Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today announced that Dayville has secured a $32,200 federal grant to help build a new fire station in the Grant County town.

“Federal investments just like this one in Dayville protect quality of life for rural residents and the small businesses who employ Oregonians in our state’s more remote nooks and crannies,” Wyden said. “I’m gratified that the City of Dayville’s leaders have earned these resources to help rebuild their fire station so there’s a quick response to any local emergency, and I’ll keep battling for similar investments that support critical services throughout rural Oregon.”   

“Quick and reliable emergency response is important to any community, so it is vital that the City of Dayville receives the needed resources and funding to rebuild the Dayville Fire Station after the damage it sustained last July,” said Senator Merkley. “This funding to replace the City of Dayville’s fire station will provide immense benefits to everyone living in Dayville being served by the dedicated firefighters of this station. This resilient building will provide crucial public service for years to come.” 

The $32,200 U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development grant will help with the construction of a new fire station in Dayville to replace the previous facility, which was damaged beyond repair in a July 2021 blaze.

“The Dayville Volunteer Fire Department impacts the lives of many and its service to our rural area is vital,” said Dayville City Recorder Ruth Moore. “We currently find ourselves without a fire station, so we are thrilled with the additional funding that will allow us to move forward with the construction of a new building. A new fire station will provide our volunteers with a much needed facility to house our trucks and equipment and provide an area for trainings and meetings; all crucial elements for a functioning fire department. We are very appreciative to USDA Rural Development, as well as to all of the funders, for their support of this project. We would not be able to construct a new fire station without this assistance and are thankful for the help of Senators Wyden and Merkley.”

Spartan Emergency Response, a subsidiary of REV Group^® and leading manufacturer of fire apparatus, is pleased to announce the Umatilla County Fire District No. 1 in Oregon has ordered a Smeal^™ 100’ Rear Mount Platform and a Spartan Star Series Pumper. These units were sold by authorized dealer True North Emergency Equipment.

Spartan Star Series Pumper key features include:

• Spartan Metro Star^® EMFD with 10” raised roof
• Spartan Advanced Protection System^®
• Cummins^® L9 450 HP engine
• Advanced climate control system
• Extreme duty interior
• 1750 GPM Waterous CSU pump 
• 750-gallon water tank
• 30-gallon foam cell
• FoamPro 2002 foam system
• Blackout package
• Booster reel
• Low hosebed configuration
• Right side ladder compartment
• Wheel well storage

Smeal 100’ Rear Mount Platform key features include:

• Spartan Gladiator^® EMFD with flat roof
• Cummins^® X12 500 HP engine
• Spartan Advanced Protection System^®
• 1750 GPM Waterous CSU20 pump 
• 400-gallon tank
• 20-gallon foam cell
• 275 cubic feet of compartment storage
• Blackout package
• 1250 lbs. Dry/ 625 lbs. wet tip load
• 1500 GPM flow capacity
• 21.5 sq. ft. working space in platform
• 4 H-style outriggers  
• Bi-fold platform doors

The new apparatus are part of the district’s vehicle replacement plan, which included the purchase of two Spartan Emergency Response^® pumpers three years ago.

“Morale has been improved with the addition of these new apparatus and the community pride is going strong,” said Chief Scott Stanton. “Spartan Emergency Response and Smeal have proven to deliver a quality product, and True North Emergency Equipment has been great about responding to or taking care of any questions or concerns we’ve had.”

“The Spartan ER and Smeal teams are humbled to have had the Umatilla County Fire District expand their fleet further with us based on the value of the previously delivered units,” said Chris Wade, Director of Sales, Spartan Emergency Response. “We look forward to another opportunity to dedicate our labor to this additional fire apparatus and provide the district, and its citizens, dependable, quality vehicles.”

ImageTrend, Inc. is excited to announce two keynote speakers for the 2022 Connect Conference: Deputy Chief Brian Marcos of Smyrna Fire Department and United States Marine Corps Major (Ret.) Brian “Tosh” Chontosh.

Chief Marcos is an accomplished fire service professional and a respected writer and speaker on leadership best practices within public safety. His articles on leadership have been published by national fire-service trade magazines and he’s often sought to support leadership training and speaking engagements for public service entities. Chief Marcos is well known as a change agent with experience leading strategic initiatives and brokering partnerships that positively impact service delivery within the community.

Chief Marcos recently received the honor of being named as one of the 2021 50 Most Influential Latinos in Georgia. He was also named the 2020 Chief Fire Officer of the Year by the Georgia Association of Fire Chiefs, and he was honored as one of Cobb Life Magazines 20 under 40 in 2020. He is currently serving as the Area 7 District Vice President for the Georgia Association of Fire Chiefs and as the Georgia State Director for the Southeastern Association of Fire Chiefs. Chief Marcos received advance degrees in Fire Science and Fire Service Administration, and he holds a Chief Fire Officer Designation from the Commission on Professional Credentialing.

Brian “Tosh” Chontosh is a veteran of the USMC, where he served for over 20 years, ultimately being awarded the prestigious Navy Cross for extraordinary heroism, two Bronze Stars with Valor, the Meritorious Service Medal, and multiple combat action ribbons and personal awards. His unit’s 2004 assault into Fallujah was the focus of the Fox News documentary Breaking Point: Company of Heroes. Today, Tosh owns and operates the Crooked Butterfly Ranch in Colorado, where he designs custom experiential learning opportunities for clients looking to test their minds, bodies and spirits. On the Crooked Butterfly Podcast, you can hear Tosh’s intimate and self-reflective perspective on everyday life. As the president and executive director of the Big Fish Foundation 501(c)(3), Tosh helps support veterans through transition to civilian life while prehabing against suicide.

ImageTrend looks forward to welcoming both keynote speakers live at the St. Paul RiverCentre. Chief Marcos is scheduled to kick the conference off with his keynote address Wednesday, July 20th from 8:30AM to 10:00AM CDT. Brian Chontosh’s keynote address is scheduled for Thursday, July 21st from 1:30PM to 2:30PM CDT. For more information regarding Connect 2022, visit the conference website to view the agenda, scheduled networking and events, speaker information, FAQs and more.

An alleged drunk driver crashed into a Fritch (TX) Volunteer Fire Department fire truck as it blocked the road making way for an ambulance responding to the drowning of a 2-year-old, according to a report published by FOX34.

The little girl died as a result of the drowning and the television station says the crash caused a 20-minute delay in response to the incident which occurred in the Blue West beach area of Lake Meredith.

The driver of the vehicle that hit the fire truck was charged with public intoxication, interfering with public duties, and other charges, according to the report.

The little girl was pronounced dead at Golden Plains Community Hospital after about an hour of continuous CPR, according to the report.