A new fire truck will be ordered for the Sioux Center Fire Department, but it may not arrive until July 2025, nwestiowa.com reported.

The Sioux Center City Council approved the estimated $1.162 million purchase of a quint fire truck at its Feb. 20 meeting, the report said.

With a two-year lead time and learning the price would go up 5 percent in March, a fire official requested the council consider the purchase now, according to the report.

The fire department is interested in a quint because it combines the equipment capabilities of a ladder truck and the water-pumping ability of a fire engine, the report said.

The new truck would replace Engine 6, which is a 2001 Sparta located at Fire Station No. 2. The fire department also has a 1996 Rescue it would look to sell as well, the report said.

A city official said the city will use a combination of general fund and local options sales tax dollars to help cover and offset some of the capital costs as well as some internal borrowing, if necessary, for the new truck, the report said.

The Reno County Public Works Department is getting some new trucks. The county commissioners unanimously approved one new red fire truck headed for Arlington or Abbyville, and several fire-related vehicles, hutchnews.com reported.

On Tuesday, the Reno County Commission approved one new fire truck for Fire District No. 4. The truck will cost between $279,000 and $300,000. Fire District No. 4, which operates out of Arlington, Abbyville, Partridge and Plevna, was approved to purchase a new truck. This is the largest fire district in Reno County. Currently, they operate two large fire trucks. One is stationed at the Arlington station and the other at Abbyville, the report said.

In Buhler, the Reno/Harvey Joint Fire District #2 will be getting a new utility task vehicle-fire unit for about $32,000, the report said.

Anne Marie Tobin
Daily Item, Lynn, Mass.
(TNS)

Mar. 3—LYNNFIELD — A new ambulance and fire engine headline the Fire Department’s $1.4 million capital funding request for fiscal year 2024.

In a recent presentation to the Select Board, Fire Chief Glenn Davis said they are necessary to replace existing vehicles that have exceeded their lifespans and are unsafe to operate.

The new ambulance comes at a cost of $385,000 and is the department’s top priority. The department has requested a new vehicle for the last five years to replace a 2006 ambulance that Davis said is well beyond its lifespan.

“(The) COVID-19 pandemic had a great impact on the lifespan of our ambulances,” Davis said. “Harsh and corrosive chemicals used for cleaning and disinfecting during the pandemic have rapidly deteriorated surfaces and electronics in all our ambulances.”

Davis said the new ambulance will have “state of the art features to help keep the crew and patients safer,” complete with air purifiers. It will be funded with retained earnings from the town’s enterprise account.

Davis wrote in a funding request form that “Essex County and the rest of the United States is in an EMS crisis” due to staffing shortages and increased demands for assistance. As a result, the department has answered a “significant increase” in mutual aid requests resulting in “additional wear and tear on our vehicles.”

Davis said he has a firm quote of $840,000 for a new engine, which he described as a “big ticket item” that will replace Engine 4, a pumper that is 39-years-old and unsafe by contemporary standards. Davis said that the engine has a bad cylinder and lacks current safety features and technology. Its braking system is “less effective” and the front seat belts only have lap belts. The pump capacity is 750 gallons per minute, half of today’s standard of 1,500 gallons per minute.

“At any time, any possible major repairs could exceed the actual value of the truck,” Davis said.

The department also has two engines that are 20-years-old.

Davis said he submitted a request last week to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for an $850,000 grant to fund the purchase, but that the grant process is “competitive” and the town has recently been unsuccessful in securing grants despite applying every year.

“Last year we came as close as ever and we made it to the peer level,” Davis said. “Who knows? We could bubble to the top this year. We’re hoping that we get there this year but we still need to plan on that replacement.”

Select Board member Dick Dalton said he thought it is i

At least 11 incidents of life-saving equipment theft since 2022

At least four different fire departments, including the one in Houston, have fallen victim to theft, and tens of thousands of dollars of equipment, purchased with public funds have disappeared, KPRC 2 Investigates has learned.

Recently, police recovered a “Jaws of Life” from a stolen vehicle that was connected to both ATM thefts and catalytic converter thefts, the report said.

No arrests have been made in any of the cases, although a combination of police agencies are aware of the issue, and suspect information is circulating among law enforcement, according to the report.

If you have information about theft from area fire trucks or ambulances you are urged to call Crime Stoppers of Houston at 713-222-TIPS. You can remain anonymous.