Stay Informed: How Fire Fleets Are Adding Vehicles, Making Infrastructure Upgrades

Cherokee Nation donates $2.2M to Oklahoma’s Tahlequah Fire Department for Ladder Truck

The Cherokee Nation and Cherokee Nation Businesses have contributed $2.2 million to the City of Tahlequah to purchase and fully equip a new ladder truck for the Tahlequah Fire Department.

The new truck will have a ladder that extends up to 100 feet, giving Tahlequah firefighters the ability to more effectively protect downtown Tahlequah, Northeastern State University, the Cherokee National History Museum, and the Cherokee Nation’s new outpatient health center, along with the tribe’s future $400 million, multi-story new hospital.

Funding for the truck was provided through Cherokee Nation Businesses.

The Tahlequah Fire Department covers 66 square miles and frequently assists rural communities outside of Tahlequah during emergencies. The department is also occasionally requested to assist other cities in the Cherokee Nation Reservation. The new truck will be equipped with a ladder that extends 25 more feet compared to the TFD’s current ladder truck. 

Earlier this year is was announced that nearly $13 million in new additional grants would go toward area first responders, with each county and local public safety agency receiving up to $50,000 per grant.

Each year the Cherokee Nation also contributes nearly $500,000 total to more than 130 rural and volunteer fire departments as part of its Firefighter Appreciation Banquet.

Pennsylvania Fire Company Receives Financing for New Truck

More than $186,000 in financing is being provided through the Office of the State Fire Commissioner (OSFC) to Pennsylvania’s Alexandria Volunteer Fire Company to purchase a new fire truck.

“This new fire truck will help local firefighters better protect homes and businesses for residents near Alexandria,” Ward said. “Fire trucks are incredibly expensive for volunteer fire departments like Alexandria Volunteer Fire Company, and this financing will enable them to obtain this essential tool.”

The OSFC loan will help pay for part of the new fire truck, which will contain a 2,000-gallon tank for water and the pump necessary to spray the water at fires.

South Carolina County Upgrades Fire and EMS Station

South Carolina’s new Ladson Fire and EMS Station in Dorchester County marks the culmination of years of hard work, planning, and collaboration.

"We are celebrating this milestone because of our community's vision and commitment to public safety. By working together, we have increased the capacity for emergency response in this community," said Dorchester County Council Chairman Todd Friddle.

The project of the new infrastructure was first started in 2017,  according to previous reporting from WCIV | ABC News 4.

The news outlet also reported that the new station has heated bays for training and a decontamination entrance to prevent the spread of hazardous materials. This is also the department’s first station to be fully integrated with smart technology that incorporates a new automated dispatch.