Brunswick City Council Monday approved the first step in placing a $12 million, 20-year bond issue for the construction of a new fire station on the May 2 ballot, Cleveland.com reported.

A fire official presented council members with preliminary plans for the 25,790-square-foot station at 1094 Hadcock Road, the report said. Council approved the purchase of the property in June, at a cost not to exceed $170,000, the report said.

The fire official said demolishing the current fire station 1, built in the early 1960s, and having a single, centrally-located station will offer a number of advantages. Chief among these, he said, will be a reduction in response time and the ability to respond to three calls simultaneously without mutual aid, according to the report.

The fire official said the station will be able to house a new ladder truck; will have dedicated living spaces for male and female personnel; and will comply with National Fire Protection Association standards related to separating equipment for cleaning and decontamination and storage, the report said.

Due to the age and size of the current fire facilities, renovation is no longer a viable option, the fire official said.

Andover (ME) Volunteer Fire and Rescue received a new 2023 tanker truck last week, SunJournal.com reported.

The Freightliner tanker truck was delivered from Midwest Fire manufacturer in Minnesota, the report said. It replaces a 1975 American LaFrance (truck), which was grossly outdated and in disrepair, a fire official said.

Currently, the town’s all-volunteer fire department has about 20 volunteers with an average of five to 12 people at a time going out to fight a fire, the report said. The department covers firefighting services for Andover as well as other Oxford County towns and unorganized territories, extending an estimated 8-9 miles to South Arm and about 6-7 miles to Upton, according to the report.

Andover Fire also receives mutual aid when firefighting from its surrounding towns: Roxbury, Rumford, Mexico, Newry, Bethel, Dixfield, Peru, Woodstock and Greenwood, the report said.

The city of Scranton (PA) put a new fire truck, named Rescue 1, into service Monday, wnep.com reported. It replaces an old truck the city has used for the past 13 years.

The new apparatus has state-of-the-art technology that will help keep firefighters safe and help shorten response time, the report said.

The new fire truck cost the city of Scranton a little more than $700,000, according to the report.

On November 21, Badin (NC) Volunteer Fire Department took delivery of a new 2022 Pierce Saber Custom Fire Engine, the department announced on its Facebook page.

“This truck was designed from the ground up over a two-year process to better serve our members and community. The color scheme was chosen to be similar to our original 1937 Ford Fire Engine, which is silver in color. We will be training with it and placing equipment on it with anticipation to have it in service before the first of the year. We encourage anyone and everyone to come by and see it!”