Photo courtesy of Scott Ferrell.
Vestavia Hills and Rocky Ridge firefighters will soon have a new place for training activities following the shift to a larger facility on Veona Daniels Road.
In order to have more training space, the Vestavia Hills and Rocky Ridge fire departments will house a forthcoming training facility at a new location.
The previously-approved location, 3794 Veona Daniels Road, has less than one acre of usable property on the three-acre site, Fire Chief Marvin Green said, though it will still have some use for the departments. The new site, located at 3870 Veona Daniels Road, is 16 total acres with more than 10 acres of usable property, Green said.
Jefferson County Commissioner Steve Ammons said the county is entering into a long-term lease agreement with the Fire Department to allow them to use the land. The land, near a sewer treatment plant, was previously held for the possible expansion of that plant, but sewer authorities said they do not see a need to expand in the next 30 to 40 years, Ammons said. Ammons dedicated $200,000 out of his discretionary project budget to help Rocky Ridge Fire District build out the facility, he said.
Green said the space will allow the department to be “better neighbors” than they would have been at the first site. They would have been limited at the smaller site and could not train on a ladder truck. The new site will accommodate a large variety of training, including in a classroom and a training tower. There will also be a place for storage and items used in training, Green said.
The other property will still be used for some rescue training and classes offered through the Alabama Fire College.
The timeline of the build-out at the new site is 18 months, though it depends on the price of steel and concrete and any material shortages, Green said.
