Krissy Waite
The Marin Independent Journal, Novato, Calif.
(TNS)

Jul. 15—A group of Ross residents has proposed a ballot initiative aimed at preserving the town’s fire station.

Friends of Ross Firehouse filed the necessary paperwork with the town on June 30, Town Manager Christa Johnson said. The initiative aims to rehabilitate the station and staff at least two firefighters.

The proponents have 180 days to gather signatures, Town Attorney Benjamin Stock.

“This, we believe, is a vision that Ross residents will support for a bond measure requiring a two-thirds vote,” Friends of Ross Firehouse president Bob Herbst said.

He estimated the group needed 175 signatures to succeed. He said the initiative already has “well over” 100 registered supporters.

If the necessary signatures are verified, the issue must be put to voters at the town’s next regularly scheduled election, and occur no less than 88 days after the date the council adopts a resolution submitting the ordinance to the voters.

The town could call special election. Herbst said they are aiming for a special election in June 2026 to present residents with a fully designed and priced-out plan.

In 2021, the Town Council voted unanimously to close Ross Valley Fire Department’s Station 18 due to age. The station was shuttered on July 1.

The fire department is planning to staff three firefighters per engine at its San Anselmo and Fairfax stations. Ambulance services will remain in town.

Estimates to build a new station — renovating it to meet current flood zone and Essential Services Act requirements could cost more than rebuilding — came close to $28.4 million, according to the town. Instead, town leaders opted for a civic center plan that omits a fire station for around $14 million.

“By contrast, our plan rehabs and rebuilds within the existing building foundations, which are well built and structurally sound, and maintains the historic firehouse architecture that everyone in Ross and Marin County knows and loves,” Herbst said.

Stephanie DiMarco, vice president of the citizens’ group, said the goal is to safeguard health and welfare. The group is working with BRW Architects, which has offices in San Francisco, on plans that would rehabilitate the existing firehouse for the same, if not lower, cost, they said.

“It’s important enough that it should be taken to the voters and not be up to three people,” DiMarco said. “Let’s really bring it to the voters and see what the residents have to say.”

The Town Council revisited the topic at a meeting in March, where council members — in a 3-2 split — ultimately decided against spending more resources on researching alternatives to closing Station 18. Councilmember Mathew Salter and Mayor Pro Tempore Elizabeth Robbins wanted to explore options.

A sticking point is emergency response times. The current engine response time is seven minutes, 55 seconds for over 90% of emergencies in Ross. Relocating the engine could increase that by two minutes when the medic unit is out on another call.

“We have an older population,” DiMarco said. “In the case of a stroke or heart attack, those minutes matter.”

On Thursday, the council voted 3-2 to direct staff to move forward with selling Engine 18. The engine is 20 years old — three years past the useful life of the department’s engines — and is the oldest in the fleet, Johnson said.

Proceeds from the sale, around $20,000 to $25,000, would go to Ross. Garaging the engine would cost around $25,000 to $50,000 annually, plus another $125,000 to

For the past 18 months, the Des Moines Fire Department ran a trial to see if running an engine would help crews reach emergencies faster from Station 8, located on the city’s south side near the Des Moines International Airport, kcci.com reported.

Station 8 is the third busiest in the city, according to recent data, and serves a large geographic area, the report said. The station has operated three full-time frontline vehicles: an engine, a ladder truck, and a medic unit, according to the report.

During a neighborhood association meeting recently, a fire official said the data collected during the past 18 months did not show any improvement in response times, the report said. The fire official said no final decision has been made, but that his recommendation was to remove the extra engine.

That recommendation has drawn opposition from some on the city council and the Des Moines Firefighters’ union, according to a post on its Facebook page.

“Our Fire Chief wants to take Engine 8 out of service, essentially taking three bodies away from your potential emergency and waiting for the next closest engine to arrive on scene,” the firefighters’ union posted. “Is this OK? If your house was on fire, you would want the most people there, as fast as humanly possible!”

While the authority to remove or retain Engine 8 rests with the fire chief, the Des Moines City Council has the ability to intervene if it disagrees with the decision, the report said.

The post Des Moines (IA) FD Considers Removing Engine from Station, Citing Stagnant Response Times appeared first on Fire Apparatus: Fire trucks, fire engines, emergency vehicles, and firefighting equipment.

The Lincoln County (KY) Fire Department is adding three new fire apparatus to its fleet, an Interior Journal article states. According to the Interior Journal article, the new apparatus include one engine, which carries 1,000 gallons of water, and two tanker-pumpers that hold 2,100 gallons of water. Chief Eric Davidson shared that the upgraded vehicles come with simplified pump systems that will help recruits during training. 

The fire department expects to have the first two apparatus by the end of the week of July 14 or early the week of July 20 the article shares. The aging vehicles have been sold to neighboring departments in Casey County, ensuring they will not go to waste.  

The post Lincoln County (KY) Fire Department Adds Three Rigs to Fleet  appeared first on Fire Apparatus: Fire trucks, fire engines, emergency vehicles, and firefighting equipment.

The Fayette Street Fire Station (MA) closed on July 8 as a multimillion dollar renovation is underway for the next 12 months, an itemlive.com article states. A temporary fire station was opened a few blocks down from the current station, where Engine Co. 5 and Ladder Co. 1 will be housed.  

Although there was a transition period for firefighters to become reacclimated, services were not interrupted, the article confirmed.  

Lieutenant Denis Ring shared in the article that renovating the Fayette Station would alleviate cancer and other health concerns that are prevalent in fire service. By having an up-to-date station, it will separate the living quarters from the apparatus and gear area which will help with that cause.  

For more information, visit https://itemlive.com/2025/07/14/lynn-fire-station-renovation-underway/ 

The post MA Station Closes for Multimillion Dollar Renovation  appeared first on Fire Apparatus: Fire trucks, fire engines, emergency vehicles, and firefighting equipment.