Jenna Wilson
St. Joseph News-Press, Mo.
(TNS)

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Demolition has begun on a Downtown building that has stood vacant for more than three decades.

The building, located between 408-412 South Eighth Street and adjacent to the St. Joseph Fire Department, is being torn down to make way for an expansion of the fire station’s headquarters.

The St. Joseph Fire Department is working in collaboration with the Environmental Protection Agency, Environmental Works Inc., and Cornelius Wrecking on the project.

“The plan is to renovate headquarters with our CIP tax funds in 2028-2029 and this plan includes a parking lot for our staff,” said Jamey McVicker, SJFD assistant fire chief. “We’d also like to add a drive-through bay at headquarters so we’re not backing a $2 million truck into the station. We’re thinking ahead and trying to make that happen with this space.”

Fire officials said Downtown residents are excited to see the building come down. It has stood in its original location for nearly 40 years, and revitalizing this part of town is important to the community.

This is one of several projects the fire department has on its agenda this year, including the new Fire Station 10 planned for the South end, aimed at providing a more reliable work environment and ultimately enhancing public safety.

“There’s a lot we’ve been working on within the fire department and now some of those efforts are finally coming to fruition,” said Ivan Klippenstein, St. Joseph fire chief. “We’re making progress on Fire Station 10, we’ll soon receive Ladder 5, which has been in development for several years for the Frederick station and Rescue 10 will also be replaced in the south end. These are all in the works and will begin happening very soon.

© 2025 the St. Joseph News-Press (St. Joseph, Mo.). Visit www.newspressnow.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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The city of Port Wentworth officially opened its brand-new fire headquarters with a ribbon cutting ceremony, the city announced Friday, July 11, 2025, in a Facebook post.

City leadership, mayor and council members, Chief Lance Moore, and residents and business partners joined together to celebrate this step in public safety.

City Manager Steve Davis shared, “With an expanding population comes an obligation to keep our residents safe—and we take this seriously. Today is also a chance to honor the brave firefighters who protect us day in and day out.”

Construction began in April 2024—and now, just over a year later, the 18,000-square-foot station is fully operational. The headquarters features four bays, on-site training classroom, emergency operations center, 24/7 full-time and part-time fire personnel.

Moore added, “This station isn’t just a building—it’s a promise. A reflection of years of support from our community, leadership, and partners. We’re more equipped than ever to protect and respond.”

The post Port Wentworth (GA) Opens New 18,000-Square-Foot Fire Headquarters appeared first on Fire Apparatus: Fire trucks, fire engines, emergency vehicles, and firefighting equipment.

Cheryl Schweizer
Columbia Basin Herald, Moses Lake, Wash.
(TNS)

Jul. 12—QUINCY — A new rescue rig went into service at Grant County Fire District 3 on July 10. Chief David Durfee said it replaces a rescue truck that was reaching the end of its service life.

“It’s a rescue truck that houses all of our extrication tools for motor vehicle accidents, our specialty tech equipment and our rescue equipment. There are some added storage compartments and added lights,” he said.

The truck cost about $301,000, Durfee said, purchased with district funds. It’s a brand-new truck; typically, new trucks are built from scratch, which was the case with the new rescue rig. District commissioners awarded the contract in April 2024, he said, and GCFD 3 personnel traveled to Mississippi in mid-June to pick it up from the manufacturer.

Deep South Fire Trucks, Seminary, Mississippi, built the truck.

There’s a lot of farmland and sagebrush in GCFD 3, but there are also extensive areas for climbing and hiking, Interstate 90 and State Route 28, camping areas and performance venues.

“We have motor vehicle accidents, climbing incidents, rescues off the trail system we have here, you name it,” Durfee said. “It gets used pretty often. It’s four-wheel drive, so it has capabilities that allow us to assist with rescues and other things.”

The new truck has updated communications systems, he said, and a heavy-duty wench that will make rescues easier.

Typically, GCFD 3 rescue rigs are yellow, but the new truck is fire-engine red. Durfee said that was a choice that reflects GCFD 3’s goal to work together and with its contracted partners. The district provides fire services to the city of Quincy, a relationship that stretches back more than 50 years, Durfee said.

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“The reason for switching to the red scheme from yellow is to be unified with all our apparatus,” Durfee said. “Currently, we have (different colors), so the commissioners made the decision to stay unified with one color.”

Fire District 3 received a grant that will pay for a new water tender, which is a tanker used to fill trucks on fire scenes that don’t have water nearby. District personnel will be going back to Deep South Fire Trucks to pick it up later this week, Durfee said.

© 2025 the Columbia Basin Herald, Wash.. Visit www.columbiabasinherald.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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