Sandy City Fire Station 31, built in 1984, is on the verge of getting a much-needed upgrade, benefiting both firefighters and residents, kutv.com reported.

The station was damage from the 2020 earthquake, including a cracked foundation and has no elevator access for individuals using wheelchairs, the report said.

Exterior water drains into the garage, which a fire official described as basically your downspout to your house piped inside the building, according to the report.

The roof leaks and there’s mold in the showers, the report said. The fire official acknowledged that the building doesn’t meet fire code in some areas.

While Station 31 has issues, the fire official shared his vision for a new fire station focused on the future.

A new first station is in the development stages right now that could accommodate up to 15 firefighters to factor in potential growth of the department, the report said.

The city is currently looking to hire an architect and already owns land in a high-growth area of the city where the future station might go, according to the report.

A new station could be up and running by 2025, the report said.

The Durant Fire Department is donating unused equipment that will continue to serve the people of Bryan County, kxii.com reported.

Colbert Fire will receive Durant’s old air fill station, which fills self-contained breathing apparatus, or SCBA, air tanks, the report said. The new fill station has a safety feature Colbert’s current one does not.

Calera Fire is getting a decommissioned hazmat trailer that was donated to Durant in 2017, according to the report. Calera plans to use this trailer to hold its scuba diving equipment.

During the city council session Tuesday the fire department also requested that three more items be auctioned off including out of service fire engines built in 1999, the report said.

The James O. Page Legacy Scholarship, endowed by Hartwell Medical, is now open and accepting applications through May 1^st. Created in partnership with the Fitch EMS Foundation, the scholarship program is named after the late Jim Page, regarded by many as the father of modern EMS.  It is designed to broaden the perspective and sharpen the skills of new and aspiring leaders to help formulate the future of EMS here and abroad.

“I worked with Jim in the early years of JEMS and EMS Today,” said Gary Williams, President and CEO of Hartwell Medical.  “He made a tremendous impression on me personally and on my career.  Jim was passionate about mentoring young leaders with a consistent message of making the patient the priority. We are proud to endow this scholarship and continue Jim’s vision.”

The scholarship recipient receives a free registration and travel expenses to the 2023 Pinnacle EMS Leadership Forum, hosted by Fitch & Associates. The core of the scholarship is a structured six-part mentorship program, facilitated by Dr. Jay Fitch himself, founding partner of the firm named after him and well-known speaker, author and educator. 

The mentorship, which begins at Pinnacle, will tackle tough leadership questions over the course of six months, such as ethical decision making, effective communication skills and the use of personal vs. positional power.  

A fire chief, attorney, state EMS director, writer, publisher and speaker, Jim Page dedicated his life to serving others.  Go here to learn more about the James O. Page Legacy Scholarship and the man himself.

Madison Hart
Redlands Daily Facts, Calif.
(TNS)

Mar. 16—Redlands will remove and replant an acre of poorly performing city orange groves that may become the site of a future fire station, city leaders have decided.

The city has been looking for a new fire facility location, and the opportunity presented itself with the City Council’s approval March 7 of several agreements for the grove removal and replant project. The removal and replanting work is funded by the Nevada Palmetto Grove sale proceeds in the amount of $227,700.

The city, along with the Redlands Fire Department, identified the groves at the southwest corner of Lugonia Avenue and Judson Street as an ideal location for a new fire station. The possibility of the new fire station is expected to be discussed by the council at a later date.

The Lugonia Grove is 18 acres and, due to its age, its productivity is flat, Assistant City Manager Chris Boatman said. Under contracts approved by the council, Washburn Grove Management will clear 1 acre for “an amount not to exceed $59,400,” and Mariposa Landscapes will install an irrigation system and replant the groves for “an amount not to exceed $105,100.”

The city will order 2,500 Washington Navel orange trees from Gless Ranch Nursery for “an amount not to exceed $42,500.”

In October 2022, staff proposed the Citrus Preservation Commission reserve 1 acre of the Lugonia grove for a future fire station. The commission agreed, but as part of the proposal, the city would replace the acre removed.

The acre of lost citrus in the Lugonia grove will be replanted in other existing groves, the city said. Currently, the city is looking at replanting the acre adjacent to the California Grove on California Street. City staff are scoping out other groves, if that area doesn’t work out.

The city farms nearly 200 acres of citrus, many of them requiring replanting, according to Boatman. During the council meeting, he said the Citrus Preservation Commission has had the grove on Lugonia in mind for replanting for over a year.

“It’s going to seem like it’s tearing at our heart, and our soul — part of our heritage being torn down,” Councilmember Mario Saucedo said at the meeting, noting his sadness about having to remove the groves. “But progress has to happen.”

Saucedo said he was in full support of a new fire station, and the council unanimously approved of the replanting project with plans to discuss the fire station at a later time.

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