The Urbana Fire Division has received up to $350,500 in vehicle and equipment upgrades thanks to local, state and federal funding.

Chief Mark Keller said the city recently approved plans for the fire division to purchase a new $250,000 ambulance.

The new ambulance will replace a used ambulance the fire division purchased years ago that has air brakes that have the potential to be hazardous when transporting patients.

"Air breaks when transporting patients is not good thing. You can barely touch the breaks, it slams the patient up into the cot. It also has caused two slide off accidents. Not with patients in it, but we've had a couple close calls with icy roads or slippery roads," Keller said.

The fire division also recently received a $60,500 grant from the Department of Homeland Security for new rescue tools.

Firefighters received new spreaders, cutters, an air bag system, a new power cot and cribbing, which provide temporary support during rescue operations.

Keller said the new spreaders will help firefighter spread car doors open and the new cutters will help them cut through the metals in cars.

"Our old cutters were not able to cut the stronger metal that is in cars now. so these new cutters have a higher cut strength and will allow us to cut just about anything," Keller said.

"This is very high quality tools. Actually some of its smaller than what we had before just for weight purposes. The weight distribution is a lot better than it used to be," Keller said.

Keller said the fire division's previous air bag system, which is used to lift things up, was more than 20 year old.

The air bag system lifts heavy objects, such as when somebody is pinned underneath a car. The air bag system allows crews to lift a car up and pull the person out from under the car.

The cribbing also secure vehicles while crews are pulling a crash victim from under a car, for example.

Keller said the new tools will be extremely beneficial during rescue operations.

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Police are looking into the cause of a crash involving an ambulance in central Fresno.

It happened Monday morning at Blackstone and Shields. The ambulance was responding to a call for medical assistance at the time. Investigators said the vehicle, belonging to American Ambulance, hit a car as it entered the intersection.

Authorities said the lights on the ambulance were on.

A woman and her daughter were in the car. Both complained of pain. The ambulance driver had some pain to his lower leg.

All three were taken to the hospital with minor to moderate injuries.

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A crash in Marietta rolled over an ambulance on Pike Street, injuring three and shutting down traffic.

At around 5:30 p.m., a Marietta Rescue Vehicle pulled on to Route 7 in front of the Pike Street Wal-Mart, with lights and sirens on. A truck in the far left lane, northbound, which had the green light, failed to yield and struck the ambulance, forcing it onto it's side.

There were three people in the ambulance, at the time. Two operators and one patient were transported to Marietta Memorial Hospital with injuries. At last update, all three were in stable condition.

The driver of the truck was uninjured. The Washington County Sheriff's Office, Ohio State Highway Patrol and Marietta Police all responded to the crash. 

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CLINTONVILLE, WI—FWD Seagrave has been a leader in the fire industry for 135 years. Heavy-duty quality construction across all models is the main reason FWD Seagrave has become a trusted name in custom fire apparatus for safety, longevity, and durability.

FWD Seagrave has a high lifetime value with a low cost of ownership over the lifetime of the apparatus, considering the typical life span of a Seagrave is 20 years or more. 

“Another way that apparatus life can be extended is by refurbishment or rechassis,” says Seagrave Chairman & CEO AJ Neiner.

FWD Seagrave offers electrical diagnosis, repair, refurbishment or rechassis as a fast, efficient, and cost-effective alternative for departments without the budget for a new fire truck. A customer’s truck can be completely rebuilt, remounted, or a portion refurbished including complete disassembly, repair, rework, and reassembly. 

FWD Seagrave features an expert paint shop, complete metal fabrication and machine shops, and most importantly a team of expert refurbishment technicians who can handle the most challenging rebuilds and upgrades. The Refurbishment department performs maintenance tasks as simple as brake service, fluids and filters, and small repairs or the most complex hydraulic, mechanical or electrical upgrades, and rebuilds in any area of the fire truck.

“All repairs are guided by NFPA recommendations and are third-party aerial and/or pump tested,” added Neiner. “Rechassis includes single and tandem rear-axle Aerialscopes.”

As a manufacturer of severe-duty chassis built for rough terrain and versatile applications for both on- and off-road environments, FWD Seagrave also has the capability to refurbish Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF) vehicles for fire departments that respond to airports. Hayward Fire Department in California recently took delivery of its 1993 ARFF unit (shown) refurbished by FWD Seagrave. 

“We can refurbish existing ARFF units or procure and refurbish, based on the customer’s need,” concluded Neiner.

For more information, visit www.fwdseagrave.com.