This week, as Camden (ME) Fire Department begins stocking its new first-response fire truck, the crew awaits approval for an EMS non-transport, first-response license, penbaypilot.com reported.

The goal is to be first on the scene and begin care in a helpful and meaningful way, and to then hand off that care to North East upon its arrival, the report said.

Under the license, Camden firefighters will begin responding to urgent, non-facility, medical calls in their town to help patients before the arrival of an ambulance, and to assist North East by assessing and treating immediate, life-threatening afflictions, according to the report.

And, though Camden has a new truck and is acquiring medical equipment, the push continues to encourage other towns within the NEMHS contract zone (Hope, Lincolnville, Rockport) to follow suit, the report said.

First-Response Fire Truck

With room for four people, the Alexis mini pumper, a Dodge Ram 5500, will be a daily-use vehicle that full-time staff drive when they are out doing building inspections or running errands, the report said. The truck is smaller than the January 1981 Engine 6 that it’s replacing, making it easier to squeeze down camp roads. It also allows better access to the state park, the Ragged Mountain recreation area, and some of the more remote places in the region, according to the report.

Along with hoses, ladders, extrication equipment, and other essential fire apparatus will now be oxygen tanks, gauze, blood pressure cuffs, and other essential first response equipment.

A new fire engine will be in service in Clinton (MO) later this year, after a six-month delay, fox4kc.com reported.

The fire department says it’s taken longer to manufacture the truck than first expected. The fire engine, which was supposed to be delivered in November, is now on schedule to arrive in May, the report said.

The new addition will replace the department’s frontline engine that is nearly 30 years old. That engine will be reassigned and used as a reserve engine.

Money to pay for the new engine comes from the 1/4-cent sales tax approved by Clinton voters in April 2016.

The new engine is the third custom vehicle bought for the department since the tax increase was approved, according to the fire department.

The Green Valley community came together Thursday to celebrate the long-anticipated construction of the Green Valley Fire District’s new $13 million Station 152, gvnews.com reported.

The new building will replace and sit directly across from the district’s current Station 152 on Camino Del Sol, which is now over 40 years old and has shown its age in everything from outdated bunkrooms to electrical and plumbing issues, the report said.

If all goes to plan, the fire department hopes to move crews into the new station in November 2023.

In 2020, the Green Valley Fire District put forth its first bond initiative to voters, aimed at capital improvements and safety enhancements across the district, and received overwhelming support from residents, according to the report. The $13 million bond was approved by about an 81% margin.

The new station will be about 9,400 square feet, and will be built with a focus on firefighter safety and cancer prevention, a fire official said. The station will be equipped with ventilated turn-out rooms, isolated areas to separate living spaces from bays, special exhaust systems to remove contaminants, and non-porous furniture to keep toxic carcinogens from seeping in, the report said.

Firefighters at the station will also have access to several bunk rooms, a commercial-grade kitchen, a fitness room, office space and three drive-thru bays that will house an engine company and an ambulance, the report said.

WSM Architects, which designed GVFD Stations 151, 155 and several other fire stations, are also the design team behind the new Station 152.

Mold remediation and renovation at Fire Station 41 on East County Road 466 in The Villages will cost more than $1.5 million, villages-news.com reported.

Late last year, mold was detected within the walls and ventilation system in the living quarters at the fire station, the report said. Since that discovery, a portable trailer and a Porta Kleen building have been moved in to provide temporary lodging and hygiene for the firefighters still working out of the station.

The original facility was constructed in 1994 to house two firefighters, which included four truck bays. The building was expanded in 2008 to house an additional five firefighters, according to the report.

Generally, the facility is in poor condition and was in desperate need of major renovation or reconstruction, according to a city official.

Here is the following breakdown of expenses for the renovation of Station 41:

• Staff Temporary housing, operation expenses. (Estimated eight-month duration): $237,893.
• Mold remediation, restoration and renovation of existing interior spaces to include new thermal windows and doors: $549,400.
• Expansion of interior space, renovation of fitness and storage areas. Updates to truck bays, sprinkler system, gear equipment/storage, replacement doors, and new roof: $569,700
• New furniture, fixtures and equipment: $225,000.

Total estimated cost is $1,581,993, the report said.