Douglas Fire Department honored early firefighters with a push-in ceremony Tuesday, the city announced in a news release. While Push-In Ceremonies have been held at fire stations for generations, this is the first that Douglas Fire Department has held one to welcome a new fire truck to Fire Station No. 2. 

“We are here today to honor early firefighters,” said Douglas Fire Chief Casey Wright. “We are excited to hold this Push-In Ceremony to share a part of fire service history with you.”

Fire Department Push-In Ceremonies date back to the early years of firefighting when horse-drawn steamer engines were the new fire trucks. Horses would not walk backward while the steamer engine was attached so when a new steamer engine was delivered, firefighters would have to push it into the fire station.

“Our firefighters bravely face danger when entering a burning structure without hesitation,” said Mayor Tony Paulk. “This new fire truck will help our Douglas team continue to provide safe fire protection for everyone.”

Words of encouragement were provided by firefighter and Pastor Marshall Dye of Jowers Chapel Church in Coffee County. First Assembly of God Pastor Marshall Adcock, who is the Douglas Fire Department Chaplain and Volunteer Firefighter, offered a prayer for the safety of all firefighters and the community. Following remarks, Douglas firefighters, Coffee County Firefighters, Coffee County EMS, and local dignitaries took part in pushing the new fire truck into the station.

The new fire truck is a Sutphen Heavy Duty Custom Pumper that has a 1,000 gallon water tank and is capable of pumping 1,500 gallons per minute.

In the coming days, approximately 1,200 Slocomb water customers will receive, along with their monthly bill, a flyer from Slocomb Fire and Rescue asking residents to donate money to help replace a pumper truck, wdhn.com reported.

The funds will be earmarked to replace fire engine 4, which has served for almost 34 years and has reached its end, the report said.

The fire department says it’s important to get a new truck not only for the city but will help in fighting mutual aid fires, according to the report.

If citizens would like to donate to a new fire truck, they can fill out the flyer, which will come in the mail with their water bill, and drop it off at Slocomb City Hall, or at the water board office.

By Alan M. Petrillo

The Go Green Clean Cancer Awareness and Prevention Program is using a donated Alexis Fire Equipment pumper to educate firefighters and fire departments about the risk of carcinogens at fire scenes and distribute decon equipment for gross decon turnout gear at fire incidents.

John L. Swan, chief at Colona (IL) Fire Protection District and past president of the Illinois Firefighters Association, founded the program, which is registered as a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. Swan points out the program’s mission statement says the initiative is dedicated to developing and promoting an effective health intervention program to reduce the risks of cancer to firefighters at the local, state and national levels.

As part of the program, Swan accepted the donation of an Alexis pumper used to carry and distribute the decon equipment, which is then donated to fire departments after they go through a brief training on its use.

“We want to provide training and educational materials to all firefighters to raise their awareness of the firefighter cancer crisis,” Swan says. “So the program assists in the procurement of equipment necessary for post-fire or post-exposure cleaning and decontamination.”

Jeff Morris, president of Alexis Fire Equipment, notes that the pumper his company donated to the Go Green Clean program is a 1995 engine built on an HME chassis and cab with a 1,250-gallon per minute (gpm) pump and a 750-gallon water tank. “The pumper is a fully functioning unit that was originally built for Rochelle (IL) Fire Department,” Morris observes. “Whe

Free eBook provides answers to commonly asked questions, shares experiences from fire-rescue service chiefs around the country

Buying products like fire apparatus and personal protective equipment is part of a fire-rescue chief’s job, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy to do.

The How-to Guide to Cooperative Purchasing for Fire-Rescue Service Leaders aims to shine a light on how cooperative purchasing—a well-established government procurement tool designed to save time and money while giving buyers more flexibility and choice—can specifically help those in the fire-rescue service.

The guide is available now on the Sourcewell website and delves into how cooperative purchasing reduces fire-rescue service leaders’ need to deal with complex request for proposal (RFP) processes. It also highlights how cooperative purchasing (also called group purchasing) can ensure compliance with an organization’s procurement requirements, as well as compliance with city, state, or other local government purchasing rules.

Readers will find answers to some of the most commonly asked questions about cooperative purchasing, including:

• How does it work?
• What can be purchased?
• What are the benefits?
• Does it make sense for my department?
• How can I get started?

The eBook includes infographics and a valuable visual guide to help fire-rescue agencies understand the steps to using a cooperative procurement contract.

“Instead of me spending 20 or 30 hours on a project, I spend 20 or 30 minutes and get the same results at the end of it—and a lot of times there’s savings,” says Timothy Whitham, a fire chief with the Edwardsville Fire Department in Kansas. His is just one of the many testimonials from fire chiefs, fire chief associations, and companies that supply apparatus and equipment to agencies included in the eBook.

Learn more about cooperative purchasing and hear more from departments and companies that have benefited from the How-to Guide to Cooperative Purchasing for Fire-Rescue Service Leaders.

—

To learn more about Sourcewell’s cooperative purchasing contracts for fire departments, visit sourcewell-mn.gov/fire-rescue-gpo or call 877-413-5360.