A group from Adams participated in a RIT (Rapid Intervention Team) taught by Joe Nedder's Cross St. Associates fire training group this weekend. The 2-day, 16 hour class was hosted by the Cheshire Fire Department and focused on the skills needed to respond to a firefighter mayday situation. Although there was some classroom, the majority of the time was spent on intense, physically demanding drills and scenarios.  The class had 36 attendees from 7 Berkshire town and cities.

The replacement for Engine 1 has begun physical production...two years after the initial order was placed. Work began researching and meeting with numerous venders towards the end of the pandemic. That event and the global supply chain issues caused production to get delayed. In fact, the new norm for custom orders is the the 2-3 year range now. While the delay was disappointing, we are now very excited to see the new apparatus begin to take shape. Initial completion from the Ocala, FL factory is estimated to be some time in January with some additional fitting-out to be completed at the dealer, Greenwood in North Attleboro, MA. 

The soon to be 30 year old KME Renegade engine, despite having it's share of costly repairs of late, performed admirably over the years and was well liked by many members. In fact, the engine designed to replace it was designed with the many of the KME's positive traits in mind. 

​Follow the New Engine 1's construction on it's own page here.

After being rained out its last appearance, the Alerts were able to show it's antique parade cart to a very well attended parade in Pittsfield Thursday morning. The history of the parade goes back to 1824 or even earlier and is quite interesting.

​From it's website; "After research from our Friends at Pittsfield Community Television we now know that the parade dates back to 1801.

The Pittsfield 4th of July Parade has an historic reputation dating back to 1824, when the procession consisted of Revolutionary War survivors, patriots, politicians and horse-drawn carriages. The parade was held off and on by various citizen groups until 1947 when it was taken over by the Pittsfield Permanent Firemen’s Association. Under the firemen, the parade grew in size and popularity but was discontinued in 1976. 

In 1977, a small group of volunteer citizens obtained $2,000 in seed money from the City of Pittsfield and held their first parade in 1978. Over the years, this independent, non-profit organization-the Pittsfield 4th of July Parade Committee, Inc.- has grown in size, spirit, and determination, and with it, the parade has grown in size, quality, and popularity. This year will mark 195 years since that first procession"

During the winter months, fire departments in our climate often move indoors for training. These cold months give us an opportunity to cover our annual refresher classes. However, this past Tuesday we got out of the classroom, emptied the engine bays and got in some physical work with our SCBA. Each member worked through a 6 station circuit of demanding physical work that was done in full PPE while monitoring air usage and times. Members worked through their entire bottle right up to the last breath available to experience the SCBA capabilities while coming to understand the time they are able to effectively work and safely exit an IDLH environment.

The 7th annual Alert Hose Company Golf Ball Drop is back….get your tickets from any member or see us at any of our events this summer. The purpose of this fundraiser is raise enough funds to put on a memorable celebration of the company's 150th anniversary which is quickly approaching in 2026. Your continued support of our company is truly appreciated.