Representatives from the Stanford Heights Fire Department presented a slightly scaled down plan to build a new $12.5 million fire station behind the existing station on Central Avenue, SpotlightNews.com reported.

There are five parcels of land totaling three-plus acres along Central Avenue between Covington and Wilber avenues that will be combined into one parcel to accommodate the new fire station with a footprint of 15,000 square feet, the report said. With a portion of the station having a second floor, with a community room, offices and a commercial kitchen, the total square footage is proposed to be about 23,000 square feet.

The existing station is about 14,000-square-feet and will eventually be razed, according to the report.

As proposed, the fire apparatus will utilize drive-through bays and leave for calls onto Wilber Avenue and return via Covington Avenue. Currently, the apparatus has to swing around in the front of the building onto Central Avenue — with a firefighter directing traffic — and backed into the bays. There would be three drive-through bays with four overhead doors on the Wilber Avenue side of the building.

The original plan, proposed in August, 2020, had five drive-through bays and a 17,000-square-foot footprint, the report said.

The Dalhart Volunteer Fire Department chief and another firefighter were killed Tuesday night.

The fire department reports that while returning to station from a call, Firefighter Brendan Torres and Fire Chief Curtis Brown were involved in a motor vehicle accident with a semi.

Chief Brown and Firefighter Torres were pronounced dead at the scene.

The long-awaited new aerial ladder truck has arrived at the Sheldon Fire Company, KIWARadio.com reported. The truck was ordered July 21, 2021, with a price tag of $1.08 million.

The truck is a 2022 Spartan Gladiator chassis with a Smeal 100’ rear mount platform ladder truck, which the department has dubbed, “Ladder 15”, the report said.

The apparatus has a 100-foot ladder and features a six-man cab with all of the latest safety features, 500HP Cummins diesel engine, 2,000 gallon-per-minute Waterous fire pump, 300-gallon water tank, aluminum body construction with roll up compartment doors, state of art “Smart” ladder operations and control system, remote control platform monitor capable of flowing 2000 gallons-per-minute, easy load and storage with the ergonomic hose load for 5-inch supply hose. Fire fighters can stand on the ground and safely load 1000 feet of 5-inch inch supply hose, according to Sheldon Assistant Fire Chief Brad Hindt.

The truck was ordered on July 21, 2021, with a price tag of $1,082,752.00 through Feld Fire of Carroll, Iowa and Smeal-Spartan Emergency Response, the report said.

The Sheldon Fire Company will hold an open house 5-7 p.m. October 13 to see the new Ladder 15.

The Woburn (MA) City Council at its most recent meeting voted unanimously to adopt a Finance Committee report recommendation that favors the proposed purchase of a new fire ladder truck, HomeNewsHere.com reported.

The mayor, who said the capital purchase can be incorporated within the city’s debt service schedule without issue, first asked the council to appropriate the needed $1.4 million in fund for the fire apparatus back in mid-August.

In recent years, the mayor has focused on making major investments in the local fire force, which is expected to hire eight new firefighters this year. Woburn is also spending roughly $23 million to construct a new fire station headquarters by the Showcase Cinemas site off of Main Street.