The Pemberton (CA) Fire Rescue recently welcomed a new pumper to its fleet. Shared in a Facebook post, the community celebrated with a push-in ceremony signifying that Engine 11 is now officially in service. The custom-built pumper was manufactured by Fort Garry Fire Trucks.

The MXV Wildland includes these features:

• Freightliner Crew Cab – 4 Door
• Waterous CXPA PTO Pump
• CoPoly Tank (1,000 Imperial Gallons)
• Zico hydraulic drop-down ladder rack
• Tundra 2,500W inverter
• Hannay F-series hose reel

For more information, visit https://fgft.com/recent-delivery/mxv-wildland-village-of-pemberton/

The post Pemberton (CA) Fire Rescue Welcomes New Pumper to Fleet appeared first on Fire Apparatus: Fire trucks, fire engines, emergency vehicles, and firefighting equipment.

Louis Krauss
Star Tribune
(TNS)

The Minneapolis Fire Department has added saunas into its stations as a tool to protect its firefighters’ health and well-being, and maybe reduce the chance that they develop cancer.

Fire Chief Bryan Tyner, who was recently diagnosed with cancer and has served in the department for 31 years, hopes the saunas can help his department’s firefighters avoid the elevated cancer risk that comes with the profession.

“That is what it’s about — trying to reduce that cause of cancer so that our firefighters can have healthy careers, but also healthy retirements,“ Tyner said.

Steve Shapira, a former St. Paul firefighter and cancer survivor who founded the Minneapolis Fire Foundation nonprofit, helped raise the money to purchase the saunas. So far they have been placed in five of the department’s 14 fire stations. Each sauna cost $6,500, a discounted rate from the seller, and the department intends to have saunas in all of the city’s stations. The foundation is still raising money to get saunas for the others.

Saunas have been linked to cardiovascular benefits, and Shapira said they can also help with firefighters’ mental health after they return from a call.

But the unanswered question is whether saunas can help protect firefighters from developing cancer by preventing toxins being absorbed into their skin after responding to a smoke-filled building. Firefighters are more likely to be diagnosed with cancer than the general U.S. population, according to a 2015 study by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.

Dr. Zeke McKinney, a physician at HealthPartners Institute, studied St. Paul firefighters to look into that question. He collected sweat and urine samples from firefighters who used saunas and those who didn’t, to see whether there were more cancer-causing chemicals in the control samples.

The data recently came back from the Minnesota Department of Health, but McKinney said the results are not yet clear. He plans to publish the results in the next few months, but he noted there would need to be more studies beyond his to know if saunas can reduce the cancer risks of firefighting.

“I don’t know if at the end of this I’ll be able to say it effectively treats it, but I will be able to answer the question of, ‘Is this stuff coming out in sweat?’ and ‘Does sauna have an impact on your ability to excrete this any faster than normal?’” McKinney said.

Even if the study doesn’t draw a link between saunas and detoxification, McKinney said the study has demonstrated the mental benefits of using saunas.

“One thing I’ve learned out of this is people love saunas, and to be honest, with firefighters having mental health risks, and how it makes them happy to get in a sauna, that might be a good enough reason to get them,” McKinney said.

Tyner said the saunas are being added at a time when there’s a nationwide emphasis on reducing cancer risks in the profession. The St. Paul Fire Department added saunas at its stations several years ago.

In recent years the department has ensured there are two sets of firefighting suits, also known as “turnout” gear, for each firefighter so they can have a clean set to change into after getting back from a scene, Tyner said.

“When I was younger, in those days, we didn’t even think about cancer or trying to prevent cancer,” said Tyner, 57, who was recently diagnosed with stage one prostate cancer. “I think we’ve come a long way in protecting our younger generation of firefighters.”

The department has also emphasized the importance of showering within an hour after returning from a scene. Tyner said the saunas are still beneficial after a sh

A fire reported at the Pilot Rock (OR) fire station Monday, Aug. 18, 2025, has caused some damage, but the extent is unknown at this time, elkhornmediagroup.com reported. Neighbors tried to help by using a garden hose, the department said.

“Fighting a fire at the firehouse with a garden hose will be something we talk about for a long time,” the Pilot Rock Fire District said in a Facebook post.

A fire official said there appears to be some damage to the building and vehicles inside, but the full extent won’t be known until the state investigates, the report said.

“We are managing an incident at the fire station,” the Pilot Rock Fire District said in a Facebook post early Tuesday. “We will give updates as soon as we can. As you can probably imagine, this is very stressful for our department personnel. Please be kind and stay clear of the area until further notice.”

Later Tuesday, the Pilot Rock Fire District posted the following:

“Last night’s incident is still under investigation, so we don’t have many details to share, but wanted to thank everyone for your support.

“A special shoutout to the neighbors near the station who tried to help. Fighting a fire at the firehouse with a garden hose will be something we talk about for a long time.

“Our station is closed until further notice. Local firefighters and EMS personnel will have limited capacity to respond to calls, but will do our best to continue serving our community.

“We hope to see everyone at the pancake feed on Saturday. It will be held at the elementary school now that the station is out of commission.”

The post Fire at OR Station Damages Building, Vehicles; Neighbors Help with Garden Hose appeared first on Fire Apparatus: Fire trucks, fire engines, emergency vehicles, and firefighting equipment.

Apparatus Ideas Bob Vaccaro

The Tabernacle (NJ) Fire Department protects 49.12 square miles and a residential population of about 7,000. Tabernacle Township is located in the South Jersey pines region in a mostly residential area.

Tabernacle also has some industrial and commercial buildings, State Highway Route 206 and County Highway Route 532, three major school complexes, a large section of the Wharton State Forest, strip shopping centers, and a large nonhydranted area.

Deputy Chief John Gajderowicz says, “The fire department tries to have an apparatus replacement program of about 10 years, but it depends on funding, as most departments grapple with in this day and age. Our truck committee was formed three years ago but was pushed back eight months for various reasons. Committee cochairman Lieutenant Cuyler Vena and I worked on the specs with input from various department firefighters.”

He continues, “The department was replacing a 1993 [unit], and we wanted more water to be carried, so we designed a pumper-tender. The rig would respond first due in our response district and because of sometimes long responses (½ hour or more), we wanted to have sufficient water on hand to begin a sustained attack on a fire until additional resources arrived.”

“To make it stronger, we designed the vehicle with a stronger frame and a spring rear suspension instead of an air suspension. We looked at several manufacturers but went with Pierce because of previously purchased vehicles.”

“Commonality was a concern for training our firefighters, so this made things easier,” Gajderowicz says. “We purchased through the HGAC program, which really made things easier for us and quicker, especially in this day and age of long apparatus delivery times. Plus, we could purchase the type of vehicle and choose the manufacturer we wanted.”

Some other improvements were side and rear dump valves and high brow lights that provide brighter lighting on long, dark roads. The department gained 1,000 gallons of water, and a lower hosebed. The hose carried is as follows: 300 feet of 3-inch, 1,090 feet of 5-inch, and 200 feet of 2½-inch with 300 feet of 2½-inch dead load on top. Preconnects consist of two 200-foot lengths of 1¾-inch, two 250-foot lengths of 1¾-inch, with a dead load of 500 feet of 1¾-inch.

The department also gained compartment space. All compartments were designed to be well laid out with added tools and equipment carried. Equipment and storage include battery-powered hand tools, chainsaws and fans, a transverse compartment under the cab, two 15-foot lengths of hard suction, and two 10-foot sections of hard suction on the officer’s side. The driver’s side has pony sections of hose, tarps, forcible entry tools, extinguishers, 20-foot and 16-foot ladders, a RIT bag, and wildland equipment.

1 The Pierce Enforcer pumper-tender has a five-person cab, a 1,500-gpm pump, and a 2,000-gallon tank. (Photos 1-2 courtesy of Pierce.)

2 The side and rear dump valves.

3 The driver’s side compartments of the pumper-tender show pony lengths of hose, Fold-A-Tank storage, fittings, and tarps. [Photos 3-6 courtesy of the Tabernacle (NJ) Fire Department.