The Pawhuska Fire Department has new equipment that it hopes will make rescues quicker and safer, news9.com reported.

The fire department got a new pair of cutters, spreaders and struts that it will use when responding to car wrecks and urban search and rescue calls, the report said.

The new tools will allow firefighters to cut through metal cars or help pry open doors, according to the report. Pawhuska Fire did have a set of these tools already, but those tools were hydraulic and attached to the fire trucks.

These new tools are battery-operated which should make firefighters’ jobs safer and easier.

An INCOG 8020 state grant helped the town pay for the equipment, the report said. INCOG put up 80% of the funding for the equipment while the town paid the remaining 20%.

Without the funding from INCOG, Pawhuska would have had a difficult time buying the new battery-operated cutter and spreader since the set cost about $25,000, according to the report.

Volunteer fire departments across South Dakota will be receiving money for personal protective equipment after House Bill 1127 was signed by Gov. Kristi Noem last week, keloland.com reported.

House Bill 1127 would allocate $5 million in funds to the South Dakota Firefighters Association which would be distributed to volunteer fire departments that apply, the report said.

With nearly 350 volunteer fire departments in the state and at least 15 firefighters at each station, the cost of good equipment gets expensive, the report said.

Over 95% of fire departments in South Dakota are volunteer, according to the report.

PRESS RELEASE

Radville Laurier Volunteer Fire Department has announced the addition of another fire truck.

K & S Potash Canada GP out of Bethune, Saskatchewan represented by Dan Edmonds, Emergency Response & Security Coordinator (pictured in middle), donated the fire truck to the Radville Laurier Volunteer Fire Department after learning of the devastating fire that destroyed the departments machinery and equipment last fall.

Delivery of the truck was made March 10, 2023.

Accepting the donation from K & S are Fire Chief Byron Labbie (left) and Darryl Ferguson, Deputy Fire Chief (right).

On behalf of the Radville Laurier Volunteer Fire Department, the town of Radville would like to extend its sincere appreciation and is overwhelmed with the generosity of the people and organizations in our wonderful province.

Radville operates a volunteer fire department, which is jointly funded by the Town and R.M. of Laurier #38.

The Scarborough Fire Department received a new pumper in January and will hold a push-in ceremony at 1 p.m. Sunday, March 26, the department said in a press release.

The public is invited to the Pleasant Hill Fire Station where it is assigned.

This pumper is a 2022 Pierce Enforcer, which has a 1500-gallon-per-minute pump. The truck committee has spent a considerable amount of time over the past few years to understand and update the design for neighborhood fire engines. The smaller, more maneuverable design makes newer trucks easier to operate within the town’s neighborhoods. The new Engine 3 pumper truck replaces a 20-year old fire engine, which will run as the spare when frontline apparatus are having maintenance.

The new Engine 3 truck is an almost duplicate design to Pine Point Engine 4 (pictured above) delivered in summer 2021.