Monday, 24 January 2022 – 3:53 pm.

Police are investigating the theft of firefighting equipment from Weymouth (Australia) Volunteer Fire Station yesterday.

In the early hours of yesterday morning, offenders stole equipment from the station including chainsaws and tools.

Anyone with information in relation to the theft, which is the third at the station in twelve months, is urged to contact police on 131 444 or Crime Stoppers anonymously on 1800 333 000.

During previous thefts, offenders have stolen equipment including eight UHF radios.

Related: Tasmania Department has Second Theft of Fire Equipment

Speaking on the impact the thefts have had on the Weymouth Volunteer Fire Station, TFS Acting Station Officer of the North-East District, Roger Brown said “In the middle of a developing fire season it’s disappointing that the Weymouth Volunteer Fire Station has again been the target of theft.

“The sole fire truck for the brigade, which is equipped for firefighting response to protect the community, has had a number of important operational equipment items stolen, including eight UHF radios and chainsaws.

“The brigade looks after around 400 properties in the townships of Weymouth, Tamoshanter and Lulworth and has already responded to several fires this year.

“The theft of the equipment has wide-spread ramifications, as the volunteers, who selflessly volunteer to assist the community, are for a period without required equipment and their infrastructure is damaged.

“I ask anyone with information to come forward, and to be vigilant for any suspicious activity around fire stations.”

“Over the past year, some of our members and board members have been pursuing the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG), which is sponsored by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), with the goal of upgrading our outdated SCBA systems (Air Packs),” the department says on Facebook. “The combined effort proved incredibly successful as the department was awarded nearly $89,000, which combined with the mandatory 5% match, resulted in a total award of nearly $94,000.

“We have worked closely with Johnson’s Fire Equipment Company to purchase 12 new MSA G1 SCBA units (Air Pack, 2 Bottles, and Face Piece), the exact specs will be posted in the comments. Each new unit cost approximately $7000, and has a service life of 10-15 years.

“We also purchased 12 additional face pieces to outfit each of our interior members with their own personal face piece. This is to ensure all of our interior members have a tested, proper fitting face piece to ensure their safety when entering a burning building.

“The new SCBAs were placed into service this evening by members after a long day of inspecting and mounting the units on the trucks.

“In addition to the AFG grant, our membership applied for, and received a $6,000 grant from the West Virginia Office of the State Fire Marshall to purchase 2 portable trash pumps to be used as a secondary means of water supply to our engines. The remaining money will be used to purchase 3 portable tripod scene lights to provide better lighting for our firefighters while operating on scenes at night. The pumps and lights are waiting to be placed into service while our membership sorts out some some minor technicalities. We anticipate to have both in service in the coming weeks.

“All in all, in the past 12 months, thanks to the hard work of our grant writers and board members, the Delbarton VFD has been awarded nearly $100,000 in grant award money. This money is being put into new equipment to allow us to better serve our community.”

Wyoming, Iowa – Dinges Fire Company (Amboy, Ill) recently acquired Fox Apparatus Repair & Maintenance, adding a fourth mobile service unit to its fleet.

Derek Feuss, owner of Fox Apparatus Repair & Maintenance, joined Dinges Fire Company in 2020 as a sales representative serving fire departments in northeast Iowa. He will continue in this role while joining the mobile service department.

Dinges Fire Company offers preventative maintenance and repair on extrication tools and SCBA (self-contained breathing apparatus) across the Midwest. Feuss will also do warranty work on Toyne Fire Trucks in Illinois and Wisconsin.

Feuss is an 11-year fire fighter currently serving as the assistant fire chief for the Oxford Junction Fire Department. He purchased Fox Apparatus Repair & Maintenance from its founder in 2017 and served 125 customers in eastern Iowa.

“We are excited to expand our mobile service capabilities to include On-site Fire Apparatus Repair and Preventative Maintenance and look forward to growing the service segment of our company by adding Fox Apparatus Repair to our 90-person Team.” – Nick Dinges, CEO of the Dinges Fire Company.

Dinges Fire Company serves fire departments and emergency personnel in seven Midwestern states with a mission to protect America’s first responders with the best safety and protection equipment on the market, and be a catalyst for positive change in those communities served.

This marks the third Acquisition for Dinges Fire Company in the past three years.

It’s usually every kid’s dream to ride on a fire truck, but that scenario turned out to be a nightmare for one Alberta (Canada) family last Thursday.

Lia Lousier was walking with her kids on Thursday afternoon when 10-year-old Braeden slipped on ice and fell, reports globalnews.ca. Braeden broke his leg and had to be taken to the hospital via fire truck as no ambulances were available.

It all started when Lousier’s other son called 911 after the fall, and they were told that an ambulance would be on its way, according to the report. EMS called back 15 minutes later inquiring about an update.

She then noticed Braeden starting to turn pale and begged for at least a fire apparatus, knowing that there would be a paramedic present. Once firefighters arrived, they called for EMS, the report says; when nothing was available they transported him to the Airdrie Community Health Centre in the fire apparatus.

He was administered painkillers, X-rayed, and transported—via ambulance!—to Alberta Children’s Hospital, where he’s recovering.