Big Bear Fire Chief Jeff Willis is pleased to announce that Big Bear Fire Department has acquired a new ambulance. The department received delivery of MA-281, a 2022 Dodge 3500 4×4, on October 20, 2022.

Powered by a Cummins Diesel engine and manufactured by Braun Northwest, the new ambulance has the same configuration as others in the department’s fleet, which allows for standardization and a smooth transition in on-scene operations. The new ambulance is currently being stocked with medical supplies and equipment, and will go into service immediately.

The acquisition of the new ambulance was made possible as part of a larger financing package with favorable interest rates. The financing package enabled the Department to purchase this ambulance and other apparatus consisting of a new fire engine and fire truck, which are yet to be delivered. The new apparatus is part of a three-year fleet replacement plan of outdated units, and allows for the procurement of reliable and modern emergency vehicles that are within budget restrictions with payments over time through financing.

Once in service, the new ambulance will be housed at Station 281 in Big Bear Lake.

The first look at Charlotte’s first electric fire station was released this week, WSOCTV.com reported.

The Charlotte Fire Department tweeted a rendering of the Station 30 project. It will be located at 3019 Beam Road, across the street from the Police and Fire Training Academy.

From Grandma’s house to the Firehouse!!! Construction will start on the new fire station 30 in the very near future!!! A big thanks goes out to City Council , Manager Marcus Jones and last but not least the citizens of Charlotte for their investment in the Charlotte Fire Dept. pic.twitter.com/Nla7HfH5AH

— Charlotte Fire Dept. (@charlottefire) October 20, 2022

A look at the rendering for the new Charlotte Fire Station 30. This will be the city’s first all electric fire station. #CLTCC is planning to purchase an electric fire truck. Station 30 will be located at 3019 Beam Road, across the street from the Police and Fire Training Academy pic.twitter.com/6Q2nqEDK0R

— Joe Bruno (@JoeBrunoWSOC9) October 22, 2022

Matoaca in Chesterfield County (VA) is getting a new fire station, WTVR.com reported. Chesterfield County officials broke ground Thursday at the site of the new Matoaca Fire Station No. 8 at 6612 Hickory Road.

The new station, which is scheduled to open in early 2024, will replace the community’s 60-year-old fire station, the report said.

The older station on Pickett Avenue was built in 1962 and is too small to house modern firefighting and EMS equipment and vehicles, the report said.

Earlier this month, the Indianapolis City-County Council approved a $7 million bond to completely rebuild Station 20 on Emerson and 16th street, WishTV.com reported.

An additional $1 million was set aside for improvements to several different fire stations. There are unseen hazards in older fire stations, like firefighting equipment that emits cancerous fumes, the report said. IFD wants to build a separate storage area to store the equipment.

Space inside the average firehouse has shrunk over the years as the station was retrofitted to accommodate a changing workforce. IFD has made the most of its fire stations, but much like an old home, even firehouses need repairs.

An additional $7.5 million was appropriated to build a new firehouse replacing the existing one in Broad Ripple, which is nearly 100-years-old, the report said.