Aaron Curtis
The Sun, Lowell, Mass.
(TNS)

DRACUT — Dracut’s newest fire truck is so much more than just shiny and red.

The department announced on Saturday that firefighters underwent intensive training last week to prepare for the deployment of Tower 1, a $1.56 million 2025 E-ONE ladder equipped with a 95-foot aerial ladder that can carry up to 2,000 pounds of personnel and equipment.

Instructors from Truck Tactics, a Connecticut-based company specializing in tower and ladder operations, led classroom and hands-on sessions, focusing on how to park the truck at a fire scene and how to position it effectively. The training also included ventilation, aerial operations, and offensive versus defensive strategies.

“Positioning a ladder truck is an art that takes continuous practice,” Dracut Fire Chief Michael Cunha said in a press release from the department. “All of our Tower 1 crews have now not only familiarized themselves with this new truck, they have also received intensive training in how to most effectively take advantage of its capabilities.”

Earlier this month, firefighters also trained with Greenwood Emergency Vehicles to learn the how to use the apparatus and its features.

Tower 1 was delivered to the department on Oct. 24, marking an upgrade from the aging 1999 E-ONE Ladder truck it replaces. The truck — expected to remain in service for approximately 25 years — carries eight ground ladders and is capable of pumping thousands of gallons of water per minute through a fixed waterway that extends upward along with the ladder’s platform.

Stationed at Dracut Fire Headquarters, Tower 1 will be equipped with extrication tools and will respond to all motor vehicle accidents with possible entrapment. The truck and its crew of three will also respond to all possible structure fires in town.

The department said Tower 1 was deployed for the first time on Saturday.

“This truck is going to significantly enhance firefighter safety and our ability to make rescues in emergency situations, and now our members are fully trained to begin putting it to use,” Cunha said in the release. “We are excited to deploy this vehicle and to continue keeping our promise to keep Dracut as safe as possible.”

Follow Aaron Curtis on X @aselahcurtis, or on Bluesky @aaronscurtis.bsky.social.

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Brian Hubert
Daily Freeman, Kingston, N.Y.
(TNS)

KINGSTON, N.Y. — A staff member in the City Engineer’s Office said he expects work to begin on the city’s New Central Fire Station at 18-30 East O. Reilly Street in March 2026 and to wrap up in May 2027.

The staffer appeared before the city Planning Board on Monday, Nov. 17 to share details about the $8.5 million project which is expected to take 14 months. The Planning Board is only serving in an advisory role for this project.

Board members only offered a few minor suggestions with Board Chair Wayne Platte Jr. suggesting that the large garage door-style doors on the new station’s engine bays have windows allowing the public to see the engines inside. He offered the doors at Ulster Hose Co. No. 5’s main station on Ulster Avenue in the town of Ulster as an example.

Board member Charles Polacco expressed excitement that efforts to create a new Central Fire Station were finally coming to fruition.

The Common Council cleared the way for the project by unanimously passing an $8.5 million bond measure during the Council’s November meeting.

The current Central Fire Station will be converted for the Kingston Fire Department’s ambulance service and to house administrative offices. Across the street, the city closed on the purchase of the 13,000-square-foot building for $612,000 from WMCHealth HealthAlliance in August. That building last housed records storage for HealthAlliance. It has also housed an ambulance company. Before that, it was owned by Central Hudson, which has an adjacent substation that will continue to be owned by the utility.

Polacco recalled visiting the building while it was owned by Central Hudson with his grandfather, who worked for the utility. “It had transformers and stuff,” he said.

“The current central fire station has served well over 110 years, but the larger equipment needs exceed available space, and it has structural deficiencies,” Schultheis told lawmakers in October. ”

The current station will still need HVAC, electrical work, along with roof work and other rehab, he added.

Plans shared with lawmakers show a new five-bay station facing East O’Reilly St. in a portion of the building that will be demolished and reconstructed to be taller to accommodate the fire trucks being pulled inside.

Kingston Fire Department Chief Chris Rea has said having five bays allows for growth, with each of the new bays accommodating up to a 75-foot-long ladder truck. Rea expects two of the bays to be utilized all the time, with the other three used on occasion.

The building will also house sleeping quarters for on-duty firefighters. The Deputy Chief on duty will have separate sleeping quarters within the structure. The building will also house showers, bathrooms, locker rooms, a kitchen big enough to have a long table, along with a “ready room” for firefighters. The station will also have a dispatch area and flex space that can be used for training and gatherings, and also as a central city emergency response location.

The building will also have storage for other firefighting equipment, including a garage space that will house the department’s fireboat.

Rea told the Planning Board that trucks will no longer have to block the sidewalk. He added that the aerial ladder truck would be the only piece of equipment that would have to go out on the street.

The city also secured six parking spaces closest to the corner of Hasbrouck Avenue and East O’Reilly Street, with the balance shared with HealthAlliance.

Rea expects with additional spaces that only the chief’s car will have to park out on the street once the new station opens.

The en

There are many designs of chain saws, from those that handle trimming small trees to heavy demolition models. In the past, we had to adapt the off-shelf chain saws to work for us, but now there are several good fire service chain saws and chains with features specifically designed for our applications. There are new chain designs coming out all the time.

Chain saws are a vital tool for emergency responders and firefighters and are used for a variety of demolition/rescue tasks, including the following:

• Roof ventilation.
• Forcible entry.
• Clearing fire lines.
• Removing hazard trees or snags.
• Constructing shoring systems to support unstable buildings.

When selecting your chain saw, look for the following:

• Wrap-around handle.
• Large recoil starter handle for gloved hands.
• Automatic chain break and chain catcher.
• Spark arrestor.
• 16- to 20-inch bar.
• 6- to 8-horsepower (hp) range.
• Chain for demolition/forcible entry.
• Chain for tree work.

TYPES OF CHAIN SAW CHAINS

There are many different chain saw chains. Each type is made up from a configuration of the following five elements:

1. Chain pitch.
2. Chain gauge.
3. Cutter material.
4. Cutter style.
5. Chain arrangement,

You can choose some aspects of your chain saw chain based on your skill level and application. Other aspects are set by the saw. There are no universal chain saw chains, and there are more types than discussed here. We will limit ourselves to the type most common to the fire service. Buy a quality chain from a reputable manufacturer. First, let’s get to know what makes up chain saw chains.

The “pitch” and “gauge” and, to some degree, the length of the bar are determined by your chain saw.

For most of our needs, a chain with a 3⁄8-inch pitch works well. Pitch is defined by the distance between any three consecutive rivets, divided by two. The 3⁄8-inch chain offers good flexibility, adequate strength, low weight, and substantial cutting speed.

Chain saw chain gauge refers to the thickness of the drive links, which are the parts of the chain that fit into the guide bar groove. It’s a crucial measurement for ensuring proper fit and function, as the chain gauge must match the guide bar gauge.

The 3⁄8-inch chain can handle up to a 100-cc chain saw engine (approximately 8.5 hp). The bigger the chain saw bar, the more force you need to apply when driving it into the wood; you may also need a bigger engine. For this reason, manufacturers provide a recommended bar length for their chain saws.

CUTTER MATERIAL

Chain saw chains are typically made of steel alloys. The cutting teeth (cutters) are often chrome-tipped for durability and resistance to wear, while some chains use tungsten carbide or diamond tips for even greater hardness and longevity, particularly in demanding or dirty environments. For our application, I recommend steel alloy or carbide chain.

CARBIDE CHAIN

There are multiple types of cutting tips for chain saw chains. On any given day, a fire service chain saw could encounter any of the following materials: asphalt and wood shingles, light tin flashing, plywood sheeting, dimensional lumber, drywall, tree limbs, and everything in between. For all these different materials, the carbide-tipped chains work well. Carbide chains will outlast a chisel chain up to 4:1. They’re also used to cut wood with nails in it, stubborn roots and branches, and even asphalt. Made for demolition, however, it cuts a down tree (green) slower than a chipper chain. They can be resharpened by ha

A Guil-Rand Fire Department apparatus was struck by a vehicle on Interstate 74 Monday, Nov. 24, 2025, the department said in a Facebook post.

“The impact caused severe damage to the apparatus—but we are incredibly thankful to report that no one was injured,” the department said.

The Guil-Rand Fire Department is located in Archdale, North Carolina.

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