Flint is using a budget transfer and reprogramming Community Development Block Grant funds to bulk up its fire department truck fleet, mlive.com reported.

The city council approved resolutions on Monday, March 13, to reroute the funding and to make the purchases, which comes to more than $3.3 million, the report said.

Council members made the moves after Interim Fire Chief Theron Wiggins delivered a harsh assessment of the condition of the current fleet of fire vehicles last week.

The city is using $755,000 in reprogrammed Community Development Block Grant funds to pay for one of the new trucks, a city official said, according to the report. 

Three vehicle purchases will be paid for by transfers within the city’s general fund budget, including a second pumper; a squad vehicle that provides on-scene support with extra air tanks, extrication equipment like the Hurst Jaws of Life, and other equipment needed at fire or accident scenes; and a fire apparatus commonly known as a quint with a 75-foot ladder, according to a city official, the report said. The quint is a fire pumper with a ladder that extends a deck gun high into the air to reach multi-story structures.

The Houston Fire Department said a chainsaw worth about $2,000 was stolen off a truck on March 9, abc13.com reported. Now the fire department is asking for help in finding it.

The equipment is often used during extractions or entanglement situations such as crashes or other operations, the report said.

HFD said they are working with the police department to identify those involved in the theft. HPD said the incident happened at about 10:20 a.m. at 3111 Woodridge in a parking lot, the report said.

Anyone with information regarding the theft is urged to contact authorities at 713-222-TIPS.

Anthony Cammalleri
Daily Item, Lynn, Mass.
(TNS)

Mar. 15—LYNN — The fire department will donate two surplus Hurst Jaws of Life rescue tools to Ukraine.

City Council voted to approve the equipment donation at a meeting Tuesday night.

The department, Fire Chief Daniel Sullivan said, recently upgraded its Hurst Jaws of Life tools to battery-operated portable options, putting the old pair out of use for years.

The department will donate the equipment through OSF Healthcare, an Illinois-based non-profit that facilitates ambulance and equipment donations to Ukraine.

Sullivan said he decided to donate the Hurst Jaws of Life to Ukraine after he heard that the Beverly Fire Department donated a surplus fire engine last month at a regional fire chiefs’ meeting.

“I just thought it would be a good humanitarian gesture to help people in need,” Sullivan said. “We had them sitting in storage collecting dust, and we weren’t going to use them ever again, so the timing of [the chiefs’ meeting] was perfect.”

The Hurst Jaws of Life, which Sullivan said are worth thousands of dollars each, each contain four components — a spreader, which can pry open metal; cutters, which are capable of cutting through metal; a ram, which can push metal apart or lift vehicles and heavy objects; and a hydraulic hose, which connects the tool to a power source.

The different components can be quickly used to save trapped passengers.

“They could help people get out of vehicles, tanks, cars. If they’re trapped inside a vehicle, these tools can get them out,” Sullivan said. “We felt it would be in good faith, for humanity purposes, to send some equipment like that where it would really help.”

As the war in Ukraine persists roughly a month past its first anniversary, the United Nations reported last month that roughly 8,000 civilians have been killed since Russia invaded its neighbor in February 2022.

• Chillicothe (IL) Donates First U.S. Fire Engine to Ukraine
• Beverly (MA) to Donate Fire Truck to Ukraine

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Wes Bowers
Lodi News-Sentinel, Calif.
(TNS)

Mar. 14—The Lodi Fire and Police departments are set to receive much-needed equipment this week, if approved by city leaders.

The Lodi City Council will consider two items on its consent calendar Wednesday night that will provide the fire department with a new chest compression device, and the police department with a variety of equipment over the next three years.

According to Wednesday’s staff report, the city will purchase a Lund University Cardiopulmonary Assisted System, more commonly known as a LUCAS 3, chest compression device from Stryker Medical for $25,000.

There will be no fiscal impact to the city, according to staff, as the purchase will be made possible through a donation from the Lodi Fire Foundation.

The LUCAS device, according to www.stryker.com, maintains a patient’s chest compressions during transport to medical centers.

The device is placed around the torso so a patient is lying flat against a back plate and the compression component is directly above the chest during transport.

It weighs a total of 17.3 pounds and can be carried by firefighter paramedics in a case that is worn like a backpack, according to Stryker’s website.

Staff said the San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors approved the purchase of 47 LUCAS devices in 2020, of which Lodi firefighters received four the following year.

The devices were placed on the department’s frontline fire engines. This newest device will be placed on Truck 2051, equipping all of the front-line apparatus with the chest compression unit, staff said.

The council is also set to approve a three-year contract with LC Action Policy Supply of San Jose to provide the police department with a variety of equipment, including body armor vests, duty belts, holsters, flashlights, batons, and weapons.

The equipment is expected to cost no more than $100,000 during those three years, according to the staff report.

About 40 vests will expire within the year and must be replaced, staff said, and the department will also have ongoing vest and equipment needs for new officers, as well as equipment damaged in the line of duty.

Staff said LC Action Police Supply was found to be the most cost-effective, responsive, and guaranteed a quicker delivery.

Garbage rates discussed

The council will also undertake a public hearing to consider future solid waste collection rates for residential customers.

The council is no longer accepting public comments via Zoom or telephone, so you must be present to speak about the proposed rates.

Written comments related to an agenda item or non-agenda item can be mailed or hand-delivered to the City Clerk’s Office or emailed to councilcomments@lodi.gov.

Public comments submitted by email, mail, or hand-delivered are forwarded to the council. Written public comments will not be read aloud during the meeting, but will be included in the final record.

For more information regarding council meetings, visit www.lodi.gov/152/City-Council&nbs