The Minden Hills (Ontario, Canada) Fire Department recently took delivery of a new Ford F550, reports mindentimes.ca.

Smaller in size compared to other apparatus, the Pierce-built initial attack apparatus has a 5,000-liter-per-minute pump, 750-liter water tank, 60-liter foam tank, and myriad other customizable features.

Over two years ago council approved the purchase of a new fire apparatus to replace the fleet’s 1995 International. It took 16 months to build, which saw very few non-COVID delays, the report says.

The new unit now gives the department three apparatus with which to respond to calls.

Following the Board of Selectmen agreeing Tuesday to hire Westbrook-based Benchmark Construction for the construction of an $8.25 million public safety building in Skowhegan (ME), the project is set to commence, reports centralmaine.com.

The decision comes weeks after initial project bids came in much higher than expected. Some cost-saving measures were implemented to the initial plan presented in the October bid, but no square footage was removed, according to the report.

In 2020, Skowhegan voters passed an $8.9 million bond to build a combined fire and police station on East Madison Road. In addition, town officials have a reserve account of $1.1 million, according to the report. Once the building is complete, officials say furnishing it will require two grants to pay for lockers, while the town is working to secure another grant for an industrial washer and dryer.

Skowhegan has thus far spent about $670,000 on the project, including buying the land in 2018 and utilizing consultants and engineers. The town has already hired Haley Ward Inc., a Bangor-based consulting group.

The facility is planned for the corner of East Madison Road and Dunlop Lane. The tentative plan is to move into the new facility by the end of 2022, the report says.

Fredericktown (MO) city council recently approved the $50,000 purchase of a used 105-foot ladder truck for its fire department, reports dailyjournalonline.com.

The purchase, from the city of Farmington, is a budgeted item and will replace the current apparatus—only 65 feet—which has constantly needed repairs lately. In addition, it will improve the department’s ISO rating, the report says.

It’s not the apparatus’ first rodeo in Fredericktown, as it has performed mutual aid there many times, the report says.

Also discussed were clarifications of Prop P—”a sales tax of one-half of one percent (1/2 of 1%) solely for the purpose of providing revenues for the operation of the Public Safety (Fredericktown Police Department and Fredericktown Fire Department) for the City of Fredericktown, including the building of a new multi-purpose facility. This tax was voted and passed by the citizens of Fredericktown on August 7th 2018.”

Officials presented council with current plans for the public safety building, as with potential changes the price would still be $3.4 million—the price per square foot didn’t change, the report says. The hard cost is $2.7 million with extra soft costs around $700,000.

Council thought it was a good idea but is caught up on the cost and would like to see the $700,000 soft-cost figure dwindle, according to the report. The green light was given to move forward with the design plan and begin discussing details.

Video via PBS.org

Construction for Peoria’s (IL) Fire Station 4 is expected to wrap up in early March, and, once finished, it will honor the city’s first African American firefighter, reports week.com.

A project three years in the making, Edward B. Gaines Fire Station 4 aims to not only give firefighters a respectable home to help an area that’s in need, but it will also honor a man who broke barriers, the report says.

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The facility, at Western and Howett, cost around $3 million, which was split between city and state funds. Once it’s up and running, it will house Truck 4 and Engine 4.

The current Station 4, located on Southwest Jefferson, is the oldest in the city and its future is unclear; the plumbing’s unreliable and its walls are falling, according to the report.