Vestavia Hills’ Fire Station No. 2 gets a facelift

Interior design or general contracting don’t immediately spring to mind at the mention of firefighters.

But the work recently completed by the men of Fire Station No. 2 in Vestavia Hills shows that putting out fires isn’t the only impressive item on their resumes.

Back in August 2014, the crew decided it was time for a change in the station Capt. Scott Whitworth described as “very cramped and dilapidated.”

Built in 1971, Station No. 2 was designed to house three to four men at a time. But when Vestavia Hills created an ambulance service in 2000, the station’s on-duty staff grew to seven — both an engine crew and a transport crew.

An already-cramped crew in an outdated space welcomed the change Whitworth promised to bring when he was promoted to captain in June 2014.

“Almost as soon as I stepped foot inside, the men told me it was time for a change,” he said.

Just a few months later, Whitworth said he was busy quoting everything from new countertops to shower fixtures and durable floors.

“Firemen aren’t always easy on things,” he said. “So we knew that whatever materials we brought in here needed to stand up to our wear and tear.”

Whitworth, along with the help of the station’s crew, picked out new granite countertops, hardwood shaker-style cabinets, complementary backsplashes and bright, yet durable shower tiles. Several of the wives of other Vestavia Hills firefighters helped keep prices competitive due to connections in the interior design and building supplies business. The funding for the project came from money the station’s previous captain had already budgeted for, he said.

Whitworth said his predecessor knew change was needed, but “there just wasn’t a plan in place for it yet.”

Whitworth said the crew picked the floor first — durable, commercial-grade laminate planks often used in hospitals — and went from there to select complementary colors and fixtures for the remainder of the space.

Not only did the crew act as interior designers in the remodel, Whitworth said they worked as the job’s contractors.

“We did about 90 percent of the work ourselves,” he said. “It saved us, and in turn the city, a lot of money.”

Whitworth said the crew worked during their shifts, sometimes having to drop a sledgehammer in the middle of demolition to respond to a call or head off to training. Several of the firefighters and paramedics have a second job, many in construction, so completing the remodel came as second nature. Whitworth, for example, is also a master plumber and gas fitter, so he was able to help reroute plumbing and install the new, commercial-grade gas range in the kitchen.

In all, the jobs — remodeling the station’s kitchen, living room, officer’s quarters, office and the crew baths — took about three months. Whitworth said besides demolishing walls that compartmentalized the space, the men also laid tile, installed the floor and outfitted the bathrooms.

In May, the Vestavia Hills City Council recognized the quality of station’s work, congratulating the crew for their recent Alabama Remodeling Excellence Award win.

“They made a silk purse out of a sow’s ear,” Fire Chief Jim St. John said at the council meeting.

Mayor Butch Zaragoza, who started his fire department career at station No. 2, said he was happy to see the remodel and thankful of the firefighters’ hard work.

Today, the entire crew fits much more comfortably in the space, said Whitworth.

“It’s like a home away from home,” he said, especially because of the 24-hour shifts the crew works. “Now it finally feels that way.”

Whitworth said it was important to him that the community understands that the work done at the station was truly a group effort.

“It wasn’t just me,” he said. “Every person contributed as much as everyone else.”