Fire Department News
A concise weekly briefing for fire service leaders.
September 2026
Industry / Vendor News
Fleet
Chicago CFD: 120-vehicle E-ONE / Wheeled Coach order
Chicago Fire Department ordered 120 emergency vehicles valued at more than $100 million through Fire Service, Inc.: 42 E-ONE pumpers, 38 E-ONE aerial ladder trucks, and 40 Wheeled Coach ambulances (announced June 2, 2026). Useful benchmark for multi-year suppression + EMS fleet modernization and capital partnership scale.
Grants
FY 2025 SAFER awards window (~Sept 14–30, 2026)
FEMA FY 2025 SAFER applications closed June 22, 2026. Anticipated award issuance runs approximately Sept 14–Sept 30, 2026, with expected total funding about $324 million (~190 awards). Watch Hiring / Recruitment & Retention award notices this month and plan position-cost / match implications.
Training
NFPA 1400 consolidates fire service training standards
NFPA 1400 (Standard on Fire Service Training, 2026 edition) consolidates former NFPA 1402, 1403, 1404, 1407, 1408, 1410, and 1451 into one document, with new chapters on technical rescue and hazmat training. One reference for live-fire, RIT, TI, vehicle ops, and training-facility requirements.
Featured Project
College Station, TX — Fire Station No. 7 opens (~$18M bond)
College Station held a ribbon-cutting Sept 11, 2026 for Fire Station No. 7 — about 18,200+ sq ft, housing 24 firefighters, four drive-thru bays, on-site confined-space training prop, and a community room. Funded by the 2022 bond; local reporting states the project came in under budget and the engine arrived ahead of a typical ~4-year lead time.
What made it work
Early apparatus ordering + reused regional station design can de-risk schedule; wellness/sleep zoning and community-room programming are explicit capital choices chiefs can cite in bond campaigns.
Closed Auction Results
| 1991 Pierce Lance Engine — Wellesley Fire/Rescue, MA | $4,100 | Sold Sep 14 |
| 2016 Ford Expedition — Town of Wayland, MA | $4,923 | Sold Sep 9 |
| 1993 Dodge W250 Power Wagon — City of Fenton, MI | $23,500 | Sold Sep 1 |
| 1994 Emergency One Fire Truck — City of Waltham Purchasing, MA | $4,100 | Sold Aug 27 |
| 2006 Hummer H2 Brush Truck — FPD No.1 West Feliciana Parish, LA | $15,601 | Sold Aug 27 |
Mara-verified closed results (2026-09-15). Bid counts not shown. Buyer fees excluded.
Scan QR code for moreClosing Soon Auctions
| 1989 KME Renegade Pumper — Town of New Hampton | NH | Sep 18 · $5,000 |
| 1993 Pierce Arrow Tele-Squirt — Mentor-on-the-Lake | OH | Sep 18 · $4,000 |
| 1997 E-One Cyclone Pumper — Town of Wayland | MA | Sep 22 · $3,100 |
| 1996 E-One Pumper — Tyrone Township | PA | Oct 2 · $60,000 |
| [NEEDS SOURCE] | — | — |
Chief Update
Featured Chief
Reginald "Reggie" Freeman / Minneapolis Fire Department (MN)
Sworn in ~Sept 9, 2026 · 19th chief in city history · Term through Jan 2030
If they're not of sound mind, or they're not physically able to do their job, then they can't take care of our community… And so first I have to make sure that they have all the tools and resources that they need.
Priorities: Firefighter wellness, recruitment/retention, and modernization — previously chief in Oakland, CA and Hartford, CT; most recently executive director of fire/EMS in Saudi Arabia.
Scan QR code for moreHiring
Greg-approved Fire package (Sept 2026). Hiring #3 remains needs-source as approved.
Celebrating Retirement
Interim Fire Chief Raymond Hill / Fort Worth Fire Department (TX)
Retiring Sept 1, 2026 · ~32 years
Raymond Hill is retiring Sept 1, 2026 after ~32 years (firefighter Dec 1994 → assistant chief 2018 → interim chief Oct 28, 2025). City announced a national search for successor. Also this month: Fire Chief Joel Baker — Austin Fire Department (TX) — formal retirement ceremony Aug 27, 2026 after nearly eight years as Austin chief and nearly four decades in the fire service; Tom Vocke named interim effective Sept 1.
Also noted: Austin Chief Joel Baker retirement ceremony Aug 27, 2026; Tom Vocke interim effective Sept 1.
Scan QR code for more