In September the Ontario government said it planned to push legislation that would allow the use of flashing blue lights on emergency service vehicles.

That came after Clarington’s fire service pushed for the legislation after a vehicle crashed into one of their trucks, causing between $6,000 and $8,000 in damage. Now that blue lights are allowed, Snetsinger says Peterborough will look to phase in the adoption of the new lights and retrofit existing vehicles if it can.

The Community Builder grant applications in South Dakota will be used to address various, crucial needs of the fire departments, including purchase of new gear, construction and expansion. 

The ambulances are designated County Medic 1 and County Medic 2, according to Glassman’s transmission, a recording of which was placed on the county’s Facebook page.

County Medic 1 is the only one operational, giving the county time to gain experience with the new system, government spokesperson Cindy Mumby said. County leaders have said previously that the second ambulance will go into operation in July.

“We have a strong relationship with our local fire departments, so we are very pleased to help them stay well-equipped,” said Theron Lambert, director of operations at Georgia-Pacific’s Spartanburg Corrugated facility. “These grants show our gratitude for their selfless dedication.”  

The Bucket Brigade program awarded $188,400 in grants to departments this year for equipment critical to firefighters’ safety. Since the program began in 2006, Georgia-Pacific has given more than $2.2 million in cash and educational materials to 287 fire departments that serve the company’s facility communities across the country.