Fire Chief Stan Sharp, Mayor Indya Kincannon, and city council members will join firefighters from Station 21, 245 Perimeter Park Road, at 11 a.m. today (10.21), to christen a $1 million KFD quint. Following a decades-old firefighter tradition, the pumper that’s being replaced will be used to ceremoniously spray down the incoming state-of-the-art quint. The city now operates four such vehicles, called quints because they boast five features and can handle the work of multiple vehicles. The vehicle replaces a 1990s model. Quints feature an aerial ladder, a booster tank, a fire pump, ground ladders and attack lines. The newest quint’s aerial ladder extends 75 feet up. Its tank holds 500 gallons of water, and it can pump 2,000 gallons per minute.

Essential services information is available today (10/21) in a CAC-sponsored drive-thru at the Ross Building parking lot, 2247 Western Ave. Some 30 booths will be set up from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Visitors will stay in their cars, should wear a mask and keep six-feet physical distance. Programs featured will include utility assistance, rental assistance, Head Start early education, housing and energy weatherization, Office on Aging senior services, Empty Stocking Fund, commodities distribution, Beardsley Farm, transportation, tax preparation, and more! Give-away bags filled with information, light bulbs, masks and other items will be available first-come, first-serve. Persons interested in flu shot should bring a photo ID and prescription insurance card and allow 15 minutes after the shot before leaving the event.  There will also be limited vouchers available for persons without insurance. Rain date is the following Wednesday, Oct. 28, from 11-2.