Engine 8 News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

New Bedford Mayor Dancing With the Devil Over Engine 8 [OPINION] Another large fire sent New Bedford firefighters scrambling on Thursday. All city fire apparatus, including Engine 8, were sent to battle the two-alarm blaze at the Harborview Towers at 60 South Second Street. The six-story building has 72 apartment units, many of which are occupied by elderly or challenged residents. Three surrounding towns responded to a request for assistance, placing additional stress on already strained relationships. Firefighters in Dartmouth and Fairhaven have expressed frustration over what they say is N...

NEW BEDFORD — The new-to-New Bedford “quint” fire apparatus has arrived in the city. According to the New Bedford Fire Department’s official Facebook page, the department “recently made the purchase of a lightly used 2005 quint,” after “the unexpected breakdown of one of our apparatus.” The department shared photos of the quint as part of the Facebook post. This particular quint – which is a hybrid of both an engine and a ladder truck – has 31,000 miles on it and is “in very good condition,” the department wrote, “replacing a 2003 quint with over 100,000 miles and wh...

New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell said the city will soon apply for a federal SAFER grant to help the New Bedford Fire Department “transition from a rough period financially for the city.” Mitchell also told WBSM host Barry Richard on Wednesday that local fire union officials have been overstating the city’s reliance on mutual aid from surrounding communities during major structure fires in New Bedford. “It’s the kind of thing you hear from the fire unions. It’s one big union, they're pressing their case for not doing as much coverage as they'd like,” said Mitchell, who cited stati...

New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell still plans to remove Engine 8 from service, even after a series of large fires that rocked the city since Thanksgiving when three multi-family houses burned on Washburn Street. Mitchell said on my program Wednesday that he plans to replace Engine 8 with a hybrid vehicle known as a "quint" that is both an engine and a ladder truck. His critics say there is no comparison between the two pieces of apparatus. Veteran City Councilor Brian Gomes, who chairs the council's Public Safety Committee, also called into the program to inform us that the quint Mitchell has ...

Dunn Proposes Critical Public Safety Legislation [OPINION] After Barry Richard broke the news that a New Bedford police officer's home was fired upon at the Brickenwood Apartments in the middle of the night, crime in the city and the New Bedford Police Department's reporting of it came to the forefront of the local conversation. The NBPD was unnervingly mum about the shooting until Barry reported it on air and there were also conflicting reports between the police union and NBPD leadership on whether or not officers on duty were properly made aware of the incident. Recognizing the pressing n...