By JOHN HOWELL Thanks to a $633,789 Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG), the Warwick Fire Department will acquire a tandem-axle heavy duty rescue vehicle to replace a 26-year-old medium duty model, which in 2016 alone responded to more than 1,600
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Thanks to a $633,789 Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG), the Warwick Fire Department will acquire a tandem-axle heavy duty rescue vehicle to replace a 26-year-old medium duty model, which in 2016 alone responded to more than 1,600 incidents.
The announcement was made Monday morning outside Station One in Apponaug with U.S. Senator Jack Reed and Congressman Jim Langevin applauding the work of the Warwick department. The event also provided Mayor Joseph Solomon the opportunity to outline efforts to replace aging fire apparatus that has caused the department to rely heavily on the loan of equipment from other departments. He said the city is drafting pumper-truck specifications aimed at making the bidding process more competitive. He said the specifications would also include a guarantee that the company provide a loaner truck should a breakdown occur with a new vehicle.
“If they have the confidence in their equipment,” Solomon said of manufactures, “they should be able to provide a loaner.”
Solomon called the heavy-duty rescue that will be coming to the city at no charge as “much needed by the city.” He also said that Reed and Langevin “have always been there” to help the community.
Reed described the program as “absolutely critical.” He said the grants are awarded on a competitive basis and what makes the difference for the Warwick Department is the skill and training of its personnel.
According to a release issued by the mayor’s office, the heavy duty vehicle will help firefighters with extrications, large vehicle stabilizations, Advanced Life Support (ALS) medical response surface and shoreline water rescue, rope rescue, confined space rescue trench rescue and structural firefighting.
Acting Chief Marcel Fontenault, who served as emcee for the event, said the Warwick department “has the only fully staffed heavy rescue in Kent and Washington County and it is an integral part of the Rhode Island heavy rescue task force, which provides statewide response upon request.”
He said that Warwick has a 36-member Technical Rescue Team that was initiated under a 2014 AFG award and that the new vehicle will allow for increased storage and, with the additional axle, be capable of accommodating the increased weight. He said the vehicle “is pertinent due to the vast amount of critical infrastructure located in the city.” He listed Green Airport, the train station, the interstate highways, wind turbines, solar farms, marine fuel storage terminals and 51 emergency hazardous sites.
Further, Fontenault observed, that over the past eight years Warwick Fire has secured more than $8.2 million in federal funds “essential for us to continue to be trained, equipped and ready to not only handle day to day incidents but to also be ready to meet the challenges of being on the frontline as your first responders to ever challenging homeland security threats and incidents.”
Langevin also spoke of the training of Warwick Fire, attributing their swift response and expertise to saving his life 38 years ago. Langevin was a police cadet when a firearm accidentally discharged in the police headquarters locker room with the bullet ricocheting and hitting him in the neck. The incident paralyzed him from the waist down. At the time, Station One was across Veterans Memorial Drive from police headquarters. A rescue responded quickly.
“This department stabilized me and saved my life,” Langevin said.
With more than 200,000 miles on the existing heavy-duty rescue he said “it has passed its prime” and it’s time for a new one.
11 comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here
Cat2222
Great news! A new piece of equipment at no cost to the city but will most certainly benefit all the citizens.
Tuesday, October 2, 2018 Report this
richardcorrente
Dear Cat2222,
You are more right than your comment stated. Not only does this new rescue cost the taxpayers nothing, it actually makes positive fee income for the Warwick Fire Department. Smart smart smart. Many thanks to Congressman Jim Langevin and all involved. The 80,000 taxpayers that are paying the tab just got a discount. Great news!
Happy Autumn everyone.
Rick Corrente
The Taxpayers Mayor
Tuesday, October 2, 2018 Report this
Warwick Man
The Warwick Fire Department members have dedicated a lot of time and applied for many grants. To date they have received almost 8 MILLION DOLLARS in equipment and trucks at little to no cost to taxpayers. A lot of dedicated volunteer time goes into writing these grants.
Tuesday, October 2, 2018 Report this
Justanidiot
sew, in additon to nots paying car taxes and property taxes, master mayer doesn't pay federal taxes. taxpayer money comes from taxpayers in and out of ri. chisler
Tuesday, October 2, 2018 Report this
Warwick Man
JustanIDIOT - that money was going somewhere anyway. I’d be happy it’s staying in your own community.
Tuesday, October 2, 2018 Report this
Justanidiot
Warwick Man, I was just pointing out that the taxpayers mayor has no idea how government works.
Wednesday, October 3, 2018 Report this
richardcorrente
Dear Justanidiot,
Not true.
1. I proved that Rob Cote lied about my car taxes.
2. I was the plaintiff in my lawsuit against my lender and I WON. The Federal Court Judge ordered my lender to pay my taxes while I was ordered to pay a "use-and-occupancy" fee monthly to the court magistrate, Attorney Merrill Sherman. Cote was given all this information BY ME long before he made up those lies as well. I never missed a payment. My lender paid my taxes and paid them late so Warwick got even MORE revenue.
3. As far as Federal taxes, man, I pay a lot and have never been in trouble with the IRS. So would you want the taxpayers of Warwick to foot the bill for our new rescue or would you rather have everyone in the country chip in? I go with the second choice, and I applaud the Firefighters for their efforts to save taxpayers money and get Warwick "almost 8 MILLION DOLLARS IN EQUIPMENT AND TRUCKS, at little or no cost to the taxpayers.". PLUS, they did it on there OWN TIME! Warwick needs a policy that rewards departments that underspend and penalizes departments that overspend. If they did, (part of The Corrente Plan), the Fire Department would get more respect than Mr. Cote gives them. Then again, they told Cote "No!" when he tried to overcharge them to teach the firefighters scuba lessons. His business "Capt. Rob Cote's Pro Divers" is now defunct. No surprise. Huh? Would you want him teaching you scuba lessons?
Happy Autumn old friend.
Happy Autumn everyone.
Rick Corrente
The Taxpayers Mayor
Wednesday, October 3, 2018 Report this
Justanidiot
master mayer, der is no such ting as free money. youse is going to pay someday. wells, not youse, cus you iz rich like trump.
Wednesday, October 3, 2018 Report this
richardcorrente
Dear Justanidiot,
I'm liking you more and more every day. "rich like Trump" HA!
My dear friend. I work in the mortgage banking industry. Mortgage companies in Rhode Island went from 5,500 mortgage companies in 2004+- to 64 by 2011+-! That's a 99.9% drop in mortgage offices! That didn't happen old friend, because business was booming. And the new mortgage educational requirements and reform regulations created in the late 2,000s, we had our allowable income per loan cut to less than half and our paperwork multiplied by 500%. I'm proud to say that Bankers Mortgage is one of the 64 survivor mortgage companies, but we aren't eating at the same table as "Trump". More like Sam's Hot Weiners, which, by the way, are awesome. Call me at 401-338-9900. Lunch is on me.
Stay in touch old friend.
Happy Autumn everyone.
Rick Corrente
The Taxpayers Mayor
Wednesday, October 3, 2018 Report this
CrickeeRaven
Justanidiot, I think the two-time loser is taking your screen name too literally.
As a frequent reader, I am sure you know that his claim "My lender paid my taxes and paid them late so Warwick got even MORE revenue" is completely false.
Three parties are listed on the city's tax collection website as paying the taxes on his former residence -- none of them him, and none of them his mortgage lender.
Here's the website -- enter 177 Grand View to see this factual information:
https://www.citizenselfservice.com/MSSProd/citizens/RealEstate/Default.aspx?mode=new
He also does not live at that residence any more, which would not be the case if he "won" a court case and was thus allowed to stay there.
Once again, you have shown the two-time loser to be an abject and unapologetic liar.
Wednesday, October 3, 2018 Report this
Thecaptain
I was trying to stay out of this one but I guess the comments that have been made by the local idiot need too be addressed.
1. I pasted the information on Tax Cheat Corrente's unpaid car taxes on this site several times. The information was taken directly from the city data base that anyone can find on line.
2. Corrente the bold face liar, never gave me any information about his forcible eviction from 177 Grand View Ave and never told me anything about his tax sale issue. The information was sent to me from an individual that worked in his former lawyers office. You all remember his lawyer George Babcock (who died of cocaine overdose) and who was suspended from practicing by the courts) http://www.providencejournal.com/article/20131202/News/312029981
At that point I went to the district court and reviewed all of the foreclosure information and all of the court proceedings. We never spoke one word about the issue. CAN YOU SAY LIAR !
3. Here we go again talking crap about a subject that you know nothing about, SCUBA. After the untrained Warwick Firefighters lost 3 kids in a pond, I reached out to US DIVERS SPECIAL OPS GROUP for assistance. At the time, I was the chief experimental test diver for the largest diving equipment manufacturer in the world, and was for over 15 years. The company offered to send the Special Ops Team to Warwick to train the WFD at no charge. In addition, with my assistance, they offered to certify members of the WFD as equipment repair specialists so that they could repair and service all of their own equipment and purchase repair parts directly from the manufacturer. Because of my standing with the company, these services were offered to the city for FREE. I put in a bid in a sealed bid package, for certain equipment that the city wanted to purchase. My number for the equipment was $14,000. However, at the time, a disabled Warwick Police Officer worked for Alpine Ski and Sports, and the bid was awarded to Alpine. Two completely different brands of equipment, they got the award, and frankly, I was pleased that they did as I had a next to zero profit margin on the gear as is usually the case when these types of bids are put forth.
Interestingly enough, to date, the WFD "dive team" is so poorly trained that it is laughable. They got in house training from a "diver" whose only experience was as a shell fisherman. Hence, the lack of skill in this area. Comparatively, they could have gotten training from some of the most experienced rescue instructors in the country, supported by the largest manufacturer of equipment in the world. Supported locally by an expert diving instructor with, at the time, in excess of 10,000 hrs of time underwater, and having trained in excess of 1000 people. But they got what they wanted.
To the moron's point of the "defunct" dive shop. Mayor Feckless, I closed that store willingly to further my engineering and inspection business.
One other point Mayor Moron. Both you and I purchased houses in the same neighborhood in 2004 when homes were near the historical high. You choose to enter into one of your colleagues predatory lending practices and then let the bank and city take your home. That was easy for you as you are not a man of integrity. On the other hand, in 5 years from the date that I purchased my home, I walked into Centerville Bank, and wrote the check to pay the mortgage off in full. Unlike you and other people who relinquish their fiscal responsibilities, other than my kids, mine are my number one responsibility. I would like to know how many of your customers bought a house during the balloon time, and paid it off in full in 5 years.
You are a joker and an imbecile Mr. Fake Feckless Fraud mayor.
Wednesday, October 3, 2018 Report this