Teamsters union workers at the Sutphen Corporation in Dublin, Ohio, have gone on strike, dispatch.com reported.

A Teamsters Local 284 press release regarding the strike says, “Production workers employed by the Sutphen Corporation in Dublin, Ohio, are on strike. Teamsters Local 284 represents approximately 85 employees at the company’s Dublin, Ohio, facility.” The workers at the company have been working without a contract since October 2024, according to the dispatch.com report.

Another report from WOSU says the strike could go until at least late June.

A spokesman for Sutphen says, “Sutphen is continuing to build custom fire apparatus at all Sutphen manufacturing facilities, including our Dublin facility, during this time. We will continue to bargain in good faith to navigate the dispute with a small portion of our overall workforce, but our teams are focused on continuing to build the safest and most reliable fire apparatus in the industry to best serve our customers. With multiple meeting dates set on the calendar for this month and next month, we look forward to continuing bargaining efforts.”

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The Columbia (MO) Fire Department (CFD) is trying to determine a dollar amount to cover damages during an April 28 vapor cloud incident that damaged fire apparatus and destroyed firefighting equipment, kwos.com reported.

The manufacturing warehouse had a malfunction which caused a reaction that appeared to be a fire, a fire official said.

Crews responded to a commercial structure fire with hazmat to that area. The official said the firefighting equipment crews wore that day must be replaced, and the department is also checking damage to the apparatus that were there.

Columbia firefighters also reported several people on-site that day experienced breathing difficulties due to the smoke, which contained hydrogen chloride vapor, according to the report.

Hydrogen chloride gas can cause irritation of the eyes, skin, and respiratory tract, according to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.

CFD is in talks with the company to determine where funding will come from to replace firefighter equipment and damage to the apparatus.

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Randy Petersen
Post-Bulletin, Rochester, Minn.
(TNS)

Jun. 3—ROCHESTER — A $2.7 million northwest Rochester land purchase will make way for a potential sixth city fire station, but a timeline for construction remains unclear.

“We need to have a conversation with the (Rochester City) Council on next steps,” Assistant City Administrator Ryan Yetzer said.

The council approved a $2.7 million purchase agreement for 116 acres west of the Valleyhigh Road and 60th Avenue in February.

Owned by the Richard E. Badger Revocable Trust, the site was originally considered as a possible location for the city’s planned regional sports and recreation complex.

The related purchase agreement was extended after the City Council agreed to pay $5 million for 158 acres near 45th Street and St. Bridget Road Southeast , for the new complex.

Yetzer said the extended agreement came with approval to purchase the site, if it was deemed appropriate for a new fire station. The purchase was made in April with funds set aside for fire stations, as well as some sales-tax revenue, which will be recouped for the planned resale of land not used for the station.

With the 116-acre site in hand, Yetzer said the Rochester Fire Department is expected to require 5 to 10 acres for its plans to build a new station in the future. The plan is part of the department’s 2024-2030 Strategic Operating Plan .

While no specific timeframe for the land purchase is listed in the plan, it’s considered the fourth of eight steps designed to diversify department services and ensure it can meet the needs to the growing northwest section of the city. The first two steps — adding an assistant chief and hiring a new supervisor to help create an emergency medical service division — have already been implemented.

The fire department’s strategic plan estimates the construction cost of a new station at $10 million, which is the seventh step of its plan, followed by relocation of an engine and crew from the South Broadway Avenue station to save nearly $2.9 million, the estimated cost of hiring and equipping 12 new firefighters.

© 2025 the Post-Bulletin. Visit www.postbulletin.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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FORT COLLINS, Colorado — Super Vac and Command Light proudly announce the appointment of a new regional sales manager, Matt Cowden, in the Central region. Cowden represents Super Vac’s expansive lineup of ventilation equipment and Command Light’s array of scene lighting products in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin.

Based in Middleton, Wisconsin, Cowden brings more than 10 years of firefighting experience. After joining the fire service as a volunteer for two departments, he rose through the ranks to become a captain and obtained certifications as an officer, instructor, inspector and driver operator, as well as in hazardous materials.

In addition to his firefighting background, Cowden brings a wealth of sales and marketing experience. He started his career more than 30 years ago working in the video and film marketing industry in producer and director roles for national and international brands, working on production budgets in an excess of a half million dollars. A portion of those years were spent in sales, acquiring clients. Prior to Super Vac and Command Light, Cowden also served as Director of Sales and

Marketing for HMA Fire, a manufacturer of fire suppression systems, and helped grow the brand through large-scale demos and video marketing for seven years.

“We’re excited to see what Matt can do with his love of sales and marketing, and his passion for the fire service, to Super Vac and Command Light,” Super Vac and Command Light President Roger Weinmeister said.

Cowden adds that he is extremely excited to work with departments and dealers throughout the Central region. He will be present at key industry events, including the upcoming June 18-21 Wisconsin State Fire Chiefs’ Association Conference and the July 14-17 Ohio Fire Chiefs’ Association Conference.

To view Super Vac’s full territory breakdown, visit supervac.com/sales-support. To view Command Lights’ full territory lineup, visit commandlight.com/sales-support.

About Super Vac

Super Vac is the world’s leading manufacturer in the emergency ventilation products. A one- stop shop for all things ventilation, Super Vac equips crews with a versatile array of only the toughest solutions, including the industry’s largest lineup of PPV fans, spanning from 8- to 80- inch blades, as well as smoke ejectors, available in 12-, 16-, 20- and 24-inch blades. Super Vac also manufactures rescue saws, rehab misters and other necessities.

About Command Light

Command Light, located in Fort Collins, Colo., has specialized in scene lighting for the emergency industry for more than 25 years and features only the best light towers, compact scene lighting, traffic flow boards and other safety lighting products. Command Light’s towers are available in a variety of configurations, including AC or DC, different tower bases, varying output choices and a long list of options, like backlighting to illuminate both sides of the scene.

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