The Painesville Township Fire Department this year ordered of a new fire engine, renovated the fire station, helped residents with fire preparedness and addressed responders’ mental health, all while continuing to handle emergency calls, News-Herald.com reported.

Those were some of the highlights of a presentation a fire official gave to Painesville City Council earlier this month, reviewing the department’s 2022 activity. The official also looked ahead to the department’s plans for 2023, including potential purchases and grant opportunities, according to the report.

The official noted that the department purchased a new Sutphen Fire Engine this year, the report said. The order was completed in January with the engine itself expected to arrive by the end of September. He added that this will be 10 months for a process that usually takes 39 months. Because the department bought an engine that was used for demonstrations, it was also purchased at a savings, the report said.

The fire department also welcomed four new full-time firefighters March 1 at station No. 3.

The Mesquite City Council voted last week to continue forward in its current course to build a new fire station on Mesquite Boulevard, despite a significant increase to the construction cost projections for the project, MVProgress.com reported.

In the September 13 meeting, the council voted to use American Recovery Plan Act (ARPA) funds to make up a $5 million difference in what was originally allocated for the project, the report said.

In March, the council approved a city-owned parcel at 105 Mesquite Boulevard, just south of the public library branch, as the site for the new station. At that time, the cost projections for construction were between $6.6 and $7 million, according to the report.

The council decided then to fund the station using Redevelopment Authority (RDA) money. This would allow the city to employ a Construction Manager At Risk (CMAR) technique thought to be the most economic and quality-driven method. At that time, it was thought that the use of federal ARPA would not allow CMAR projects, the report said.

But in a presentation before the council at last week’s meeting, a city official said that many things had changed since last March, according to the report.

A city official explained that the city had entered into pre-construction services with CORE Construction as the designated CMAR. CORE had run preliminary cost estimates and come back with a total of $12 million for the project, nearly double the original allotment, the report said.

For more on this story, please go to MVProgress.com.

Keeping It Safe Robert Tutterow

Those of us who are old enough to remember the old “Gomer Pyle, USMC” television sitcom from the 1960s may recall Sergeant Carter yelling at Gomer, “I can’t hear you.” Well, in today’s fire service, the statement “I can’t see you” appears to be a growing problem.

The issue is the fascination with using apparatus and wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) that is not visible in all lighting conditions. This column will stir up some emotions, but I hope it makes you think.

I will start with PPE. Black turnout gear is not as visible as nonblack. If we have a firefighter down/missing on the scene, do we not want him to be as visible as possible? And, it is a scientifically proven fact that black gear absorbs more heat than nonblack gear while the wearer is engaged in interior and exterior firefighting. Manufacturers spend tons of money on research to find ways to reduce heat stress, yet many of their customers insist on black gear. Moreover, with the emphasis on using clean gear, black gear hides dirt. As a profession, we need to use PPE products that show dirt and contamination so they can be cleaned. If the dirt/contamination is hidden, then we probably are using PPE that is harmful to our health. Tradition is great for museums, ceremonies, comraderies, and celebrations but not for the present-day emergency scene. Why would any department or fire chief insist on using products that are known to be more harmful to the members, especially when it comes to something as simple as color? There are no cost issues involved.

• Ed Ballam: Better to Be Seen Than Viewed
• What’s Next for Structural Turnout Gear?
• Understanding Turnout Gear
• The Protection Behind Structural Firefighting Turnout Gear
• Turnout Gear Manufacturers Make PPE Tailored for Women

I have another concern over the acceptable use of black on our apparatus. When I look at photos of new apparatus deliveries in this magazine and apparatus on display at trade shows, the amount of black on apparatus is increasing. Black is the least visible color in all lighting conditions—a blinding snowstorm aside. Chrome bumpers and bright shine aluminum diamond plate are being replaced with black steel or black-painted treadplate. Those beautiful shiny aluminum polished wheels or chrome wheel covers are being replaced with black wheels. From a safety point of view, the egregious use of black reflective striping along the sides of apparatus and part of the chevron striping on the rear of apparatus is concerning. This is a total disregard for the safety of both firefighters and the avoidance of other vehicles crashing into the apparatus. Insurance companies should consider a rate increase for apparatus that are designed and built with disregard for safety-related visibility features.

This past June, this column was about the Emergency Responder Safety Institute (ERSI) study “Effects of Emergency Vehicle Lighting Characteristics on Driver Perception and Behavior.” One point made in the column was a quote from the study, which stated, “The presence of high-reflectivity chevron markings seemed to make it more difficult for drivers to see responders working around their vehicles at night, even when the responder wear safety vests.” I have since

A Horry County (SC) Fire Rescue firefighter helped one small alligator to the swamp on Monday, WMBFnews.com reported.

Crews from Station 3 in Bucksport noticed the little gator near a small puddle under the fire engine. One of the firefighters was able to pick up the little guy and relocate him to a safe spot in a nearby swamp, the report said.