The Claremore City Council last week approved a $500,000 loan through RCB Bank to purchase a new $479,725.25 fire engine. The new fire engine is scheduled to replace the current reserve fire engine.

"Our guys did a pretty good job picking out what is best for us. The purchase of a new truck was scheduled two or three years ago, but our shop keeps everything in good shape. This was the first year we were able to keep it budgeted. We did not want to have an engine fail before we could replace it," said Claremore Fire Chief Sean Douglas.

Currently, the Claremore Fire Department has three fire engines in regular use and one fire engine in reserve.

A typical fire engine will serve 15 years in regular use and five years in reserve use. The current reserve fire truck is over 20 years old.

When the new truck is assembled and delivered, it will replace the oldest fire engine in the fleet that is in regular use. The council will be asked to approve the reserve engine, which was bought in 1997, be moved to surplus. The oldest fire engine in the fleet, which was purchased in 2002, will then become the new reserve fire engine.

The new truck will continue a few extra safety features and more storage than previous fire engines. The extra storage will allow for more medical equipment, hoses and tools to be transported.

Douglas will work on making the purchase next week, and will be meeting with both the bank and vendor.

After the truck is purchased it will take about a year for it to be assembled. The Claremore Fire Department is anticipating the new truck will be operational at the end of 2016 or the beginning of 2017.

For more information, view www.claremoreprogress.com

A proposal to boost the University of Arkansas’ support for the city’s fire protection will be smaller than hoped, but the Fayetteville fire chief says he appreciates any help dealing with growing service calls and lagging response times.

The Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports (http://bit.ly/1OlXg5U) a task force endorsed the university’s plan to contribute money for 10 or 15 years to the city to pay for a new engine or ladder truck.

The proposal goes to the full advisory committee in January, but only after university and elected city officials sign off on the plan would it happen.

The payments would add up to between $600,000 and about $1.6 million, with the amount and years of contribution depending upon which type of vehicles are purchased.

For more information, view www.washingtontimes.com

Most of the city's leadership agrees that something must be done about Hallowell's 186-year-old fire station. But there has yet to be a consensus about what is the best solution.

"I'd say it is smack in the middle of the priorities for the city to address in the coming year," said Stefan Pakulski, Hallowell's city manager. "The fire chief and members of the Fire Department would really like a clear decision made and action taken."

The building includes a turn-of-the-century wooden tower, which leans east, that's used to dry fire hoses. It's one of only a couple towers of its kind left in New England, and the Hallowell Citizens' Initiative Committee, formed in 2013, is hoping to raise enough money to preserve the historic building.

Sandra Stubbs, one of the group's leaders, said the organization has about $40,000 in its coffers; but estimates predict it will cost nearly $500,000 to preserve the tower, add an elevator to meet Americans with Disabilities Act standards and restore the rest of the building. She would love to see the building converted into a museum.

Many problems exist in addition to the leaning tower and neglected rooms of the Second Street building, which was opened in 1829 as a town hall. The city's firetrucks barely fit into the garage and the building just isn't suited to house a modern fire department, Mayor Mark Walker said.

"There was a study done concluding that the fire station is not really suitable for modern fire equipment," Walker said. "We've done our best. We've remodeled and upgraded it, but we can't change its footprint."

Several years ago, repairs were done to the station, and Fire Chief Michael Grant said the repairs would sustain the department for three to five years. Walker said that time is "just about up." He plans to restart a Fire Services Committee to explore all options for the department.

"The committee will look at just what is our preference, and there are many options," Walker said. The group will have to decide whether it makes sense to invest in a bond issue to build a fire station, but it would be hard to justify spending more than $600,000 to house a volunteer fire department, he said.

One of the solutions discussed internally by Walker, Pakulski, Grant and other city leaders is partnering with another local department, including those in Augusta, Farmingdale or Gardiner. Combining services with Augusta, which provides EMS service to the city, or another local community and using Hallowell as a substation would be the ideal solution for many, Walker said.

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Four White River Township Fire Department firefighters were examined at a hospital after a fire truck rolled over.

The accident happened at 2:14 p.m. Saturday on Olive Branch Road, near Eagle Trace Drive, according to an accident report.

Charles C. Linville, 41, Greenwood, the fire truck driver, told police an oncoming vehicle was driving near the center line, and he tried to move over to make room on the road. The fire truck was pulling a boar trailer in preparation for possible flooding, and the wheels went off the road, pulling the rest of the truck over, White River Township Fire Chief Jeremy Pell said.

The fire truck rolled to its side on the side of the road, causing significant damage, Pell said.

They all were treated and released, Pell said. 

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