Randy Petersen
Post-Bulletin, Rochester, Minn.
(TNS)

Jun. 3—ROCHESTER — A $2.7 million northwest Rochester land purchase will make way for a potential sixth city fire station, but a timeline for construction remains unclear.

“We need to have a conversation with the (Rochester City) Council on next steps,” Assistant City Administrator Ryan Yetzer said.

The council approved a $2.7 million purchase agreement for 116 acres west of the Valleyhigh Road and 60th Avenue in February.

Owned by the Richard E. Badger Revocable Trust, the site was originally considered as a possible location for the city’s planned regional sports and recreation complex.

The related purchase agreement was extended after the City Council agreed to pay $5 million for 158 acres near 45th Street and St. Bridget Road Southeast , for the new complex.

Yetzer said the extended agreement came with approval to purchase the site, if it was deemed appropriate for a new fire station. The purchase was made in April with funds set aside for fire stations, as well as some sales-tax revenue, which will be recouped for the planned resale of land not used for the station.

With the 116-acre site in hand, Yetzer said the Rochester Fire Department is expected to require 5 to 10 acres for its plans to build a new station in the future. The plan is part of the department’s 2024-2030 Strategic Operating Plan .

While no specific timeframe for the land purchase is listed in the plan, it’s considered the fourth of eight steps designed to diversify department services and ensure it can meet the needs to the growing northwest section of the city. The first two steps — adding an assistant chief and hiring a new supervisor to help create an emergency medical service division — have already been implemented.

The fire department’s strategic plan estimates the construction cost of a new station at $10 million, which is the seventh step of its plan, followed by relocation of an engine and crew from the South Broadway Avenue station to save nearly $2.9 million, the estimated cost of hiring and equipping 12 new firefighters.

© 2025 the Post-Bulletin. Visit www.postbulletin.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

The post $2.7M Land Purchase Makes Way for New Rochester (MN) Fire Station appeared first on Fire Apparatus: Fire trucks, fire engines, emergency vehicles, and firefighting equipment.

FORT COLLINS, Colorado — Super Vac and Command Light proudly announce the appointment of a new regional sales manager, Matt Cowden, in the Central region. Cowden represents Super Vac’s expansive lineup of ventilation equipment and Command Light’s array of scene lighting products in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin.

Based in Middleton, Wisconsin, Cowden brings more than 10 years of firefighting experience. After joining the fire service as a volunteer for two departments, he rose through the ranks to become a captain and obtained certifications as an officer, instructor, inspector and driver operator, as well as in hazardous materials.

In addition to his firefighting background, Cowden brings a wealth of sales and marketing experience. He started his career more than 30 years ago working in the video and film marketing industry in producer and director roles for national and international brands, working on production budgets in an excess of a half million dollars. A portion of those years were spent in sales, acquiring clients. Prior to Super Vac and Command Light, Cowden also served as Director of Sales and

Marketing for HMA Fire, a manufacturer of fire suppression systems, and helped grow the brand through large-scale demos and video marketing for seven years.

“We’re excited to see what Matt can do with his love of sales and marketing, and his passion for the fire service, to Super Vac and Command Light,” Super Vac and Command Light President Roger Weinmeister said.

Cowden adds that he is extremely excited to work with departments and dealers throughout the Central region. He will be present at key industry events, including the upcoming June 18-21 Wisconsin State Fire Chiefs’ Association Conference and the July 14-17 Ohio Fire Chiefs’ Association Conference.

To view Super Vac’s full territory breakdown, visit supervac.com/sales-support. To view Command Lights’ full territory lineup, visit commandlight.com/sales-support.

About Super Vac

Super Vac is the world’s leading manufacturer in the emergency ventilation products. A one- stop shop for all things ventilation, Super Vac equips crews with a versatile array of only the toughest solutions, including the industry’s largest lineup of PPV fans, spanning from 8- to 80- inch blades, as well as smoke ejectors, available in 12-, 16-, 20- and 24-inch blades. Super Vac also manufactures rescue saws, rehab misters and other necessities.

About Command Light

Command Light, located in Fort Collins, Colo., has specialized in scene lighting for the emergency industry for more than 25 years and features only the best light towers, compact scene lighting, traffic flow boards and other safety lighting products. Command Light’s towers are available in a variety of configurations, including AC or DC, different tower bases, varying output choices and a long list of options, like backlighting to illuminate both sides of the scene.

The post Super Vac and Command Light Appoint New Regional Sales Manager to Central Territory appeared first on Fire Apparatus: Fire trucks, fire engines, emergency vehicles, and firefighting equipment.

Joey Oliver
mlive.com
(TNS)

BAY CITY, MI – The Antique Toy and Firehouse Museum has announced the acquisition of a historic firefighting vehicle but is looking for community support to help transport the massive piece of history across the country.

The museum has acquired the Super Tender from Ruth Wick of Hemet, California, assembling two pieces of firefighting history that once comprised the “legendary” Fire Department of New York Pumper System, museum officials said.

“We’re honored to bring the Super Tender to Bay City and reunite it with the iconic Super Pumper,” Dale Bash, board chairman of the Antique Toy and Fire Truck Museum, said in a statement.

“This is an opportunity to preserve and share a pivotal piece of firefighting history. We are honored to be given the opportunity by Mrs. Wick to celebrate her husband’s vision to preserve and restore the FDNY Super Tender, while making it available for the public to see firsthand.”

Read more: Michigan’s Antique Toy and Firehouse Museum has one of the world’s largest toy truck collections

Originally commissioned in 1964 for the New York City Fire Department, the Super Pumper was a groundbreaking system, capable of pumping 8,800 gallons of water per minute.

The pumper was designed for large-scale industrial fires and emergencies. Its partner, the Super Tender, provided critical support, supplying large diameter fire hose, a 10,000-gpm water monitor gun, and additional equipment.

The Super Tender was purchased through a FDNY deaccession process in 1989 by Hewy Wick, who drove the unit cross country from New Jersey to his California home. Wick restored the unit and routinely displayed it in community and fire history events.

The Tender was frequently featured as California organizations memorialized the events of Sept. 11, 2001.

Bringing the Tender to its new home is still a hurdle, however. The museum has launched a fundraising campaign, seeking $80,000 to cover the cost of specialized transportation, logistical planning, and preservation needs.

Donations can be made through the museum’s website, through upcoming fundraising events and benefit auctions or by simply sharing the campaign with friends and family.

Donors contributing $250 or more will receive an invitation to the Super Pumper System’s unveiling event, planned for early 2026.

“This is not just about a fire truck — it’s about preserving an engineering marvel designed by the iconic Naval Architect Francis Gibbs and the heroic stories it represents,” said Mike Snyder, museum board vice chairman. “Together, we can bring the central pieces of the FDNY Super Pumper System together and inspire generations to come.”

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©2025 Advance Local Media LLC. Visit mlive.com. Distributed by Tribune

LE MARS, Iowa — The time has come, Chief David Schipper says, for the citizens of Le Mars to show their fire department a little love.

The fire department is working to get a bond measure before Le Mars voters this fall that would finance a new $12-15 million firehouse. Up until now, Schipper says, the department has been making do with a pair of fire halls that don’t meet its needs — one, the very old main firehouse, where firefighters spend nights in closets converted to sleeping quarters, and the other, a newer station that’s insufficient for the ever-growing demands placed on the department.

“Hopefully the public will support us,” Schipper said. “You know, we take care of them 24-7. And now we need a little help.”

But in view of the approval just last fall of a $49.97 million school bond, Le Mars Mayor Rob Bixenman said he’s uncertain of the public’s appetite for another bond issue — much as both city officials and the community want to support the department.

“I’m not sure,” the mayor said. “The concerns that I’ve heard is, the timing of it. We just passed a large school bond issue last year. But I don’t think anyone really questions the need per se, as much as just burdening our taxpayers with an additional tax.”

Le Mars fire station bond issue

Dave Schipper, Le Mars Fire-Rescue chief, stands outside the department’s station No. 2 on May 23. The department is seeking voter approval of a bond issue to build a new fire station at the intersection of 12th Ave. S.W. and Eighth Ave. S.W.

The proposed, 25,000- or 26,000-square-foot firehouse would replace the department’s current No. 2 fire station, which sits on part of the old Westmar College campus on 12th Street SE. To keep the taxpayer burden as low as possible, proponents say they want to incorporate donations in paying for it.

In late 2022, the city purchased a roughly 2.2-acre corner lot on 12th Street SW, a major thoroughfare, for $350,000, with the intention that the department would someday build a new firehouse there. The site is, in every respect, perfectly suited to the department’s needs, Schipper said.

The No. 2 fire station was built 20 years ago, Schipper said, and there’s been some confusion in the community about why the department would need to replace a relatively new building.

“It looks nice, everybody thinks it’s new,” Schipper said. But it, like the old downtown firehouse, is largely landlocked and has little space for expansion.

The proposed firehouse is more than twice the square footage of the No. 2 fire station. Because the current No. 2 fire station does not have any sort of living quarters, Schipper said, it is not a proper “firehouse.” (The “house” distinction, he says, is reserved for buildings that have some form of living quarters.)

Le Mars fire station bond issue

Dave Schipper, Le Mars Fire-Rescue chief, stands at the doorways to a small dorm room and a small bathroom May 23 in the department’s main station in downtown Le Mars. The department is seeking voter approval of a bond issue to build a new fire station at the intersection of 12th Ave. S.W. and Eighth Ave. S.W.

The new firehouse would have all that the growing department needs — bedrooms, kitchen, offices, truck bays, exercise room, space for training and meetings. It would become the firehouse, Schipper said, where crews spend their nights, while the current, main firehouse downtown would be downgraded to fire station.

“We’re out of room,” Schipper said. The 11-person department is growing its ranks — a