A half million-dollar fire truck was undamaged after a 30-year-old local man allegedly took a Gloversville (NY) Fire Department on a joyride earlier this week, according to a report published by News 10 ABC.

According to the report, the fire truck was stolen from in front of the fire station at about 6 am on Wednesday, Sept. 23 and the man who allegedly took it drove it into a nearby parking lot at City Hall.

Firefighters and police officers apprehended the man, Steve Horton of Gloversville and he was taken into custody after a brief struggle, according to the report. The suspect, who had lead police on a car chase on September 9, was charged with second-degree grand larceny, second-degree criminal possession of stolen property and resisting arrest in connection with the fire truck incident, according to the report which added he was remanded to jail on $15,000 cash bail.

Millions of dollars in public safety improvements are underway in Orange Beach as the city moves forward with the construction of a new fire station on Canal Road, MyNBC15.com reported.

Orange Beach Fire Department’s new Station 3 will be a state-of-the-art building, and the first of its kind located west of State Road 161 on Canal Road, the report said.

A city official said the $5.4 million project includes the building – with four drive through bays for parking fire engines and an ambulance – as well as the partial paving of the adjacent Powerline Road.

Firefighters were previously working out of temporary stations at the Wharf, and most recently, near the city’s sportsplex, according to the report.

City officials hope to have the new fire station up and running in 2023, the report said.

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