Fallon Churchill Fire Department is excited to announce that it has recently contracted with Darley Company to custom build two new fire engines for the Fallon/Churchill County community. The new additions will be direct replacements for Darley Engines that have served the department for more than 25 years. 

The relationship between Darley Company and the Fallon/Churchill Volunteer Fire Department is 30 years strong and expected to be mutually beneficial for many more.

“Two things have become evident in the past few decades: Darley Company makes an incredibly strong and robust product and 27 years is a lot to ask of any piece of equipment,” Fire Chief Jared Dooley said.

Earlier: Fallon Churchill VFD Seeks Voter Approval for Fire Equipment

As equipment ages it requires more maintenance to make sure it remains a viable tool with which to fight fire. This maintenance can require parts that are hard to find or parts that no longer exist.  “We are fortunate to have a great maintenance staff that work diligently in-house and these individuals make every possible effort to keep equipment up and running,” Dooley said.  

The new engines, manufactured by Darley Company with some help from Spartan Chassis, are expected to arrive this fall.

“The engines will have all the functionality of their predecessors, but with all the amenities and safety options you expect in something new,” said Alex Haffner, supervisor of paid personnel. The engines will be outfitted with polymer bodies to help prevent rust and with 10-man cabs to bring all the manpower needed for any incident. A 2,000 gallon-per-minute pump will sit in the heart of these engines ready to deliver as much water as is needed.  

Upon their arrival in Fallon, these two new engines will be further outfitted with lights, GPS, decals, satellite phones, hand-held radios, computer workstations, AED machines, first-aid kits, and self-contained breathing apparatus for each seat. 

“We are very excited to see these two giants in their rightful spots here at Station 1,” Dooley said.

The Fire Department would like to extend a special thank you to the Churchill County voters who approved Question Number One in 2020, which continued an existing tax override specifically earmarked for the purchase of necessary equipment and fire engines. The funds collected through the tax override during the past nine years were used to purchase these two engines.

“It is with great anticipation that we look to the future and our ability to serve the community with these new purchases,” said Dooley.

Hood County (TX) fire officials say they’re approaching the halfway point in refurbishing engines for the county’s nine volunteer fire departments, reports hcnews.com.

The officials add that, at around 20 years old, the apparatus have already exceeded their life expectancy.

New such trucks can cost around $1 million, but refurbishments are still costly but much less expensive—about one-third of the cost, the report says.

At the February 22 meeting, county officials gave the go-ahead for the refurbishment of Cresson’s Engine 39. It will cost $325,000, according to the report.

The refurbishment will be done by Florida-based E-ONE, and it will have six months to complete the job. If it takes longer, E-ONE will be responsible for reimbursing the county $100 per day, the report says. E-ONE partners with a company that transports the apparatus to and from the refurbishment site.

The county has already completed refurbishments for engines belonging to Granbury, Station 70 (Oak Trail Shores), and North Hood County volunteer fire departments.

A fifth fire station in northwest Minot is anticipated to cost nearly $4.2 million, and city council at its Tuesday meeting accepted some bids, reports minotdailynews.com.

The cost includes construction, engineering, and contingency for Station 5, which has been in the works for five years, the report says.

In 2017, the city purchased land along Fourth Avenue Northwest, and the architectural design began. Pandemic-related cost delays ensued, though.

The entire council meeting can be seen here:

City Council Meeting – February 22, 2022 https://t.co/Qk3mdnewOV

— City of Minot (@CityofMinot) February 22, 2022

Council accepted bids from Roers Construction, general contract, $2.62 million; C&C Plumbing and Heating, mechanical contract, $690,150; and Jesse Braun Electric, electrical contract, $419,900, according to the report. The contracts include four items as optional, depending upon on price: floor heat, northside skylights, westside bay windows, and sleeping room lighting control.

Work on the facility is expected to commence this construction season.

Also during the meeting, Hess Corp. presented a $41,534 grant to the Minot Fire Department for a new air compressor.

Are you attending FDIC 2022 and JEMS Conference and Expo 2022 in Indianapolis (IN) from April 25-30? If not, you should because both events will feature all kinds of new H.O.T. (Hands-on Training) Evolutions, which aren’t your typical “weekend training events.”

They cover the latest technology and techniques, and they’re instructed by key figures within the fire industry. Attendees will ascertain valuable information to take back to their respective departments to implement for an exponential safety impact on their overall community.

Participation in H.O.T. Evolutions requires filling out a liability waiver and uploading it to your registration dashboard. All FDIC H.O.T. Evolutions can be found here, and all the JEMS Con H.O.T. Evolutions can be seen here.

Examples of classes include:

Fundamentals of Open Water Rescue and Drowning Resuscitation, with speaker Mike Hudson, Chief Lifeguard Paramedic, Sea Bright (NJ) Ocean Rescue
Active Shooter Response for the First-Due Company, with speaker Mark Litwinko, Lt., Fort Wayne (IN) Fire Department
Fireground Skills and Drills for Success in Suburbia, with speaker Charlie Fadale, Chief of Safety and Training, Fishers (IN) Fire Department
Flowing and Going: Search and Extinguishment on the Fireground, with speaker Dustin Martinez, Captain, Cobb County (GA) Fire and Emergency Services
Realistic Fireground Solutions, with speaker Michael Dowling, Lt., Maryland Fire/EMS.