The Atlanta City Council approved legislation put forth by the Dickens Administration for $4.7 million in funding for the acquisition of additional equipment for the Atlanta Fire Rescue Department (AFRD), the city announced Tuesday in a press release.

AFRD will acquire three Spartan Fire Pumpers and three Spartan Tractor Drawn Aerial Support vehicles.

“As Atlanta continues to grow, so does the need for additional capacity to effectively respond to emergency situations,” said Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens. “The expansion of our AFRD fleet will help decrease response times, increase our readiness and improve the overall safety of our communities. Thank you to City Council for their assistance in building One Safe City.”

In 2021, the city council approved legislation in support of the city’s plan to acquire additional apparatus after AFRD and the Office of Fleet Services established specific vehicles are required to guarantee the Department will continually provide emergency services and meet the needs in Atlanta.

“This equipment is vital for the advancement of AFRD,” said AFRD Chief Rod Smith. “Over the last several months, I have spoken in depth with City administration about how the Atlanta Fire Department is operating diligently to serve our communities. I thank Mayor Dickens and the City Council for their willingness and continued support to preserve the best-in-class service to the citizens and property of the City of Atlanta, together.”

Mayor Dickens previously announced a pay increase to recruit and retain Atlanta Firefighters.

Tuesday’s announcement will be in conjunction with the city’s $92.4 million investment in public safety, including $69.3 million for fire station renovations throughout the city.

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For more information about the City of Atlanta, please visit www.atlantaga.gov or watch City Channel 26. Follow the City of Atlanta on Facebook and Twitter @CityofAtlanta.

Alexis—Colona (IL) Community Fire Protection District walk-around rescue. Spartan Metro Star cab and chassis; Cummins L9 450-hp engine; 22-foot rescue body; Onan 25-kW generator; Will-Burt Night Scan Powerlite NS 3.0-900 WHL light tower; Whelen warning and scene lights; Hannay cord and air reels. Dealer: Greg Landon, Alexis Fire Equipment, Alexis, IL.

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Someone stole a $204,000 brush truck belonging to the Natchitoches Parish Fire Protection District 10 recently then left it stuck in the mud, ksla.com reported. Now the question is who did it. The Natchitoches Parish Sheriff’s Office is investigating.

The brush truck was taken out of its station in Powhatan, the report said. Someone forced their way through a door at the fire department in the 100 block of Louisiana Highway 485.

Andrea Klick
The Kansas City Star
(TNS)

Kansas City will pay more than $1.3 million to family members of victims killed when a fire truck crashed into a vehicle and a building in Westport in December 2021, according to court documents filed Wednesday.

According to the settlement, each family will receive $459,893 from the city plus an additional $80,000 from Farmers Insurance, the private auto insurance provider for Dominic Biscari, the Kansas City firefighter who drove the truck on Dec. 15, 2021.

The Kansas City Fire Department and the city declined to comment on the settlement and cited a pending investigation into the incident.

With lights and sirens flashing, the Pumper 15 driven by Biscari was speeding when it ran a red light and entered the intersection of Westport Road and Broadway Boulevard and struck a Honda CRV that night. The force of the crash propelled the vehicles northwest, causing them to hit a pedestrian before slamming into a building.

Jennifer San Nicolas and Michael Elwood, who were in the Honda, and Tami Knight, the pedestrian, were killed. Knight’s boyfriend Alexander Llera was also injured. San Nicolas and Elwood worked together at Ragazza Food & Wine, and Knight was a data analyst with Kansas City Public Schools.

After the crash, the victims’ families, Llera and the owners of the building filed lawsuits against the city and Biscari, which also alleged that he was driving negligently and too fast.

In November, Kansas City’s City Council approved the transfer of $1.8 million from its general fund to help pay for lawsuits.

Earlier that month, Judge Jennifer M. Phillips approved a $32 million arbitration award against Biscari. That included $9 million to Elwood’s parents, $11 million to Knight’s mother, $9 million to San Nicolas’ mother and $2 million to Llera. It also included $1.4 million to the company that owns the destroyed building.

Retired Judge Miles Sweeney, who oversaw arbitration proceedings in October, found Biscari’s driving to be “dangerous and reckless.” A medic had warned the department about Biscari’s driving months before the crash.

A lawsuit filed in November that lists as plaintiffs the victims’ families, Biscari, Llera, the building’s owner and the fire department union claimed the city owes $32.4 million to the families and building owners after withdrawing legal representation for Biscari.

He was originally provided legal representation by the city, but it was later withdrawn. The fire department’s union, International Association of Firefighters Local 42, could not find a previous case in which the city refused or withdrew legal representation for another fire department employee, the lawsuit said.

A case management conference is scheduled for Feb. 28.

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