On the November 8 ballot, the Beloit (OH) Volunteer Fire Department is asking voters to consider a 6-mill, additional tax levy for operational expenses, CantonRep.com reported. The last time the fire department asked for additional tax money was 2009.

If approved, the permanent tax would generate about $59,463 annually. It would cost $210 a year per $100,000 in property valuation, according to the report.

The volunteer department has two stations, a tanker and two fire engines. The members are paid on a per-call basis. It currently operates on a $84,000 annual budget, village officials said, according to the report.

The additional tax dollars would increase the budget to maintain and improve the department, the report said.

With the ongoing drought and the Mississippi River hitting low levels in the area, this is causing issues getting boats out on the water, which impacts the Cape Girardeau Fire Department, KFVS12.com reported.

The fire department is limited in deploying certain equipment they use due to the low water, the report said.

A fire official said that river access points are now mostly inaccessible as there is not enough depth for their boats to float in. In order for the fire department to use its larger boat, the river needs to be at least 12.5 feet on the river gauge to be able to launch from the Red Star boat ramp. The river currently sits at around 6.5 feet, the report said.

While the low river levels do limit some capacities for the fire department, the fire official said it is still going to assist anyone that needs help however they can, according to the report.

By Alan M. Petrillo

Aircraft rescue and firefighting (ARFF) firefighters now have an electric option in an ARFF truck with the introduction of the Oshkosh Striker® Volterra™.

It’s a close cousin to Pierce Manufacturing’s Volterra Type 1 pumper but with a Scania engine; onboard batteries; and an electro-mechanical transmission that deliver a lot more zip to the vehicle’s acceleration capabilities, even while negotiating 90 degree turns on taxiways to get to the location of an incident quickly and safely.

Jack Bermingham, business unit director of airport products for Oshkosh Airport Products LLC, says Oshkosh developed the Striker Volterra hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) ARFF truck, which is being offered on Oshkosh’s 4×4 and 6×6 chassis platforms, as a vehicle that’s engineered to channel mechanical power and battery power to maximize driving and pumping performance while reducing fuel consumption and emissions.

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“Users will still enjoy legacy features found on the Striker ARFF vehicle while gaining the benefits of the Striker Volterra technology,” he points out. “Operation of the vehicle is consistent with current Striker ARFF models, so no additional training is necessary, which eases operations and fleet integration.”

Bermingham

Residents of Toronto and Brampton (Canada) will soon see a fire engine passing them on the street without the heavy roar of a diesel engine. That is because the fire services for both cities will soon have fully battery-electric pumper trucks in their fleets, Wheels.ca reported.

In late August, Toronto Fire Services announced that two all-electric Vector fire trucks have been ordered from Spartan Emergency Response, a U.S.-based designer and manufacturer of specialty vehicles, the report said.

Toronto will be one of the first fire departments in Canada to operate the Vector pumpers, which will be powered by 327 kilowatt-hours worth of automotive-grade batteries, according to the report.

While Toronto’s decision to go with an electric pumper was big news, it is not the first fire service in the province to do so. That honor goes to the Brampton Fire and Emergency services, which ordered an electric pumper truck in June 2021, the report said.

It has opted to purchase a Rosenbauer RTX, a unit designed by Rosenbauer America. The pumper has 132-kilowatt-hours of power but is smaller and different in overall appearance from a traditional fire truck, the report said.