The Hampden Fire Department recently took delivery of a $998,000, state-of-the-art 100-foot ladder truck, reports bangordailynews.com.

The apparatus, which is expected to be in service by the end of the month following training, is the town’s first ladder since the 1990s, which then replaced a 1941 model. Hampden last bought a new engine in 2009 for $300,000.

The town also added a $253,000 ambulance last November that’s also a first for the area, as it has a hydraulic lift for stretchers and ultraviolet light to sanitize the interior, according to the report.

Hampden ordered both apparatus at the same time (fall 2020) from the same company at the same time, allowing for a discount.

In addition to the 100-foot ladder, the tanks on the new apparatus hold 500 gallons of water and 300 gallons of foam. It can carry six firefighters and nearly all the imperative equipment, the report says.

The Pleasant City Volunteer Fire Department has ordered a new light rescue apparatus after receiving a $79,500 USDA loan, reports Yahoo.

The department applied for the loan about a year and a half ago, and received the news that it was awarded a couple of months back. That’s when the apparatus was ordered.

There’s no timetable for the department to take delivery of the apparatus, but officials hope that will be sometime this summer.

The total cost of the new truck will be approximately $140,000, the report says. The department will be responsible for paying the remainder.

The department plans to equip the truck with rescue tools and first responder medical supplies for responses to non-fire incidents, according to the report.

The loan is part of $602,500 awarded through the USDA’s Community Facilities Direct Loan & Grant Program to nine communities in southeast Ohio. Other recipients include:

• Franklin Township (Columbiana Co.), $53,000 grant and a $100,000 loan.
• Village of Syracuse (Meigs Co.), $21,000 loan.
• Green Township (Hocking Co.), $76,000 loan.
• Deerfield Township (Morgan Co.), $51,000 loan.
• Morgan Township (Morgan Co.), $74,500 loan.
• Penn Township (Morgan Co.), $19,500 loan.
• Malta Township (Morgan Co.), $56,500 loan.
• Grandview Township (Washington Co.), $71,500 loan.

Singapore, 16 February 2022– ST Engineering announced that its Commercial Aerospace business will design and convert an aerial firefighting platform based on the Boeing 757 aircraft for Galactic Holdings. ST Engineering will draw on its deep structural modification capabilities that have been used in converting passenger aircraft into freighters to develop this first-in-the-world Boeing 757 Passenger-to-Tanker (P2T) program. The prototype is to be converted at one of the Group’s airframe maintenance and modification facilities in the U.S.

ST Engineering will undertake the full scope of the program, from design and engineering to certification and conversion. The Group will also leverage its global network of MRO facilities to provide nose-to-tail aftermarket service and support to Galactic Holdings’ operations worldwide.

Darrin Henry, Managing Member of Galactic Holdings, said, “We chose to partner with ST Engineering in this firefighting program as we are confident in its ability to deliver a green and highly-innovative firefighting solution that will help drive value for our investors. We have committed to deploying the first Boeing 75HP2T in 2024, and building a fleet after the award of the Supplementary Type Certificate. It is an advantage that we can also rely on ST Engineering for maintenance services for our future fleet.”

“We are excited to be working with Galactic Holdings in this new endeavor of repurposing passenger aircraft into flying fire trucks,” said Jeffrey Lam, President of Commercial Aerospace at ST Engineering. “In addition to breathing new life into otherwise retired aircraft, we are glad that we can tap our expertise in aircraft conversion to develop innovative solutions to be used in the crucial fight against forest and wildfires that are increasing in numbers in various hotspots across the world.”

The Boeing 757P2T, estimated to be completed in 2024, will have a capacity of up to 7,000 gallons of fire retardant, making it one of the largest aerial firefighting platforms available on the market when it enters service. The tanker will be equipped with a state-of-the-art dispensing system that helps to ensure high accuracy in the delivery of fire retardant. Compared to the current generation of firefighting platforms that are in service, the Boeing 757P2T is also more fuel efficient, and has the versatility to be deployed to remote locations for firefighting missions.

Two EMS providers were hospitalized after a Parke County, Indiana, ambulance caught fire early Wednesday morning, officials said.

The two were treated for smoke inhalation and have since been released from the hospital, according to WTWO/WAWV. The fire damaged two other EMS vehicles and the Parke County EMS building located in Rockville.

The fire began around 1:30 a.m., around 40 minutes after the ambulance returned from a call. Officials say the fire began in the engine compartment, but the exact cause remains under investigation.

Medical supplies and equipment were lost in the fire, but area agencies have stepped up to help.

“As of 8:00 a.m. today, we are back to full operations,” the Parke County EMS wrote on Facebook. “We have two fully staffed and fully stocked ambulances responding to calls.

“Morgan County EMS and Illiana EMS both donated a fully stocked and service ready ambulance for us to use. We have enough medical supplies that were donated from agencies all across Indiana to resupply our ambulances with inventory as we use them.”

The building was damaged by smoke and will likely cost millions of dollars to repair.