Smeal—Community Volunteer Fire Department Station 32, Belmont, NC, pumper. Spartan Metro Star EMFD with 10-inch raised roof cab and chassis; Cummins L9 450-hp engine; Hale Qmax XS 2,000-gpm pump; UPF Poly 750-gallon water tank; 30-gallon foam cell; Williams ATP 1500 Class B single-flush foam system; TFT manual Extend-A-Gun deck gun. Dealer: Rob Smith, Atlantic Coast Fire Trucks, Denver, NC.

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The West Point Fire Department’s budget will be increased from $96,000 to $1.8 million for the 2023 fiscal year, according to Conor Miller, the president of Local F-7 of the International Association of Firefighters, recordonline.com reported.

With the restored budget, the department plans to repair and replace fire trucks and purchase thermal imaging cameras that will allow firefighters to see through smoke, the report said.

The change comes shortly after Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer held a press conference Jan. 11 at the United States Military Academy, where he noted the department’s budget has been slashed nearly 92% since 2014. Schumer said the budget cuts could threaten the safety of both firefighters and Hudson Valley residents, and he asked Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth to restore the department’s budget.

In a Jan. 20 letter to Schumer, Wormuth said her office considered the safety of both firefighters and the Hudson Valley community when they decided to reverse their previous decision, the report said. The Army, she said, would also accelerate the delivery of three repaired fire trucks in February and the completion of the $4.6 million renovation of the Washington Road fire station by September, according to the report.

Effingham County Fire Rescue’s new Station 13, just south of the roundabout on GA Hwy 119 in Guyton, is almost ready for occupancy, the department announced on Facebook Jan. 20. The department is waiting for a signal from the contractor. It has hopes of a February move-in date.

Capt. Hannah Jenkins said, “We are excited for the relocation of the Guyton area station, from the old elementary school on Sixth Avenue to a new, purpose-built station on Hwy 119 South. This new location places the station close to the Guyton roundabout, providing easy response capabilities in all directions.”

Effingham County Fire Rescue’s Hodgeville Station, across from Belmont Glen on Hodgeville Road, took a step closer to opening as paving was conducted, the department announced on Facebook Jan. 17.

Chief Clint Hodges said the station will be a key addition for the Hodgeville community as some areas will see their ISO rating drop from 10 to 3, which will produce a major insurance cost savings in addition to providing a much-improved response time to the entire community.

Hodges is eyeing a move-in date in late March.