Langford Fire Rescue is set to get a shiny demo fire truck after council approved the purchase during its Monday meeting, GoldstreamGazette.com reported.

The new truck is set to cost $1.15 million, much less than the estimated $2.5 million it would cost to custom build a truck to meet the department’s needs, the report said. The custom truck would also take more than three years to assemble, according to a staff report.

The fire department was able to work down the cost from an initial estimate of $1.9 million by trading in its current truck, which was bought in 1998 and is set to exceed its 25-year lifespan next year, as recommended in the Fleet Replacement Plan and Fire Underwriter’s Survey, the report said.

The new truck, which features a 107-foot ladder, was built as a 2018 model and sent to Asia as a demonstration vehicle, but never used on active duty, according to a Langford fire official. 

The city broke ground Tuesday on its newest fire station, Station 9, located at the Denton Enterprise Airport, DentonRC.com reported. The approximately $12 million project will allow the Denton Fire Department to better serve the airport and other areas west of Interstate 35.

When it came to selecting a location for the next station, the fire department followed the data. It found the existing western stations — Stations 3, 5 and 7 — couldn’t respond to the airport fast enough, the report said.

The goal is to have the fire station completed by March 2024. 

New Haven (CT) Board of Alders moved ahead recently with a proposal to use $4.5 million in federal pandemic-relief aid in part to buy new non-electric police SUVs and fire trucks, NewHavenIndependent.org reported.

Specifically, the Elicker Administration officials have submitted a request to the alders to use federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to purchase eight police SUVs for $400,000 as well as two fire engines and one fire truck for $3.7 million, the report said. 

The committee alders favorably recommended the $4.5 million ARPA spending plan, which now heads to the full Board of Alders for further debate and a final vote, the report said.

The question was raised about investing in electric vehicles instead of gas-powered engines. A fire official countered that the electric vehicle technology is new and that New Haven shouldn’t be the test place for it, the report said.

A fire official told the committee that there’s a national backlog on fire equipment due to pandemic-related supply chain issues, and that New Haven should purchase new vehicles as soon as possible, according to the report. The fire department is requesting $850,000 for each of two fire engines as well as $2 million for a fire truck with an aerial ladder, according to the report.

Denison Fire Rescue is drawing up plans to expand with the population, kxii.com reported.

The department released a five year strategic plan and one item on that agenda is plans of building three new fire stations, which would double the number of stations in the city, the report said.

While there are no concrete plans, Fire Chief Kenneth Jacks said fire station four could be in the works in the next couple years, with a fifth and sixth station coming later, according to the report.

Depending on growth and development, according to the strategic plan, fire station number four could be located along highway 75 and 91, the report said.