CARTER FRYE
Grand Haven Tribune, Mich.
(TNS)

The Spring Lake Township Fire Department hosted its annual Public Safety Open House at Fire Station #1 on Thursday night, as attendees got the chance to explore the township’s brand-new fire truck and community center next door.

Neighbors, local community groups, businesses, and surrounding public safety departments gathered to celebrate at the corner of Fruitport Road and M-104 after almost a decade of holding the event down the street at Central Park.

“We’re really happy to bring it back to the fire station,” said Fire Chief John Stalzer. “Years ago, it used to be out at our old Station #1 on 148th, and our dream has always been to bring it back here. Having the community center next door really helps that. And with the good weather and having everybody here, we’re really happy.”

People of all ages enjoyed yard games, an obstacle course, station tours, and a look at the department’s recently acquired fire truck.

The new Engine 1722, which went into service for the first time Monday night, is designed to operate similarly to their other trucks while prioritizing firefighter safety.

Features include technological improvements, lower truck components, and a special clean cab filter system, which helps to reduce the amount of firefighter exposure to carcinogens after being in the field.

The nearly $1 million fire truck purchase was approved by the Township Board of Trustees in 2022, with delivery originally scheduled for last year. The previous Engine 1722 was over 20 years old and in need of replacement, while the new truck also helps the department to improve its Insurance Services Office (ISO) rating.

Other public safety groups attended the event as well, giving people an opportunity to interact with officials as well as their equipment and vehicles. Departments included Grand Haven Township Fire/Rescue, Ferrysburg Fire, Trinity Health EMS, the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office, and several others.

Hot dogs from Butch’s Beach Burritos, ice cream from Culver’s, and Magnum Coffee were big hits among event-goers. Local businesses and organizations also set up tables, including Ace Hardware, Servpro, the Careerline Tech Center, the Girl Scouts, and the Boy Scouts, who are now known as Scouting America.

As they have for the past several years, members of Scouting America helped to direct traffic in the parking lot. Troop 14 Scout Master Daniel Jackson, who attended the event with his son, Frank, is happy to continue the tradition.

“The Scouts are all about service with a smile,” he said. “And what better way to serve your community than being part of your community? And that’s what we try to teach our kids.”

Stalzer noted that the event wouldn’t be possible without local support from all the volunteers.

“It’s not just us. It’s the whole community coming together,” he said.

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Community Center

Next door at 15549 Cleveland St., the township simultaneously held a walkthrough of the recently completed community center located at the site of the old Burger King.

The 2,082-square-foot building, officially

Venice Fire Rescue recently received an attachment for its drone that allows staff to deploy an inflatable to a swimmer in distress, the department said in a Facebook post.

VFR Assistant Fire Chief Kyle Hartley gave a demo of the life-saving device for the media recently during water rescue training with new hires at the Higel Marine Park boat ramp on Tarpon Center Drive.

The post FD Gets Drone Attachment to Aid Swimmers in Distress appeared first on Fire Apparatus: Fire trucks, fire engines, emergency vehicles, and firefighting equipment.

Star Tribune staff
Star Tribune
(TNS)

One man died after a fire truck rolled into a ditch Friday night near Cottonwood, Minn.

The Wood Lake Volunteer Fire Department truck, traveling north on 490th Street with three people on board, rolled and entered a ditch near 160th Avenue at about 6:40 p.m., according to the State Patrol.

The fire truck was on its side and one person, a 43-year-old man, was trapped underneath when rescue crews arrived, according to the Yellow Medicine County Sheriff’s Office. The man, whose name was not released, died at the scene.

Two others in the truck — Andrew Vanhecke, 37, and his 6-year-old son Beaux, both of Wood Lake, Minn. — were taken to an area hospital, authorities said.

No other vehicles were involved in the Yellow Medicine County crash, according to early reports.

The fire department had earlier escorted Lakeview’s cross-country team as they ran the game ball nearly 10 miles to Cottonwood for their homecoming football game and participated in the annual parade.

More information on the crash was expected to be released Saturday afternoon.

©2025 The Minnesota Star Tribune. Visit startribune.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC

The post Troopers Investigating Fatal Fire Truck Crash in MN appeared first on Fire Apparatus: Fire trucks, fire engines, emergency vehicles, and firefighting equipment.

Melissa Frick
mlive.com
(TNS)

GRAND RAPIDS, MI – Grand Rapids residents on the city’s southeast side will see faster response times from firefighters during emergencies thanks to a new fire station that just opened in the Third Ward.

The new Kendall Street Fire Station, 4044 Kalamazoo Ave. SE, is the first new station to be built in the city of Grand Rapids in nearly 40 years.

City officials opened the 12,600-square-foot facility to the public for the first time at a Friday, Sept. 26 groundbreaking ceremony.

Located on the corner of Kalamazoo Avenue SE and Kendall Street SE, the new Fire Station No. 12 will help speed up response times in the city’s Third Ward, which serves around 14,000 residents on Grand Rapids’ southeast side, said Fire Chief Brad Brown.

Before now, there was only one fire station serving the entire Third Ward, at 28th Street and Kalamazoo Avenue.

Brown said that station was the busiest fire station in the city because it served such a large region by itself, and its responses times lagged significantly as a result of that.

Grand Rapids firefighters generally have a goal of getting to the scene of an emergency within six-and-a-half minutes of a 911 call, Brown said.

In the city’s Third Ward, firefighters only meet that goal around 50% of the time because of the lack of resources, Brown said. In comparison, the fire department meets that goal over 90% of the time in other parts of the city.

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Brown said this new station will ensure that every Grand Rapids resident has access to fast, reliable public safety services.

“This fire station is more than bricks and mortar,” Brown said. “It stands as a lasting symbol that in Grand Rapids, no matter who you are or where you live, help will always be close at hand.”

The construction of the new Kendall Street Fire Station was initially expected to cost $8.1 million, but the final cost ended up coming in slightly under budget at $7.8 million, Brown said. The extra funds will go toward the construction of the city’s new Division Avenue fire station.

The new fire station features private living quarters with individual dorm rooms for firefighters, modern amenities, kitchen and dining areas, a fitness room and on-site parking.

The two-bay facility has drive-through apparatus bays, advanced exhaust systems and ample storage for equipment.

The most notable feature of the apparatus bays is the bi-fold glass doors, which Grand Rapids Mayor David LaGrand noted will bring daylight in while also allowing firefighters to look right out into the surrounding community. He said the doors were designed to be a lot more durable than traditional doors, and will last 50 years.

The construction of the new station was fully funded by a $35 million state grant that was allocated by lawmakers in last year’s Read more

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