The demolition and reconstruction of Beloit Fire Station 2 is expected to be complete by the fall of 2024, according to township officials, BeloitDailyNews.com reported.

In May, the Wisconsin governor announced that Beloit will receive a $7,675,000 grant from the Neighborhood Investment Fund. The next step for the project is to establish what the new fire station might look like, the report said.

The new fire station will be built at 1143 Inman Parkway, which is the same address as the old station. The old station will be demolished in September 2023, with the new station substantially completed by September 2024, according to the report.

By Bill Adams

Did you ever say something you know you shouldn’t have? It is when words come sliding out of your mouth – intentionally or not – and you can’t stop them. It’s like your lips and tongue are all greased up. And before the last word exits, you realize you’re making a big mistake.  You’re “Crossing the Rubicon” and there’s no return. It happens mostly to old people, but young people are not immune. It has happened to me numerous times over 70 plus years.

What’s this have to do with xenophobia? One definition of xenophobia is chauvinism which some folks claim is sexism, racism and machismo – none of which is appropriate in the fire station. But sometimes stuff just happens and then other stuff “hits the fan.” You can’t always control it.

In the 1970s to 1990s I owned a fire equipment business that had a retail store where I inventoried a large amount of rubber goods, also called turnout gear then, and PPE (personal protective equipment) today. When the manufacturers started sizing gear specifically for women, I also stocked it – ¾-length and bunker boots, turnout coats, gloves and bunker pants. Besides fitting firefighters in their stations, departments would occasionally send over new members including women to be sized up. Sometimes it worked well; other times is didn’t.

One probie came in with a purchase order for a full set of gear. It went straight downhill. She tried on both men’s and women’s boots from sizes 5 to 7 before she found her right size. Then it was men’s and women’s gloves in both small and extra-small sizes. No problem – it was part of the job. When it came to bunker pants, I asked what her waist and hip measurements were and she balked. I explained a woman’s hip measurement could be upwards to a foot more than the waist and some bunkers were tapered from just above the butt downwards.  She wasn’t happy and I didn’t push it. I eyeballed her up and down. I guessed at her size and she tried on two or three pairs before she found one. 

Now, I’ve got boots, pants and gloves – with the plastic bag each came in – thrown all over the floor. I was getting a bit perturbed. Two other employees stopped their work to watch the show. The more they smiled the madder I got. I was really getting aggravated. 

We hooked up her suspenders and soon reached the precipice of an all-out war. She had the suspenders way towards to outside of her shoulders. I suggested she move them closer to her neck explaining that bunkers often get quite wet and heavy and the last thing she would want was to “lose her britches” in the middle of a fire. She glared at me. She was going to be “interior” so I mentioned she’ll also have air pack straps to contend with. I got an air pack out of stock so she could try it on to see for herself. It was a big mistake.

I looked at her and said to myself – how the hell am I going to explain this without getting into hot water. On one side of her chest, the SCBA strap was outboard and the suspender strap was inboard of a forward-facing “protrusion”. It was going to be a no-win scenario so I figured the hell with it and told it like it is.

I probably could have got my point across in

New Paltz Fire Department opened its brand-new headquarters during a grand opening for the community September 17, HudsonValleyOne.com reported. The 14,000-square-foot building was many years in the making.

The department received money after Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee devastated portions of the New Paltz Township in 2011.

A fire official said that emergency responses to the 2011 weather disasters were hindered by the fact that the old NPFD headquarters was located in the Wallkill River floodplain, the report said. It was also too small for the department’s needs, with firetrucks and other vehicles crammed into three tight bays. The fire department currently operates a 100-foot platform ladder truck, two engines, one rescue pumper, one supply pumper, one tanker, one brushfire police truck, one rescue boat and one utility off-road vehicle, the report said.

The new Apparatus Bay will ease the space crunch significantly, according to the report. It has five doors on each end, one set opening onto North Putt Corners Road and the other onto the building’s rear parking lot, accessible from Henry W. DuBois Drive. Topped by southward- and westward-oriented shed roofs that will eventually hold solar collectors, this part of the new building also houses a radio dispatcher’s office, equipment storage and cleaning stations.

The other half of the building has two entrances, the one on the south side leading to a full kitchen and a Community Room that could easily accommodate an augmented crew of volunteers in the event of an emergency such as a major ice storm. It’s also big enough to host training exercises when the folding tables and chairs are put away.

The Danbury Township Fire Department has opened its state-of-the-art new fire station this month, and it is the envy of hook-and-ladder crews from around Ottawa County, thebeacon.net reported.

The new complex will hold an open house Saturday, October 15.

The .75-cent mill levy for the firehouse received strong approval in November 2020, and in rapid fashion a new site was chosen that would be centrally located in the township and replace two other smaller fire stations, which will be repurposed, the report said.

The new 26,000-square-foot facility on a 7-acre field at 7870 East Harbor Road cost an estimated $6.2 million, according to the report.

The new station has training facilities for the first time and a large meeting room and break room with a full kitchen, the report said. There is a large exercise room, individual sleeping rooms and offices for the chief and other officers.

Red lights would automatically turn green in the path of St. Louis city fire trucks, police cars and ambulances, under a plan being considered by the Board of Aldermen, Audacy.com reported.

A fire official said there are two or three intersection crashes a month, according to the report.

A green light won’t mean it’s necessarily safe to go, the fire official said. Fire, emergency and police still have to cover the brake because you don’t know who’s going to roll through a stop sign, who’s going to roll through a red light, who’s going to run through a red light, the report said.

Backers hope the estimated $12 million project could be paid for out of the city’s federal COVID relief money, according to the report.