Brian Hubert
Daily Freeman, Kingston, N.Y.
(TNS)

KINGSTON, N.Y. — The city’s Common Council is set to vote in November to borrow $8.5 million for a new Central Fire Station across from the current 1908 Central Station, clearing the way for construction to begin early next year.

The full Common Council is set to vote on the $8,500,000 bond measure at its November meeting after the Common Council’s Finance and Audit Comittee unaminously signed off on sending the proposal to the full Council at it’s meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 8.

The new fire station will be housed in an existing building at 18-30 E. O’Reilly St., with the current Central Fire Station converted to a station for the Kingston Fire Department’s ambulance service and house administrative offices. The city closed on the purchase of the 13,000-square-foot building for $612,000 from WMCHealth HealthAlliance in August. The building last housed records storage for HealthAlliance. It has also housed an ambulance company. Before that, it was owned by Central Hudson, which has an adjacent substation that will continue to be owned by the utility.

City Engineer John Schultheis said work on converting the building could begin in early 2026. He expects the project to take about a year.

“The current Central Fire Station has served well over 110 years, but the larger equipment needs exceed available space, and it has structural deficiencies,” Schultheis said. The current station will still need HVAC, electrical work, along with roof work and other rehab, he added.

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Plans shared with lawmakers show a new five-stall truck bay facing East O’Reilly St. in a portion of the building that will be demolished and reconstructed to be taller to accommodate the fire trucks being pulled inside.

Kingston Fire Department Chief Chris Rea said having five bays allows for growth, with each of the new bays accommodating up to a 75-foot-long ladder truck. Rea expects two of the bays to be utilized all the time, with the other three used on occasion.

Sleeping quarters for on-duty firefighters will also face E. O’Reilly St. The Deputy Chief on duty will have separate sleeping quarters within the structure. The building will also house showers, bathrooms, locker rooms, a kitchen big enough to have a long table, along with a “ready room” for firefighters. The station will also have a dispatch area and flex space that can serve for training and gatherings, and also as a central city emergency response location.

The building will also have storage for other firefighting equipment, including a garage space that will house the department’s fireboat.

Schultheis said the city will dress up the Hasbrouck Avenue side of the building with new windows and

BRAD NYGAARD
The Bismarck Tribune, N.D.
(TNS)

Officials on Wednesday dedicated the Bismarck Rural Fire Department’s newest facility, near the intersection of U.S. Highway 83 and 71st Street.

The 9,000-square-foot building houses three pieces of firefighting apparatus with room for more, and includes amenities such as a kitchen, laundry, office space, an exercise room and sleeping rooms.

The $3.2 million building is staffed on a part-time basis, but Fire Chief Dustin Theurer said the department is working toward full-time staffing in hopes of increasing public safety and reducing response times.

The bulk of the funding for the facility came from federal coronavirus pandemic relief funds to Burleigh County through the American Rescue Plan Act.

© 2025 The Bismarck Tribune (Bismarck, N.D.). Visit www.bismarcktribune.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
© Copyright 2025 Tribune Content Agency. All Rights Reserved

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Flint McColgan
Boston Herald
(TNS)

A Boston EMS ambulance struck a person in Roxbury Friday.

A Boston Police Department told the Herald that a person on a moped was struck a little before noon Friday near the intersection of Harrison Avenue and Zeigler Street in Roxbury. The spokesperson said that the injury was not believed to be life-threatening.

A Boston EMS spokeswoman confirmed that one of their ambulances was involved.

EMS spokeswoman Caitlin McLaughlin said that an ambulance transporting a patient to a hospital “was involved in a collision with a scooter/moped.”

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“The individual on the scooter/moped was transported to the hospital for evaluation,” she said. “The original patient in the ambulance was also brought to the hospital as planned.”

©2025 MediaNews Group, Inc. Visit at bostonherald.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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At approximately 2 a.m. on October 10, Clarington (Canada) Emergency and Fire Services were on scene attending a collision on Highway 401 westbound near Newtonville Road, Ontario, Canada, when a tractor-trailer struck a fire apparatus that had been positioned to protect the accident scene.

Four firefighters were inside the apparatus at the time of the collision. Two firefighters were transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

“It’s terrible that our brave firefighters got hurt while on the job, looking out for all of us. We’re hoping they’re back on their feet soon,” said Clarington Mayor Adrian Foster. “Folks, when you spot those flashing lights at an accident, let’s do the right thing – ease off the gas, pay attention, and give our crews the room they need to stay safe. We can’t keep having this sort of thing happen here. It’s unacceptable.”

Over the past few years, Clarington fire trucks have been hit numerous times while responding to incidents on provincial highways, despite the prominent red and blue flashing emergency lights and other safety measures in place to protect first responders and motorists.

“This is yet another reminder of the real danger our firefighters and all emergency responders face when working along busy highways,” said Clarington Fire Chief Mariano Perini. “We’re extremely fortunate that our firefighters were not more seriously injured. I want to remind all motorists—when you see flashing lights, please slow down and move over. It’s the law, and it could save a life.”

The Municipality of Clarington extends its gratitude to all responding emergency personnel for their quick actions and professionalism at the scene, and to the community for their concern and support.

“Clarington’s Professional Fire Fighters train and respond each day with dedication and professionalism to serve our community,” said Michael Kalita, President of the Clarington Professional Fire Fighters Association. “I am truly proud of our fire fighters’ composure and conduct during this challenging event and sincerely thank the community, elected officials, and our colleagues across the fire service for their support and concern.”

The incident is under investigation by the Ontario Provincial Police and the Ministry of Labour.

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Chuck Woods, an author in North Wheeling, West Virginia, is renovating a former Wheeling fire station, built in the 1890s, into a used bookstore and coffee shop, wtov9.com reported.

Woods paid for a new roof on the building but needed assistance for the interior, the report said. Woods received a $50,000 grant through the Wheeling Historic Revitalization Subgrant Program.

“The grant funded interior work that has allowed this project to push towards the finish line,” Wheeling Heritage said in a Facebook post. “Historic properties like this one are more than just old buildings, they hold the stories of the people who inhabited them and can connect us to our past. Across the United States, National Heritage Areas are helping to revitalize neighborhoods, preserve local identity, and share the history of our incredible communities.

“Wheeling Heritage received a Paul Bruhn Historic Revitalization Grant from the National Park Service, and used those funds to create the Wheeling Historic Revitalization Subgrant Program. This program seeks to fund downtown commercial redevelopment, and catalytic urban neighborhood redevelopment projects.”

The city of Wheeling also provided a grant to redo the front windows.

The building was home to the Vigilant Fire Department, which operated there until its closure in 1976.

Woods will call the bookstore Vigilant Books and Coffee. The renovation project is in its early stages but will include a children’s book area, cafe, outdoor patio, a music stage, kitchen, meeting rooms for poetry reads, and thousands of books, the report said.

The bookstore anticipates being open in three to five months.

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