The Washington (state) Department of Ecology has announced a $5 million grant project to replace older fire apparatus with new electric versions, according to a report published by Yaktrinews.com.

According to the report, the money for the grant come from a settlement deal with Volkswagen involving violations of state and federal Clean Air Acts. The article mentioned, particularly, an electric fire truck program with the Los Angeles Fire Department which put in service a Rosenbauer electric apparatus as an example of the kind of project the grant program seeks to fund.

The terms of the settlement dictate that the money has to go for making improvements to the environment and Washington has elected to try to replace diesel fire apparatus, made in 2009 or earlier, a priority.

Applications for a piece of the $5 million grant pool applicants must complete a grant application by Dec. 15.

Alpharetta city council has signed a $2.35 million contract for three fire engines to be delivered in about two years, according to a report published by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

The city has five engines, a ladder, a quint and a air/light truck in its fleet currently and the next apparatus to be replaced are three front-line engines, according to the report.

The order for the new apparatus was placed with Ten-8 Fire Equipment, a Pierce dealer in Bradenton, FL, according to the report, which also said the money for the new apparatus is built into a 10-year capital lease program.

Belleville (MI) city councilors recently voted unanimously to buy a new fire truck for $650,000, according to a report published by Belleville-Area Independent.

The report said the new truck will be ordered through R&R Services, a Spartan Emergency Response dealer for the area, and will be delivered in 220 days.

The city’s fire chief told the councilors he said fire truck prices are increasing about 7% every month and the dealer selling the particular truck to Belleville has a shorter wait time than competitors, according to the report. Additionally, the city recently learned it had been approved for a $490,000 federal grant to pay for a 1989 truck, according to the newspaper’s report.

The new truck will have a pre-wired intercom headset system, outlets for power and a booster hose reel, according to the report.

Firefighters with the Vernon Fire Department will dedicate a new aerial on Saturday with a traditional “wet-down” ceremony, according to a report published by Patch.com.

According to the report, Tower 541 is a 2022 Pierce rear-mount aerial with a price tag of $1.1 million and will replace a 1994 model that served the town well.

The truck has many features not available when the truck it replaces was purchased nearly 30 years ago, according to the report.