Kasson voters are being asked to cast votes on the city’s new fire hall project, PostBulletin.com reported. The new fire hall — which would be built on the same site as the Kasson Fire Department’s current building at 101 East Main Street — is a needed upgrade for the community, said a city official.

The advisory ballot question reads: “‘Shall the City of Kasson, MN, be authorized to issue bonds in an amount not exceeding the amount of $7,000,000 for the purposes of designing, constructing, equipping and furnishing a new fire station?’ This measure would be funded by an estimated property tax of $0.20 cents per $1,000 dollars of assessed valuation, and would cost the owner of a $250,000 home about $4.17 a month or roughly $50 dollars per year.”

Some of the department’s noncritical equipment has to be stored off site, and the training classroom is too small for the department’s current needs, the report said.

The proposed fire hall would span 17,000 square feet — 4,000 square feet larger than the current building — and include commons and a community use space. The city is pursuing a new building because the cost of upgrading the fire department’s existing facilities would cost almost as much as a total replacement, according to the report.

Here is a look at the new fire hall project (PDF).

The Botetourt County Fire & EMS Department is getting new equipment to replace older trucks and ambulances, WDBJ7.com reported.

The Board of Supervisors approved the purchase of two new fire trucks to replace older ones, the report said. The $4.5 million package also included the purchase of two ambulances, according to the report.

The new vehicles are expected to be in service by late 2025 or early 2026.

Rachel Rodgers

Daily Gazette, Sterling, Ill.

(MCT)

Nov. 2—DIXON — The Dixon Fire Department received a new search-and-rescue drone thanks to a donation from Sewer Equipment.

The thermal drone will be a valuable tool for the department’s rescue team, which won’t have to wait to borrow one from surrounding agencies, Deputy Chief Dave Lohse said.

“Sadly, with the economy, strict budgeting, and other large ticket expenses, the purchase of the thermal drone was not allocated this budget year,” Lohse said. “Dixon’s Fire Department has had two incidences this year where drones were requested and our rescue team had to wait over half an hour or more for assistance from other neighboring agencies when sometimes seconds matter during the rescue.”

The drone features thermal imaging capabilities that can be used to locate missing victims, assist in mitigating hazardous materials incidents and detect hot spots in large fires where firefighters cannot access.

The department has already used the drone during emergency responses including the fire that destroyed the Auction City building at 2505 W. Fourth St. in September.

The search-and-rescue benefit resonates with the sewer equipment family.

Sewer Equipment President John Wichmann spoke of the tragedy where Jim Shirk drowned in the Rock River when kayaking in August. Shirk, of Erie, was the engineering manager at Sewer Equipment in Dixon for more than 21 years.

“Today’s fire service is truly an all-hazards response agency. Over the last decade, our first responders have focused and trained in the areas of hazardous materials, active shooter incidents, and technical rescues such as high-angle rescue, confined-space rescue, swift-water rescue, trench rescue, and building collapse,” Lohse said. “The addition of the drone will enhance our emergency service needs and will serve the community for years to come.”

Department staff did a drone demonstration at Sewer Equipment Tuesday.

Lohse said since the donation, other businesses have also donated funds that will go toward accessories, attachments and training for the drone. Firefighters and police officers plan to attend drone training in December.

“All of us at Sewer Equipment are grateful that our company was able to donate funding for the purchase of this drone by the Dixon Fire Department,” Sewer Equipment owner Dan O’Brien said. “We believe that it will be an important tool for Dixon emergency response personnel to use in the future during search and rescue missions.”

Sewer Equipment is a third-generation, family-owned manufacturing business at 1590 Dutch Road in the industrial park in Dixon.

___

The Mercury, Pottstown, Pa.

(MCT)

Nov. 2—Boyertown Area Fire and Rescue finalized the purchase of a $900,000 Pierce Enforcer pumper fire truck.

Jake Bachman, account manager from Glick Fire Equipment, met with the Boyertown Area Fire and Rescue Truck Committee (President Roger Lehmann, Vice President Mark Malizzi, Fire Chief Greg Deiterich and Fire Commissioner G. Jeffrey Bealer) on Oct. 17 to sign the contract.

The Pierce Enforcer pumper will be custom-built in Wisconsin over the next 27 months.

The truck will replace a 20-year-old engine that was obtained from Liberty Fire Company in the merger of three fire companies in 2014.

“The new truck was designed specifically for our service area,” said Bealer. “It will be equipped with a compressed air foam system which has worked for BAF&R at many fires. The benefit of foam causes less damage to the home and helps with keeping the fire from reigniting.”

A portion of the funds used for the down payment is from the sale of the rescue engine, originally funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. FEMA granted the company permission to sell the rescue engine and retain the funds for use towards the pumper. FEMA will retain an interest in the new pumper equal to the amount of $261,331.24.

Boyertown Area Fire and Rescue will be collecting donations and holding fundraisers to pay off $400,000, the balance owed to finalize the purchase of a $900,000 pierce enforcer pumper. In the planning stages currently is a Valentine’s Dance to be held at the Friendship Hook and Ladder Company. Details will be available on the Boyertown Area Fire and Rescue’s Facebook page closer to the event.

Bealer offers his thanks to the organization’s legacy companies.

“We would like to thank our legacy companies for all that they do for us financially as well as providing space for us to meet and food at times. We have a great relationship with all of our legacy companies — Friendship Hook & Ladder, Liberty, and Keystone Steam.”

The effort to merge three fire companies serving the Boyertown area came to fruition on July 1, 2014, when the new Boyertown Area Fire & Rescue began operations. Boyertown Area Fire & Rescue merged Friendship Hook & Ladder and Keystone Steam #1 Company, both located in Boyertown, and the Liberty Fire Company of New Berlinville.

According to Bealer, the three companies had been working together for several years to combine their firefighting operations, consolidate the volunteer force, share resources, and minimize financial obligations. The resulting Boyertown Area Fire & Rescue serves the borough along with Colebrookdale and a portion of Douglass (Berks) townships. Boyertown Area Fire & Rescue is also supported by the three municipalities financially to help cover the normal operating cost of the fire company.

Bealer said merging the companies addressed a number of problems the groups faced, including a lack of volunteers.

“They were all competing for volunteers and by combining them together, everybody gets to use the same resources,” he explained.

The approximately 100-member all-volunteer fire department is funded by donations, fundraisers and by each of the municipalities it serves. Each of the companies has continued to operate its social quarters in support of the new department.

Today, operations are conducted out of two stations under one administration; the Reading Avenue station located at North Reading Avenue and Rowell Road in Colebrookdale Township and the&