The Tuscaloosa City Council approved moving Fire Station No. 6 to a new location Tuesday, wvua23.com reported.

This decision is the first step toward beginning the construction of the new station, which will be located at 1812 Hargrove Road E on 2.51 acres, the report said. Construction is estimated at $4 million. Station No. 6 will include features designed with the community in mind, the report said.

They are planning on utilizing a gymnasium for training and office space, a fire official said. The facility will provide services that the community needs for the next 50 years, according to the report.

The site is also large enough to house fleet maintenance operations for Tuscaloosa Fire Rescue, and there’s also talk of adding a fueling station for city-owned vehicles, the report said.

City leaders said the new station location can better service areas of east Tuscaloosa than the current spot.

Now that the rezoning is approved, Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox will determine the budget and construction will begin soon after, the report said. Station No. 6 is expected to be finished within 24 to 36 months of the construction start.

The Asbury Park City Council unanimously approved a bond ordinance increasing the amount of funding for the construction of a new municipal firehouse to $22 million, tapinto.net reported.

The proposed site of the new headquarters is on city-owned property located at 200 Memorial Drive which is currently being used as a municipal parking lot, the report said. 

The ordinance approved during Wednesday night’s council meeting amends an original $3.5 million bond ordinance passed in 2018 increasing it by $18.5 million, according to the report. 

The city’s current firehouse, located at 800 Main Street, will be turning 123 years old this summer and city firefighters can indeed attest that the building is showing clear signs of aging, the report said. 

The Bedford Town Council said the town was awarded a grant from the Virginia Fire Services Board for the Regional Fire Service Training Facilities, wset.com reported.

The grant, of up to $19,203, will allow the Bedford Fire Department to install towers on the current training facilities grounds for rescue training, the report said. This would be not only for volunteers in Bedford but across the state.

The council said the town was also notified that the Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) will provide funding up to $1,000 per Bedford police officer that attends training for the crisis intervention team. The DCJS funds are restricted to police department spending only but can be used for items like equipment or training, the report said.

The council shared that the department will use these funds for the remaining amount needed to purchase a police ballistic shield and update expired trauma kits. The council approved the budget amendments for both of these pieces of funding.

Mustang police Friday released video of police officers chasing and arresting a man for stealing a fire truck a week ago.

The fire department’s squad had just completed a medical call and firefighters were ready to head back to the station when someone jumped into the vehicle and fled on Friday, Jan. 20.

Video captured the 20-mile chase leading to the driver getting out of the truck at the Tower Theater in Oklahoma City, Channel 9 reports.

The suspect stopped the truck and exited with his hands up. He briefly got on the ground, but then proceeded into the theater where police captured him. A court set his bail at $71,000.

Mustang Police Chief Robert Groseclose presented the Fire Chief Craig Carruth with a steering wheel lock to commemorate the event.

The truck was not damaged in the incident.