The Windber Fire Department kicked off the new year by receiving new equipment designed to help reduce the increased risk of cancer firefighters face, wtaj.com reported.

The new set of bunker gear comes from a $24,925 grant that Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation gave to the Somerset County fire department, the report said.

A reveal from Windber fire was held Wednesday in partnership with the Johnstown Firehouse Subs location, according to the report.

Firehouse Subs has given over $80,000 to first responder organizations in the Johnstown-Altoona area, the report said.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz on Monday showed off the state’s first electric fire truck, a Rosenbauer, which was made in the state.

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.