The Sandy Springs City Council recently approved an $8 million construction contract with Cooper and Company to build a new fire station at 7800 Mount Vernon Road, AJC.com reported.

The 11,500 square-foot Fire Station No. 5 will be constructed to blend in with the residential character of the neighborhood at the intersection of Spalding Drive and Mount Vernon Road, the report said.

The fire station will be a two-story structure containing a two-bay apparatus storage room, decontamination showers, gear wash areas, gear storage, and other associated spaces, according to the report.

This new fire station is expected to reduce response time. Current response time to reach some areas within this district can take as much as 10 to 15 minutes, the report said.

The Columbus City Council on October 4 voted 5-1 to spend $975,000 on a new truck for Columbus Fire and Rescue. Although the city has some of the money to cover the cost in hand, the source for the rest isn’t clear, CDispatch.com reported.

A fire official told the council that Engine 23, based at Fire Station 3 on 31st Avenue North — which serves much of Highway 45 and North Columbus — was at the very end of its service life and needs to be replaced, the report said.

CFR has a custom truck being built now, the fire official said, set to go to First Station 5 when it’s delivered in December. That station is currently relying on a 7-year-old used truck. The manufacturer building that vehicle contacted him and told him they had an identical truck in production, and offered it to CFR for $975,000, the report said.

The city has $350,000 in state appropriations from the last legislative session to put toward a new truck but lacks the remaining $625,000 in the fiscal year budget, according to the report.

A city official said it could use the fire insurance rebate funds, which amounts to between $130,000 and $140,000 a year, to make payments for a short-term lease-purchase, the report said. The city could also dip into its capital reserve fund, which currently holds about $1 million, if necessary, the report said.

The city of Orange’s new, massive fire department headquarters – complete with all the bells, whistles and hoses – is up and running on East Chapman Avenue, OCRegister.com reported.

Fire Station No. 1, which now serves as both the department’s administrative headquarters and a station from which emergency calls will be serviced in the area, was unveiled October 6 during a ceremony followed by tours of the new 29,000-square-foot facility.

The new headquarters include a 15,500-square-foot bay for the fire trucks and engines and a two-story, 13,500-square-foot administrative building. It replaces the city’s old Station No. 1, which was located a few blocks away on South Grand Street.

The new fire station is bigger and was constructed with more sensible design features, such as a bay that allows the fire trucks to pull through, instead of backing up into the garage, the report said.

The added space also provides room for firefighters to train and test equipment, and for the city to house its reserve apparatus and wildland equipment used to maintain overgrown brush and other hazardous vegetation. That gear and machinery were previously stored at different locations because of space constraints, according to the report.

The facility, which was constructed on a site that was previously home to the Orange County Fire Authority headquarters, was estimated to cost between $22 million and $23 million, and was paid for through bonds issued by the city, the report said.

Construction on the fire headquarters broke ground in January 2021, and the facility was completed last month, according to the report.

Station 1 is one of eight fire stations in the city, and the new headquarters will house the department’s administrative personnel, fire inspectors, chief and emergency medical services, the report said.

The Contra Costa County Fire Protection District is going electric, adding two new all-electric trucks to its fleet, NBCBayArea.com reported.

The addition makes the department the only Bay Area agency to incorporate four-wheel-drive electric vehicles into its fleet, the report said.

The two Rivian pickups will be used in support roles, such as carrying fire chiefs to fire scenes. They will be getting a few upgrades before hitting the streets, the report said.

Depending on how things go, this could be the beginning of a much bigger transformation for the fleet, according to the report.

This past May, Los Angeles Fire showcased its first hybrid fire truck.

A city official said the all-electric trucks are in lockstep with the county’s goal of a zero emissions fleet. The city official said the move will help the department save money.

The purchase price for an electric vehicle is a bit more than a diesel truck, the report said, but the fuel and maintenance costs can be half that of a diesel.