Justin Strawser
The Daily Item, Sunbury, Pa.
(TNS)

MIFFLINBURG — Firefighters from Mifflinburg Hose Company started training on Friday after the arrival of the department’s new ladder truck.

The 2025 Sutphen Tower 3 arrived at the fire company at 325 Chestnut St. on Thursday, and firefighters will be training with a representative of Sutphen in the parking lot of Harvest Bible Church through Sunday. The truck will then head to Sutphen East in Lake Ariel in Wayne County where it will have all of its tool mounting installed.

“Upgrading our ladder truck will better serve the community for many years to come,” Company President Shawn Bridge said. “This will be here for at least the next 30 years.”

The fire company ordered a 100-foot aerial ladder truck for $1.6 million and a new engine truck for $830,000 in November 2022. The two trucks replace a 1999 70-foot ladder truck and a 2006 engine truck.

In addition to a ladder that’s 30 feet longer, the new truck has more compartment space. The overall length of the truck is also 10 feet longer than the old truck. The new engine truck has a 2,000-gallon-per-minute pump and a 1,000-gallon tank, Bridge said.

“We will now be able to reach anything in the borough or our coverage area,” he said.

The trucks are funded through $1.4 million worth of money through fundraisers and capital campaigns. The remaining costs are funded through a 2 percent, 20-year loan designated for first responders from the Office of the State Fire Commissioner and an additional loan from Service 1st Federal Credit Union.

The training over the weekend consists of learning each part of the truck, getting acclimated to the new controls, driving it and getting used to the new setup. Adam Brooks, of Sutphen, will lead several three-hour training sessions for 77 active firefighters, which includes 13 qualified operators.

Brooks told the firefighters on Friday that driving the truck is like driving a school bus. It has a tighter turning radius than the previous truck.

“Always be mindful,” he told them. “If you’re on a 90-degree turn, always know what’s on the other side. You’ll be doing a lot of two-point turns, especially the way the fire house is set up (on Chestnut Street).”

The Mifflinburg Borough Council intends to pursue a setback or sloped curb/sidewalk project on the opposite side of the street from the fire company to allow fire trucks to more easily maneuver backing into the station house.

Following this weekend’s training and tool mounting installation, the ladder truck will head to the Fire Expo in Harrisburg to be featured as part of the Sutphen vendor. It’s expected to be in service by June, Bridge said.

The new engine truck is expected to be in the borough by May. The old trucks will be sold, Bridge said.

© 2025 The Daily Item (Sunbury, Pa.). Visit www.dailyitem.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

The post Mifflinburg (PA) Hose Company Firefighters Start Training on New $1.6M Ladder Truck<

Scott Cousins
The Telegraph, Alton, Ill.
(TNS)

Apr. 11—WOOD RIVER — A $25 million budget was approved by the Wood River City Council at its Monday meeting.

The budget is approximately $500,000 more than the original $24.5 million budget proposed earlier this year and discussed at a March 17 public hearing.

According to a memo from Finance Director/Treasurer Karen Weber, much of the increase, approximately $228,114, is due to additional expenses related to the purchase of a new fire truck that were not included in the original budget.

The budget, which goes into effect May 1, is approximately 19% smaller than the current budget, primarily because of decreased capital expenditures.

The only discussion was a concern by Councilman Bill Dettmers that some personnel costs were not being properly allocated.

He said the Parks and Rec Department generally splits salary costs between the Rec Center and Parks and Rec, without a detailed breakdown. He said such a breakdown would give a clearer picture of the actual expenses in specific programs.

It was noted that the practice goes back to when the city operated the former aquatic center.

After some discussion, it was agreed not to do anything about it for the coming budget, but to address the issue the following year.

The budget was then approved unanimously.

City approves disposal of surplus vehicles and gear

Items ranging from vehicles to firefighter breathing apparatus and bicycles will be disposed of after an ordinance listing the property was approved.

The property may be disposed of at the discretion of the city manager.

Separate memos from department heads list the property and can be viewed on the city’s website in the agenda packet for the April 7 meeting.

AT&T pays city $59K to keep fiber bundle in place

AT&T will pay the city $59,000 to avoid having to move a fiber bundle in the city’s right of way.

Instead, the city will work around the fiber bundle during a water main project.

© 2025 The Telegraph (Alton, Ill.). Visit www.thetelegraph.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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The Paint Rock Volunteer Fire Department in Helenwood, Tennessee, received a donation of a fire apparatus recently from the Blue Ridge Mountain (VA) Volunteer Fire Company, the department said in a Facebook post.

“On behalf of the Paint Rock Volunteer Fire Department, we would like to express our sincere gratitude to the Blue Ridge Mountain Volunteer Fire Company for their generous donation of a 1991 GMC Topkick engine,” the post said. “This vital addition will greatly enhance our department’s capabilities. This would not have been possible without the efforts of our chief and the chief of the Blue Ridge Mountain Volunteer Fire Company. As we continue to prioritize the safety and well-being of our firefighters and the community, our goal is to further enhance our equipment, ensuring we are always prepared to respond to emergencies as effectively and efficiently as possible.”

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Chris Mc Loone and Andy Soccodato discuss FDIC 2025, common threads that emerge at Andy’s classes, heavy hookups for hydrants, the takeaway Andy wants all his students to have at the end of his classes, and more.

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