The Springdale Fire Department chief says his team needs a new fire engine and helmets, and has asked the city council to spend up to $800,000, NWAOnline.com reported.

The fire department asked the council to approve $753,930 for a new fire engine and $63,000 for 160 new helmets, the report said. Payment for the engine at the time of order saves the city $31,643, a city official said.

The money would come from undesignated money in the city’s budget. The fund held $21 million as of last week, the report said.

The fire department said it would save $8,800 if it buys the 160 helmets together instead of a few helmets at a time, according to the report. Individual helmets cost about $355. Accompanying gear such as the chin strap would come at no cost with a promotion from the company selling the equipment.

The helmet money would come from the Act 833 fund, which returns to fire departments tax money residents pay in their homeowners insurance, fire insurance and property taxes. The fund now holds about $400,000, reported a city official.

The council, meeting as a committee of the whole last week, moved the measure for a vote September 27, the report said.

CustomFIRE—Blanchardville (WI) Fire Department pumper. Freightliner M2 106 cab and chassis; Cummins L9 360-hp engine; Waterous CSU 1,250-gpm pump; 1,200-gallon polypropylene water tank; 30-gallon foam cell; FoamPro 2001 single-agent foam system; Whelen LED flood lights; Tele-Lite LED telescoping scene lights; aluminum hosebed covers. Dealer: Wayde Kirvida, CustomFIRE, Osceola, WI.

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Several city and village fire departments in Huron County are being rewarded with grant money to help with the purchase of new equipment, MichigansThumb.com reported.

Six different Huron County fire departments decided to team up together to be awarded a regional grant, the report said. The county received more than $732,454 in total from the program, as each village’s fire department will receive funding to purchase new equipment. The new equipment consists of self-contained breathing apparatus-style air packs.

The fire departments to receive the new equipment are: Bad Axe Fire Department, Bingham Township Fire Department, Caseville Fire Department, Harbor Beach Fire Department, Port Austin Fire Department, Sherman Township Fire Department, and Sigel Township Fire Department.

The new self-contained breathing apparatus allows for firefighters to go deeper into dangerous environments. The fire departments will also receive new air packs that have built in path alarms, with the ability to notify other first responders when a firefighter isn’t responding within 30 seconds. Another piece of equipment is a pack tracker, which will send a signal to a handheld device to notify when firefighters are in danger or go down. 

The El Paso Fire Department is renovating and expanding two of its stations on the Eastside, ElPasoInc.com reported.

El Pasoans passing by fire stations 19 and 20 on McRae and Edgemere have noticed the boarded up windows and construction fencing, the report said.

The renovation of station 19 will cost $2.6 million. The funding is part of the $43 million public safety bond that El Pasoans approved in 2019, according to the report.

The firefighters at station 19 are now working from other nearby stations, the report said.

The $548,936 expansion of station 20, which will remain fully operational, includes a bay that will fit a new fire truck, according to the report.

The renovations to station 19 are expected to be completed around July of next year. The bay for station 20 is projected to finish in February 2023, the report said.