“Today Albany County took a monumental step towards improved public safety for our residents and firefighters alike with the passage of the intergovernmental agreement that I introduced, which will provide $900,000 to upgrade local fire training towers. These training facilities provide a level of hands-on experience for our first responders that prepares them for fire response, which classrooms simply cannot offer. However, the ones being utilized by our volunteer fire departments in Colonie, Guilderland and the Hilltowns are in desperate need of renovations or replacement. I want to thank Chairman Joyce, Majority Leader Feeney and Minority Leader Mauriello, as well as the entire County Legislature for supporting this legislation, and I’m hopeful we can invest in even more fire towers in the near future.”