PCiRoads uses custom equipment for Minneapolis stormwater project
Minneapolis features a busy and lively downtown area that’s home to nearly 57,000 residents along with 216,000 employees each week, per mplsdowntown.com. The city has consistently topped more than $1 billion in new construction permits over the past 11 years … More from our cover sponsor →
Fire safety promotion really does save lives
It’s a worst-case scenario: A family wakes up in the middle of the night to the sound of a smoke detector blaring. Upstairs, the kids are asleep: But without hesitation, the parents rush in and get them out. Smoke is … Continue reading →
Focus on Firefighting: Facts
1 Mile The approximate distance eight first responders in Buffalo, N.Y., carried a patient to a hospital in November, when local roads became impassable for their ambulance. 71 Percent Nearly three-quarters of career firefighters fulfill their vocation in communities that … Continue reading →
Custom built for an uncommon price: Southeast Apparatus
Who wants their new fire truck custom built? Better question… Who doesn’t want their new fire truck custom built? Imagine for just a moment that you can have everything exactly the way you want it when taking delivery of the … Continue reading →
Bakken crude alert
Whether you credit — or blame — President Obama’s development of alternative energy options, the instability of foreign oil-producing countries or domestic dissatisfaction with dependence on foreign oil, it’s evident that the U.S. has lessened that dependence in recent years. … Continue reading →
IAA: Helping municipalities get more from their vehicles
Since 1982, Insurance Auto Auctions (IAA) has forged relationships with thousands of unique vehicle sellers throughout North America, gaining the experience necessary to understand the nuances of nearly every market, including government agencies and municipalities. IAA provides services designed to … Continue reading →
Next-generation cities
By NATALIE VAN HOOSE | Department of Agricultural Communication, Purdue University When Dev Niyogi swapped a career in civil engineering for climatology, he had little idea that his new field would take him straight back to the cityscape. Nor could … Continue reading →
Multi-application smart grids
In the ongoing pursuit of beneficial projects for a community, there are many questions to consider. What are the advantages and shortfalls? Is it financially feasible, or cost-prohibitive? Can residents and businesses be assured of minimal environmental impacts and issues? … Continue reading →
Volunteers in the municipal sector
Local governments benefit in a number of ways when they make volunteering a part of their culture. Citizens provide a variety of important services that range from administrative support to emergency response to community beautification. When citizens take ownership in … Continue reading →
Keeping up with the Jones’ Bringing big-city technology to small-town USA
If you live in a community where the local grapevine outpaces the information superhighway, then take heart. You are not alone. While small municipalities across the nation struggle to offer their residents Matrix-level technology on a Pawnee budget, some have … Continue reading →
Waycross city auditorium comes alive again
It once hosted the biggest stars, such as Elvis Presley, but it sat vacant for many years. A once-dilapidated building is now breathing new life into a city in Georgia. It’s also generating much-needed revenue for the city. The reopening … Continue reading →
Civility: the good, the bad and the costly
Your mother always told you: If you can’t say something nice about someone, don’t say anything at all. It turns out that cities and towns could use some of Mom’s wisdom, at least where being considerate of others is concerned. … Continue reading →
Fleet manager aims for the best
As a young mechanic in the private sector, Larry Campbell was not out to lead one of the top municipal fleets in the United States. He wasn’t even sure he wanted into that line of business. “But I had a … Continue reading →
Range anxiety
Electric and hybrid vehicles have unquestionably carved their place into the market of the immense and indispensable U.S. automobile industry. They offer advantages, including environmental friendliness, quieter operation and fewer maintenance requirements. Their cost per mile can amount to a … Continue reading →
Bringing propane on board
When it comes to alternative fuels, propane sometimes called liquefied petroleum gas, or LPG dwarfs all others in terms of total vehicles in operation, both on and off the road. Of those propane vehicles being used, many are in municipal … Continue reading →
Traffic stops: Laws to ‘live’ by
Residential streets You shall always make vehicle traffic stops in a safe manner for you and the suspect vehicle. All traffic stops will include emergency lights and sirens. When making traffic stops on residential streets, look for side streets or … Continue reading →
What’s the hurry? Law enforcement motorcycle fleet officer training
There’s no such thing as too much training when it comes to safe stops for police motorcycle units, according to two experts on the topic. Jim Polan is a 34-year veteran of law enforcement and is currently a major with … Continue reading →
Husky Portable Containment leads the pack
The good news is coming fast and furious for Husky Portable Containment, an innovator in the field of portable folding tanks for firefighting. In the middle of last year the company received an approval for which it had been waiting … Continue reading →
Fleet service and management
Two fleet-related conferences are currently ramping up and will take place in April. One, the NAFA Fleet Management Association Institute and Expo, leans toward the car and SUV needs of municipalities. The other, the American Public Works Association North American … Continue reading →
