City council recently approved the purchase of a 2023 pumper for the Chariton Volunteer Fire Department, reports charitonleader.com.

A total of $550,000 from the city’s Fiscal Year 2023 is budgeted for the purchase.

Officials say the Alexis Fire Equipment Company can deliver the new truck within a year for a total of $575,609. Other companies would take two years to produce the pumper, according to the report.

A $208,565 payment must be made when the chassis is finished—August or September 2022—and officials say funds will be available at that time.

The family of Bill and Carol Olsen recently donated a 1924 American LaFrance fire engine to Birmingham at a city council meeting.

Birmingham Fire Chief Paul Wells and Bill Olsen shared the apparatus’ history at the meeting; see video of it below, starting around the 32-minute mark, to hear its incredible journey.

But, long story short: It was ordered in the summer of 1923 as the department wanted a truck capable of pumping water from a source to complement its fleet of strictly chemical trucks. Olsen’s grandfather, William, was the department chief at the time.

After years of service, the city auctioned off the truck in November 1960, and Olsen’s father, Merritt, bought it for $435. It’s been on family property ever since, Olsen says.

It was a family decision, Olsen says of the one-string-attached donation: The string being the family asked that if the department ever decides to get rid of it it’s first offered back to the Olsens.

The community will be able to see the truck at the Hometown Parade on May 15, and it will then be kept starting in early June at Station 2.

04.25.2022 City Commission Meeting from City of Birmingham on Vimeo.

The Palatine Fire Department plans to buy a new pumper after a recent traffic accident destroyed a reserve unit, reports journal-topics.com. Department officials are hoping for a Pierce Enforcer; previous estimates had the new apparatus costing $773,229.

The department’s 2006 Crimson Diamond was set for replacement in 2024, but a February crash expedited the process.

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FA reported in February that the engine turned on its side after a crash with a minivan. The department was en route to a different accident at the intersection of Quentin and Palatine Road around 9:30 a.m. on February 10 at the time. Though no serious injuries were reported.

Village council unanimously authorized the purchase on April 18.

The Palatine Fire Department received a call for a roll-over accident around 9:30 this morning at the intersection of Quentin and Palatine Rd! One of Palatine Engines collided with a mini van and flipped on it’s side! No injures were reported! #PalatineFireDepartment pic.twitter.com/5qiGocs3Qs

— Lieutenant/Coach ALEC LOWE (@LieutenantLowe) February 10, 2022

The West Fargo Fire Department is launching a new pumper and rescue unit to serve the community. The all-hazards pumper carries tools, a full complement of National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) recommended hoses and a 750-gallon water tank to pump water on scenes of fires. The rescue unit is utilized for fire scene rehabilitation, air tank refills, heavy rescue, water rescue and hazmat operations.

The new pumper replaces an engine with 14 years of service. The new rescue unit replaces a unit with 20 years of service. The NFPA recommends that equipment this old is replaced with vehicles that have interior surface materials that can be decontaminated of carcinogens. Mitigating exposure to carcinogens is important because according to the Centers for Disease Control cancer is a leading cause of death among firefighters.

“The addition of this new pumper and rescue unit helps the department meet the NFPA recommendations to replace equipment,” said Dan Fuller, West Fargo Fire Department Chief. “This equipment will not only help keep our community safe, but also keeps our firefighters safe from cancer.”

Fifty percent of the equipment cost is receiving funding through a North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality grant. The goal of the grant is to replace older diesel vehicles with new, cleaner diesel vehicles. The grant money is a result of a settlement between the U.S. Department of Justice and Volkswagen over the company’s misrepresentation of diesel emissions for their products. Capital improvement sales tax will fund the remaining cost of the vehicles.