fire department said all of its vehicles are fully operational and it is able to respond to calls, according to the report.

The department asks that people stay out of their lower lot, as one of the supports for the station’s sign was knocked out of the ground and it may be unstable, the report said.

A 1939 Mack Fire Truck is back to its original home in Marblehead after the town’s fire chief traveled north to purchase it with his own money, wbznewsradio.iheart.com reported.

According to a Jan. 22 Marblehead Fire Department Facebook post: “This morning Chief (Jason) Gilliland and his family made the trip to Sunapee NH to purchase a 1939 Mack Fire Truck. What makes this truck unique? This truck was originally Engine 2 stationed at Franklin St here in Marblehead before being auctioned off in 1975 making its way to New Hampshire. The Firefighters Association of Sunapee decided they wanted to sell the truck and Chief Gilliland purchased the truck. The truck is now back in Marblehead where it began its journey to be restored.”