The Johnson City Fire Department in TN has received their new ladder truck.  The new fire truck replaces a truck that is close to 25 years old.  The vehicle was acquired with a federal grant and matching local funds.  For the story from wcyb.com click here.  For the video from tricities.com click here.

The new ladder truck is the most technologically-advanced truck the department has ever purchased and will make fighting fires faster. Some of the new features were specifically designed for Johnson City.

Chris Williams is the JCFD assistant fire chef. "The stabilization on the truck is designed for our hilly terrain," he explained. "It has extensions on it that allow it to level quicker and easier."

Auburn Fire Division in AL recently took delivery of their new fire truck.  Their new Pierce engine is replacing a 14 year old rig that will be placed into reserve status.  They plan on having the new pumper officially in service by May 25th.  View the video above for a detailed tour from the Pierce dealer or click here for the full story from oanow.com 

AFD Chief Lee Lamar said the 30-foot-long pumper truck, manufactured by Wisconsin-based Pierce Manufacturing Inc., was delivered to AFD officials last week. The order for the $352,000 fire engine was placed in fall 2011 and paid for out of the city’s general fund.

The pumper truck has a five-person cab, is equipped with a hydraulic generator and emergency medical equipment compartment and is capable of pumping 1,500 gallons per minute, Lamar said.

The new $240,000 fire boat is solving the North Westside Fire Rescue's water supply problem in BC.  They are now able to supply water near homes that do not have a water supply via hydrants.  The boat can pump 2000GPM and has twin, 200 HP motors and can speed along at 40 knots   Check out the video above to see their "floating hydrant"  video by chbcnews.com

Salisbury Fire Department, MD took delivery of their new fire boat.   Salisbury applied for and was awarded a $900,000 federal Homeland Security grant through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.  This boat replaces a 24 ft refurbished fishing boat that they previously used. For the full story from delmarvanow.com click here. 

The Port of Salisbury is Maryland's second-largest port in terms of marine traffic volume. Six or so barges regularly transport petroleum and grain in and out of the area.  It can effectively deal with fires, rescues and other situations that might arise along the river, and it could also be called into action in the event of a larger emergency anywhere between here and Baltimore. All that remains now is crew training. For starters, 12 operators will be trained as captains and 30 as crew members.

Photos from Barnegat-Ocean Acres Patch

Courage for Kyle Facebook page

At St. Mary's Parish in Barnegat, New Jersey, family, friends and strangers said goodbye to 12-year-old Kyle McGetrick who died last week after a seven year battle with leukemia. Firefighters from Ocean County, New Jersey and beyond escorted Kyle's coffin to the church aboard a pumper from Barnegat Fire Company #1.

Many of the same firefighters and fire trucks gathered in December for an impromptu parade in front of Kyle's home after word got out the end was likely near for the boy who wanted to be a firefighter like his dad Gene.

After we reported the December parade, firefighters from around the world sent hundreds of messages and patches to Kyle. Kyle held on for five more months.

Here's more on today's funeral from an article by Tom Kluender at Barnegat-Ocean Acres Patch:

Father Ken Tuzeney of St. Mary's Church, who performed a traditional Catholic service, said that those who have gathered to see Kyle off today, came together in grief to say "thank you" to Kyle, for the difference he had made in their lives touched by his courage.

"We cannot change the wind, but we can change our sails," Tuzeney said. "Kyle did." Kyle's sister Mariah, 17, shared funny memories of her brother.

She spoke about the candles around the room reminding her of Kyle's warmth. "You will always be the man of honor on my wedding day," she said.

Hamtramck Fire Department, MI received its new truck.  The Sutphen aerial replaces one that was 40 years old.  They received a grant to assit with paying for it.  They have been busy training and placing their equipment in the new truck.  For the full story from hamtramckreview.com click here.

The community can thank the department for some skillful grant writing which snagged a little over $700,000 from the federal government. Just like the old truck, the ladder on this rig will reach the top of the Senior Plaza building. The ladder is actually 10 feet longer.

This is the second new truck the department received, again thanks to good grant writing and the largesse of the federal government. The first grant was worth $200,000, and if you add it all up, Hamtramck’s Fire Department is looking like a million bucks these days.

The Franklin Township Fire Department in Ohio was involved in a crash that took the life of an 18 year old senior on Saturday.  James Thompson died at the scene.  A passenger in the car was ejected and injured. Firefighter Jeremy Gillam was taken to the hospital with minor injuries.  The pick up truck collided head-on into the mini pumper.  The firefighters were returning from a training fire.  For the full story from mansfieldnewsjournal.com click here.

Speed is considered a factor for Thompson, who was driving east on the narrow country road, Redden said.

Franklin Township fire Chief Randy Washburn said firefighters had been returning to the station after a training fire.

Colbert Heights Volunteer Fire Department in AL was very excited about their first brand new pumper.  Until they tried to back it into their station.  The station doors are 10 feet high and the new fire engine is 10ft 1inch.  They will be having fund raisers to try to collect the needed funds to make it possible for the truck to fit inside.  For the full story fom WHNT News 19 click here.

“To be able to use it in our communitym it`s going to have to go in this station,” said Assistant Fire Chief, Mike McMinn.

no matter how hard the firefighters pushed and shoved and willed the metal truck to fit, it just wouldn’t squeeze into place properly.

“It’s not helping the community right now where it is,” said McMinn. We`ve gotta get it up here so where we can use it.”

Do you want to sell a rig? Click HERE to find out how with SellFireTrucks.com.

A fire truck from Leona Volunteer Fire Department, TX collided with a school bus Sunday in Centerville.  Students from  Permian High School and Odessa High School were on their way home from their annual spring trip. There were 13 people injured and all were released from area hospitals.  For the full story from NewsWest 9 click here.

It happened as the bus was directed by police to change lanes due to a large grass fire in the area. Trooper Jimmy Morgan with DPS in Bryan, TX tells says a Leona Volunteer Fire Department truck was responding to a fire that two other fire trucks were already at. The driver of the third truck tried to make a U-turn on the highway to join the other two trucks, but the driver didn't notice the ECISD school bus coming up alongside it. The truck was then struck by the school bus.

A mock auto accident turned into a real emergency in Detroit Lakes, MN.  The pre-prom auto accident was planned to teach high school students about drinking and driving.  A Detroit Lakes Fire Department truck that was parked started to move and accelerate.  It plowed into the mock crash vehicles injuring two students, an EMS worker and a state trooper.  For the full story from inforum.com click here.

A firefighter quickly jumped into the truck, bringing it to a stop.

According to Detroit Lakes Fire Chief Dave Baer, the emergency brake was on and the truck was in neutral, as it should have been. There was no reason for it to have accelerated, he said.

“None of the injuries appear to be critical,” Eggebraaten said. The entire student body of DLHS was gathered for the mock crash and witnessed the real accident.