City staff has been evaluating locations for a future second fire station as called for in our strategic plan, developed with recommendations from an outside consultant, to improve our fire response as our community continues to grow, the city of North Liberty said in a press release. Earlier this fall, we began to take steps to identify and acquire a specific site for that future station.

During site evaluation, staff considered several factors including emergency response times, 1.5-mile radius coverage from the existing and proposed fire stations, land and other development costs and compatibility with current and future uses. The process also included inviting community members to an open house in October to answer questions, hear concerns and provide feedback.

The City Council is expected to discuss potential sites, but not take any formal action, at its meeting at 6:30 p.m. on Dec. 13, 2022, in the City Council Chambers, 1 Quail Creek Circle, North Liberty. The public is invited to attend.

At this meeting, staff will share with the council information about the previously identified, preferred site immediately adjacent to Harvest Estates and an alternative site along St. Andrews Drive to the west nearer Alexander Way (see map on the reverse side), as well as other previously considered, but ill-suited, locations.

That memo will be available late next week online in the meeting’s information packet at northlibertyiowa.org/meetings/citycouncil, and this post will be updated when it’s complete.

During the City Council meeting on Dec. 13, there will be time set aside on the agenda for public comment should you wish to provide any spoken comment. You can also send written comments to the City Council and Mayor Hoffman via email to council@northlibertyiowa.org or mail to PO Box 77, North Liberty IA 52317, at any time.

At its meeting Monday evening, the Stratford City Council awarded the fire department $310,809 in federal grant funding for a new fire truck, KQRadio.com reported.

The Stratford Fire Department has decided to purchase a Freightliner Two-Door Pumper-Tanker for $416,006, the report said. Delivery is roughly 19 weeks out. The fire department has $93,906 in its capital equipment fund which they will be using, but instead of bonding for the payment, they will utilize an internal loan with the city of Stratford borrowing from the city’s electric fund, according to the report.

The council voted to purchase the fire tanker truck.

The Donna Fire Department received its first-ever 77-foot ladder truck, KRGV.com reported. The department held a push-in ceremony for the $965,000 ladder truck Wednesday.

A fire official said the new truck could’ve helped recently during a second story house fire where ground ladders were used, the kind where you have to pull a rope to extend it, the report said.

Next month, firefighters will undergo training to use the new truck, according to the report.

The Bureau of Land Management has transferred ownership of a wildland fire engine to the Fort Bidwell Volunteer Fire Department, a small Modoc County department that stands ready to assist the BLM and other agencies with wildfire response in remote northeast California, just south of the Oregon border, the agency said in a press release.

“We really appreciate this fire engine,” said Fort Bidwell Fire Chief Mark Royer. “This donation will greatly improve our service to the community since it will be Fort Bidwell’s primary initial attack fire engine.”

The fire engine is a four-wheel drive pumper capable of handling the rugged terrain of the northeast California high desert and has room for a five-person crew. It has a 500-gallon water tank and the ability to spray water or firefighting foam while moving, an important feature when fighting fast-moving rangeland fires.

“We are happy to donate this engine to the Fort Bidwell volunteers,” said Dereck Wilson, manager of the BLM Northern California District. “It has served the public well and still has plenty of service life.”

The fire engine was provided to the volunteer department under the BLM’s Rural Fire Readiness Program, which provides equipment to qualifying fire departments that collaborate with the BLM and assist with fire response on public lands. Under the program, local departments apply to receive BLM fire engines and other equipment declared surplus when the agency purchases new equipment.

The engine went into service in 2001 with the BLM Applegate Field Office and was based at the West Valley Fire Station in southern Modoc County. It was deployed to numerous local and regional incidents including the Biscuit Fire that burned nearly 500,000 acres in northern California and southern Oregon in 2002.

The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.