The town of Erin will be buying a new fire truck but they’re going to have to pony up a little more dough than anticipated, elorafergustoday.com reported. 

At a Thursday afternoon meeting, Erin council approved the purchase of a new fire tanker truck at a cost of $554,000, which is $104,000 more than it was budgeted for, the report said.

A fire official said truck builders have told him the increase in cost is due to the ripple effects from the pandemic impacting the supply chain, according to the report.

The budget shortfall will be funded through the emergency vehicle reserve, the report said.

 

PRESS RELEASE

The Cape Coral Fire Department posted the following on Facebook Friday:

“This afternoon the Cape Coral Fire Department along with city leaders, Sweet Sparkman Architects, and Wright Construction Group held a groundbreaking ceremony for new Fire Station 13, which will be located at 2025 NE 6th St. Fire Station 13 will incorporate areas currently covered by Stations 2 and 5, the city’s two busiest stations. The addition of this station is necessary to match the growth and increasing demand for service in this rapidly developing area.

“The station will house a four-person fire engine that provides fire suppression and Advanced Life Support (ALS) services and a battalion chief. The estimated completion date for the station is December 2023.”

The building will cost the city almost $7.5 million to complete, according to a report by winknews.com.

PRESS RELEASE

“We are very excited to announce that construction is finally starting on the rebuilding of Station 3, located at 3533 N. Highway 27, Sulphur (near the High Hope Road / Highway 27 intersection),” Ward Six Fire Protection District said in a Facebook post March 15.

“Our previous station was destroyed by Hurricane Laura in August 2020 and after more than 2 1/2 years, we are finally on the road to getting a new station.

“Our first delivery of construction items were delivered today at the exact time we were there putting up the banner. Soon, everyone will see a lot of activity at the location. Please be aware of construction vehicles, personnel and equipment entering and exiting the property.

“The new station is being funded by insurance proceeds and is set to be completed by mid-March, 2024.”

Terry Richards
The Valdosta Daily Times, Ga.
(TNS)

Mar. 25—VALDOSTA — With flashing lights and blaring sirens, the latest addition to Valdosta’s firefighting fleet rolled into service Friday.

A new pumper truck, manufactured by the Sutphen Corporation, made its debut at the Valdosta Fire Department Station No. 1 at 106 S. Oak St. amid a crowd of city officials, firefighters, children and well-wishers. Fire personnel from Lowndes County, Quitman and Moody Air Force Base were on hand.

After an invocation, Fire Chief Brian Boutwell said the new truck is the first purchased with his input. Boutwell has headed the fire department for four years.

A vendor had contacted the department offering a “demo” unit that was being assembled, he said, but the vendor said the department would have to act fast or it could be sold to other interests.

Quick action by the Valdosta City Council in putting the truck on a meeting agenda and formally approving the purchase cut the usual wait time from 2.5 years to six months, the chief said.

The truck was ceremonially rolled back into one of the station’s bays manually by a crowd of school children wearing plastic fire helmets and assisted by a number of adults. Boutwell said the tradition dates back to the 19th century, when horse-drawn fire equipment couldn’t be backed into the bays by the horses and had to be done by hand by firefighters.

Shortly afterward, the truck rolled out of the station and into traffic.

Terry Richards is the senior reporter for The Valdosta Daily Times.

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