On Tuesday, Bend Fire & Rescue and the Deschutes Rural Fire Protection District No. 2 placed a new fire engine into service at Station 306, located at the base of Pilot Butte (425 NE 15^th Street), the department said in a media release. 

The community was invited to attend and participate in the traditional push-in celebration and ceremony.

Station 306 opened in 2019, but due to staffing limitations, the station has been staffed with only a medic unit and not a fire engine. Thanks to a partnership between the city of Bend, Rural Fire Protection District, and the community, Bend Fire & Rescue is now able to staff an engine at this fire station. 

“This is the first engine we have added to our operations to serve our community since the year 2000,” said Fire Chief Todd Riley. “We are excited to have an engine responding from the core of our city which

The Winston Creek Fire Station grand opening ceremony and the official swearing-in for the new Polk County Fire Rescue Chief will take place at 9 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 12, 2023.

The ceremony will be held at 1140 North Galloway Road in Lakeland (FL).

Norfolk (MA) residents at a special town meeting Wednesday will vote on a proposed $25 million new fire station that has been planned for years, thesunchronicle.com reported.

The meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. in the auditorium of King Philip Middle School on King Street; the fire station is the only business going before voters.

A special election is also slated for Jan. 28 for voters to decide on a tax hike overriding state tax-levy limiting law Proposition 2 1/2 to pay for the station, as well as fill a vacant select board seat, the report said.

If the project is approved by both town meeting and voters at the election, construction could begin in the spring with completion anticipated in fall 2024, according to the report.

A new station has been estimated to cost $25 million, a sum which would be offset by about $3.3 million left over from a 2016 appropriation for new police and fire stations, the report said. The fire station was never built because of cost overruns with the police station.

Plans call for the new fire station to be built on the Main Street site of the present fire station, which is outdated and undersized, according to the report. A new fire station building committee has been planning the project for nearly two years, and has held forums and tours of the fire station, which had also been the old police station.

For more information, visit www.norfolk.ma.us, where there is a detailed town meeting warrant article about the fire station project. Also, the building committee has a page on the town website with in-depth information, including answers to frequently asked questions, presentations, documents, about the current station, and meeting agendas and minutes.

The Valley City Fire Department recently announced the start of a free lock box program that allows fire, rescue and police personnel to gain easier access into the homes of eligible and participating residents during an emergency where someone cannot reach the door, medina-gazette.com reported.

A lock box can be installed on a resident’s home, and inside the box is a key to the house. The boxes can be placed by hooking it over the top of a door or fastened to the exterior of the door. A universal key to open all lock boxes in the township would be securely housed in the fire apparatus and only be used during an emergency.

Previously, if someone was having a medical emergency and was unable to answer the door, the department would have to forcibly enter the residence, a fire official said. This way it would be faster to enter the residence without causing property damage.

Fire Prevention Officer Chris McDaniel proposed the program to the Valley City Firefighters Association. The Liverpool Township trustees decided to have residents pay no additional charge for the service.

Residents who have special needs, a major medical disability or are 65 and older are eligible to participate in the program, he said. Those interested can contact the fire department at (330) 483-1986 or email knox@valleycityfire.com to get started.