The Onslow County (NC) Board of Commissioners recently approved construction of a new Bear Creek Fire Station, according to a county press release.

Waters Contracting Company was awarded the $6.3 million contract to build the facility which is designed by Davis Kane Architects. The 13,980-square-foot building is being built near Sand Ridge Elementary School and will be able to withstand 150-mph winds. Construction is expected to be completed by November 2026.

The building design features four dorms with two bunks each and private lockers for all firefighters. The kitchen has a fridge and pantry for each shift. A training room is designed to host classes that can seat 24 people. The station will also have a full building backup generator so that firefighters will be ready to respond during natural disasters where the power may be cut off for days.

The fire station design separates living spaces with an air pressurized zone from the emissions in the apparatus bay and decontamination rooms. The apparatus bay features five bays with four-fold doors in both the front and back so that trucks can respond quickly in either direction.

Bradley Kinlaw, Director of Emergency Services, says the new fire station will better support around the clock shifts but hiring has already begun to expand staffing at the current station. “This will ensure that citizens receive immediate response to emergencies regardless of time of day. The expanded staffing will not replace volunteers but will enhance Onslow County’s ability to respond quickly in times of emergency.”

The Bear Creek Fire Station currently operates with paid staff Monday to Friday from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. An additional seven paid firefighter positions allocated in the current FY26 budget will transition it to 24/7 paid staffing prior to completion of the new fire station.

The construction of the new Bear Creek Fire Station is part of Onslow County’s strategic goal of maintaining a Healthy and Safe Community. Visit www.OnslowCountyNC.gov/StrategicPlan to read the full 2025-2030 Strategic Plan.

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A 40-year-old firefighter/EMT candidate from Ormond Beach died Friday after completing a physical agility test with Flagler County Fire Rescue.

Officials said Fendrick Gabaud, who had recently graduated from fire school, successfully finished the pre-employment test at the county’s fire tower but later complained of shortness of breath and collapsed.

The test included climbing three stories in firefighting gear, hose lifts, advancing charged hose lines, spraying targets, and dragging a 150-pound manikin.

Paramedics on scene provided immediate aid before transporting him to AdventHealth Palm Coast, where he was pronounced dead. He leaves behind a wife and two children.

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Macee Swafford – The Times-Tribune, Corbin, Ky.

KNOX COUNTY — Knox County EMS Director Steven Jones had his contract with the ambulance service terminated last Friday, just days after he was arrested on a DUI charge following a crash involving an EMS vehicle on Paynes Creek Road.

Steven W. Jones, 60, of Hinkle, was arrested last Wednesday after officers responded to a wreck near the intersection of Paynes Creek Road and KY 1304. The citation stated that dispatch had received a call around 8:08 p.m. from Jones himself, who admitted to having been drinking and needing someone to work the wreck.

When Knox sheriff’s deputies arrived, they reported detecting a strong odor of alcohol and observed damage to the passenger side of the EMS vehicle. According to the citation, Jones told Kentucky State Police Trooper William Knight — who took over the investigation due to county policy against deputies investigating collisions involving county-owned vehicles — that a deer ran in front of him, causing him to swerve and possibly hit a street sign.

Field sobriety tests were administered, and the citation noted multiple signs of impairment including bloodshot eyes, slurred speech, lack of smooth pursuit during eye tests and difficulty maintaining balance during walk-and-turn and one-leg stand exercises. Jones admitted to officers that he had consumed “big Coors beers” earlier in the evening after he’d gotten off work at 1:30 p.m.

Jones was not on duty at the time of the wreck, and later consented to a breath test at the Knox County Detention Center, which showed a blood alcohol content of .140 — nearly twice the legal limit of .08.

He denied a blood test but was lodged in the Knox detention center on a charge of operating a motor vehicle under the influence. He was released on his own recognizance the following day.

Following his arrest, the Knox County EMS board convened and voted Friday to terminate Jones’s contract with the ambulance service, according to board member Steve Warren.

Jones was scheduled to appear in Knox District Court for arraignment on Monday, August 25. With a not guilty plea entered on his behalf, a pretrial conference has been set for September 25.

© 2025 The Times-Tribune (Corbin, Ky.). Visit www.thetimestribune.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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Illinois State Fire Marshal Michele Pankow visited the Shawneetown Fire Department recently to raise awareness about OSFM’s Grant and Loan Programs, the agency said on a Facebook post.

Pankow presented checks to the Shawneetown and Carrier Mills fire departments for $350,000 each and $300,000 to the Equality Fire Department for the Fire Station Construction and Rehabilitation Grant.

Carrier Mills also showed off its new engine they received with funds procured through the Fire Truck and Ambulance Revolving Loan Programs.

Shawneetown also showed off self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) it received with funds from the Small Equipment Grant Program.

More than $1.5 million dollars was on display for just these three departments.

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