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Detroit invests $10.7 million in new fire department fleet to boost public safety

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Detroit invests .7 million in new fire department fleet to boost public safety


DETROIT (WXYZ) — The Detroit Fire Department unveiled a new fleet of fire engines, ambulances, and emergency vehicles Tuesday, representing a major investment in public safety that officials say will help maintain some of the fastest response times in the country.

Watch Ruta Ulcinaite’s video report:

Detroit invests $10.7 million in new fire department fleet to boost public safety

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The $10.7 million investment, approved by City Council several years ago, includes 10 new fire engines, 13 new ambulances, and six EMS and fire command vehicles. The new fleet was displayed at Eastern Market before being deployed to stations across the city.

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“If you look at any of the major cities, they’re driving around in 15, 20-year-old pieces of apparatus. We’re fortunate enough not to have that old of an apparatus on the street,” DFD Executive Fire Commissioner Chuck Simms said.

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The investment marks a significant change from years past, when the department struggled with aging equipment. Deputy Fire Chief Daniel Clapp, who has served with the department for more than three decades, recalls the challenges of working with deteriorating vehicles.

“When I came on, we had a lot of rigs that were rusted through, like the commissioner said, they had holes in the water tank, a lot of the compartments had holes, and the doors were shut together with bungee cords,” Clapp said.

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The department’s budget has increased over the years, allowing for better staffing and equipment. Officials say the new fleet will help maintain and potentially improve response times.

“It improves public safety by providing reliable transportation and equipment on the scene, so whenever someone calls for service, you know that rig, when it rolls out of quarters, it’s going to start, it’s going to perform as intended,” Clapp said.

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The reliable equipment is particularly important for businesses in areas like Eastern Market, where older architecture can present unique challenges.

Frank Germack, CEO of Germack Pistachio Company, understands the importance of quick response times after his business was affected by incidents in the area, including having to close for a week and a half due to falling bricks in 2023. His business is also just a few doors down from the fire that happened at Supino Pizzeria in 2023.

“These are old buildings, and if they can stop a fire from spreading, if they can stop a fire from consuming some of these historic buildings, especially the shed buildings, which are even older than our building here, then a piece of history goes up in smoke literally,” Germack said.

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The new fleet is expected to be in service all across the city within the next few weeks.

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Detroit, MI

Bruno Mars shines in Detroit – Detroit Metro Times

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Bruno Mars shines in Detroit – Detroit Metro Times


There’s a moment toward the end of the night where Bruno Mars is using that raspy tenor of voice of his to sing his 2012 hit “Locked Out of Heaven” as if he was launched out of a rocket. The crowd is hanging and swinging on every note, confetti is pouring down, Mars is over two hours into his set with barely any breaks, but his swagger feels so effortless. It was as if you could throw him a cup of ice water and he could go for another two hours.

For Mars, this is just another day at the office.

Saturday was the first of two nights in which Mars’s The Romantic Tour set up shop in the Detroit Lions’ Ford Field. The night started off with a 30-minute energetic DJ set from Anderson .Paak’s alter ego, “DJ Pee .Wee.” That was followed by another 30-minute set from singer Leon Thomas, who is fresh off Grammy Award wins for Best R&B Album (MUTT) and Best Traditional R&B Performance (“Vibes Don’t Lie”).

Mars, a 40-year-old native of Hawaii, has sold over 20 million albums and won 16 Grammy Awards. He’s always been a wild mix of James Brown and Justin Bieber — this generation’s impresario of funk with a mutant-like ability to create over-the-top pop hits. The Romanic, released on Feb. 27, is his fourth solo album and first project in four years. 

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Mars hit the stage right at 8:45 p.m. dressed in a casual crimson lounge suit and headband while accompanied by his band the Hooligans. From the jump the energy was magnetic. Mars dove right into songs “Risk It All,” “Treasure,” and “On My Soul” (he performed all nine songs from The Romantic). His stage presence and synchrony with the Hooligans was subtle and effective. They routinely swaggered into a choreographed doo-wop dance steps that were evenly spread out through out the night. At times there were multiple members playing trumpet and other times they were all on guitars. Mars himself jumped on the conga drums on “Cha Cha Cha,” played the guitar on “Something Serious,” and played the piano on “It Will Rain,” “Talking to the Moon,” and “When I was Your Man.”

Visually, there was cinematic camera work being displayed on two large LED screens positioned on both sides of the stage. This allowed all 48,000 attendees (no matter where their seats were) to take in the visual experience that was aided with laser beans, pulsating lights, cold sparks, and pyrotechnics.

Anderson .Paak joined Mars back on stage for the second hour of the show where they performed “Fly as Me” and “Smoking out the Window” along with most of the songs from their joint album An Evening with Silk Sonic.  Toward the end of their hit, “Leave the Door Open” the duo went back and forth singing the line “come on over baby” as if it was a ballad duel. The moment highlighted both singers’ chemistry and showmanship. 

But the night was all about Mars. He ended the show singing his mega hit “Uptown Funk” but also did an encore performance of “Dance With Me,” singing just as strong and effortlessly near the end of the night as he did at the beginning. His 150-minute set was polished without feeling robotic.  Even though he’s stepped foot behind a microphone thousands of times, he never sounded like he was going through the motions. He was charismatic, engaging, and made Detroit feel like it was this tour’s only stop, not his ninth. 

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Detroit, MI

A chilly start to the week gives way to warmer weather in Metro Detroit

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A chilly start to the week gives way to warmer weather in Metro Detroit


4Warn Weather – Cooler temperatures remain across Southeast Michigan for the start of the workweek, however, we’ll turn much warmer into the weekend.

Skies turn mainly clear Sunday night with a light northwest wind. Temperatures will fall to the low 30s to near 40°.

Forecasted low temps tonight (WDIV)

You’ll want to cover your plants or bring them indoors as frost will be possible. A Frost Advisory will be in effect for most of Southeast Michigan from midnight tonight until 7 a.m. Monday.

Frost Advisory for Sunday night into Monday morning (WDIV)

Monday will look beautiful with mostly sunny skies. It’ll still be chilly though – afternoon temperatures will only reach the mid to upper 50s.

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Forecasted high temps Monday (WDIV)

Winds Monday will be out of the north at 5-10 mph.

Temperatures will once again be in the 30s Monday night, so it will be another night to protect your plants.

We then recover nicely with most reaching the low 60s Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons. Although we’re a bit warmer, the next chance for rain will arrive Tuesday afternoon and linger into Wednesday.

Thursday brings back the sunshine and warmer weather. Highs will be in the mid 60s before we reach the low 70s Friday.

The upcoming weekend looks even warmer with highs near 80°, but we also see the next chances for rain.

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Temperature trend this week in Metro Detroit (WDIV)

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Detroit, MI

Detroit shines red for ALS kickoff & lighting ceremony

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Detroit shines red for ALS kickoff & lighting ceremony


DETROIT, MICH (WXYZ) — In partnership with The ALS Association, downtown Detroit parks will shine red May 10–16 in recognition of ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease) Awareness month.

A special kickoff event will take place from 7:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. on Sunday, May 10, in Campus Martius Park. The event will allow families impacted by ALS to connect, learn about upcoming initiatives, and take part in a meaningful “END ALS” photo moment under the illuminated park lights.

You can reserve you spot by visiting:
https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=JlhGrOr9-kWQmmR_rZc61S9MfqDjPeBKvKV5YBqkMypUQThNMEs5TVpLRUY5R1FLV0o1WFExN1U4Uy4u





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