Special Delivery Alan M. Petrillo

The Reno (NV) Fire Department protects a very diverse city and surrounding area. Its responsibilities span high-rise casinos, commercial and light industrial districts, numerous residential enclaves, a major interstate running through the middle of town next to the Truckee River, a significant rail corridor in city limits, wildland urban interface areas (WUI), and rural wildland territory.

Given this varied landscape, the department found it imperative to replace its 40-year-old rescue truck with a state-of-the art rig capable of handling all technical rescue disciplines, including urban search and rescue (USAR) operations. After investigating several manufacturers, the department ultimately commissioned Rosenbauer to build its new heavy technical rescue truck.

Ernie Young, Rosenbauer western regional sales manager, says Reno Fire’s new truck is on a Commander EXT 78-inch four-door cab and chassis with an 11-inch raised roof; seating for six firefighters, four in H.O. Bostrom self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) seats with IMMI SmartDock brackets; a Cummins L9 engine; and an Allison 4000 EVS automatic transmission. Young points out that the technical rescue is built on a tandem-rear-axle chassis with 11 body compartments, four of them transverse, along with four underframe storage cabinets and eight coffin compartments.

Peter Briant, Reno Fire’s division chief of support services, says the new Rosenbauer heavy technical rescue truck is the perfect vehicle for the department’s rescue firefighters and its USAR team.

“Reno is in an earthquake-prone area, so we set up the new truck to be able to shore buildings, handle entrapments, perform concrete cutting and breaching, do vehicle extrication on our highways and roads, and have the heavy extrication capabilities for semi trucks and cement trucks with our lifting bags and struts,” Briant observes. “The Truckee River canyon to the west of us could cut us off from assistance after an earthquake and isolate us, so the new Rosenbauer technical rescue makes us self-sufficient.”

Briant notes that because Reno was replacing a 40-year-old rescue truck, it outfitted the new rig with all-new equipment, including state-of-the-art Makita battery-operated saws, drills, jackhammers, and chain saws. “A very important element on our new technical rescue was the capability for low- and high-angle rescue, confined space, being able to build shoring, perform trench rescue, and carry other heavy equipment for entrapment,” he says. “All the truck’s components are state-of-the-art with plenty of plywood to make shores for buildings and also Paratech gold struts and gray struts that allow us to go in and immediately rescue people and then build long-term shoring out of wood.”

Jonathan Moberly, Reno Fire captain and director of its USAR team, lays out the compartments on the new Rosenbauer heavy technical rescue truck. The L1 compartment holds a Holmatro Pentheon battery-operated spreader, cutter, and ram; Paratech Hydrafusion struts, longshore struts, and gray struts; an assortment of chains and come-alongs; and two Hi-Lift jacks, all mounted on pull-out trays and tool boards.

The L2 compartment has more Paratech equipment for shoring and custom polypropylene boxes with adapters for bipods and tripods, nailing pads for building shoring, a Paratech high-pressure bag, MaxiForce low-pressure bags, two pull-out trays of Paratech gold longshore and gray struts, hydraulic floor and bottle jacks, and an air chisel. He adds that the rig’s wheel well compartments have enough storage space for 18 SCBA bottles.

Moberly says L3 holds a Stokes basket, Paratech high-pressure air bags, and a full complement of Paratech lifti

Madison County Sheriff’s Office, along with the Northern Rockies Complex Incident Management Team 6, on Monday identified the firefighter who died in the line of duty on the Bivens Creek Fire as Ruben Gonzales Romero of Keizer, Oregon.

“Ruben was a veteran wildland firefighter with over 20 years of experience and was currently on a Type 2 crew with TJ Contracting LLC,” an update from fire managers reads. “He served primarily as a sawyer, a firefighter who fells and cuts trees and brush with a chainsaw, as part of a 20 person crew and brought significant experience and wisdom to the fire line and the people with whom he worked. We rest a little more comfortably knowing that he died doing what he loved.”

He suffered a cardiac emergency on Sunday. Medical assistance was rendered from a paramedic on the fire line, however resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful.

A post on the TJ Forestry Facebook page publicly confirmed the passing of Romero Monday afternoon.

“He was a dedicated firefighter whom loved his job and enjoyed running his saw on the line. He brought joy, laughter, and wisdom to every crew he worked on,” the post reads.

“Ruben, you will be dearly missed. Thank you for your dedication and hard work. Our deepest condolences to all his friends and family.”

Romero’s family is in route to Montana and an honor guard made up of incident and local firefighters will remain with Ruben until his body is carried back home.

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The village of Harrison, Wisconsin, celebrated its new fire station with a groundbreaking ceremony Aug. 22, 2025.  

According to a wbay.com article, the $11.5 million building will replace the existing station located on Lake Park Road. It will be more than three times the size of the current station.  

Harrison officials say that the location of the new building will be crucial in getting help to people quickly.

Construction on Fire Station 70 is estimated to be completed in July 2026. 

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The Selkirk Fire District broke ground on a new headquarters August 12, 2025. According to a spotlightnews.com article, district officials, elected leaders, and community members gathered at 1160 Route 9W to mark the start of construction. The new property will house the district’s administrative offices and serve as the operational hub.  

Initial plans for a new headquarters date back to 2018, where voters rejected a $17.8 million proposal. Designs had to be scaled back to not result in a tax increase. Two years later, the plans were approved.  

The 21,800-square-foot facility is designed with three double-deep garage bays to accommodate larger fire apparatus. In addition, it will include a radio room, decontamination and laundry facilities, an exercise room, as well as other amenities.  

The Selkirk Fire District operates out of three stations built in 1928, 1952, and 1956. The stations are dated, making it difficult for firefighters to effectively operate out of them. The new headquarters will ensure ample space and resources for staff.  

Project engineer Aaron Jackson shared that intial designs were altered after wetlands were discovered on the site. The current site design spreads parking around the building to compensate for the wetlands.  

District leaders say that this new headquarters will enhance response time, firefighter safety, and ensure that the department can meet service demands.  

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