Andrew Coppola’s father Andimo was a member of the Alplaus Fire Department, and they spent a great deal of time at the firehouse together as it was the center of the Alplaus/Glenville community. Joining the department in June of 1980, Andy eagerly attended classes and courses, and therefore rose through the ranks and was elected Assistant Chief in 1996. Andy served as Assistant Chief until 2003 when he took over as the Chief of the Alplaus Fire Department for twenty years. During his 20 years as Chief, he instituted the Alplaus Fire Explorer Post and saw the call volume increase from less than 150 calls a year to almost 400 calls per year annually. Currently, he serves as Assistant Chief under Chief Glenn Kreig at Alplaus and he also serves as Schenectady County Deputy Coordinator in charge of the Water Task force and Special Operations. Likewise, he is also a member of the County Fire Investigation Team.