Photo by Erin Nelson.
Brady Johnson, a trainee with the Vestavia Hills Fire Department, performs a right-hand sweep with Lt. Justin Baker, lead fire training instructor, during search and rescue training with a new class of recruits at the Mountain Brook Fire Training facility April 28.
While the Vestavia Hills Fire Department can get to most anywhere in the city within five minutes, the average response time to Patchwork Farms is about eight minutes.
“We need trucks and personnel on scene quicker than that,” Capt. Scott Ferrell said.
The Rocky Ridge Fire District provides mutual aid, but the closest Vestavia trucks come from Cahaba Heights, with the second closest coming from the station adjacent to Vestavia Hills High School.
Three to five minutes response time is optimal, Ferrell said.
The department would like to have a station in the area or at least an engine company, Ferrell said. The issue was raised during the February strategic planning session with city leadership. Fire Chief Marvin Green said at the time that while it was not an urgent need, it did need to be addressed. The area includes both the Cahaba Ridge Retirement Community and the Aspire Physical Recovery Center, with the latter receiving numerous calls, and it will soon include condominiums as part of the ongoing development.
While there haven’t been any major issues due to the slower response time, Ferrell said the department wants to be on scene faster.
Even if there wasn’t a station built in Patchwork Farms, an engine company would allow the department to put out fires and provide medical care, though it leaves them unable to transport patients, Ferrell said.
Cinnamon McCulley, communications director for the city of Vestavia Hills, said a new station house would be very expensive, though it will eventually have to happen closer to Liberty Park because of The Bray development. That move would free up the Cahaba Heights station to respond to both Cahaba Heights and Patchwork Farms, McCulley said.
It’s unclear when these issues may receive further action, but McCulley said at this time, the possibility of a new station is not expected to come up during budget hearings for fiscal 2023.
New training facility
CJ Elliott, who leads training for the Fire Department, said the city is about ready to seek construction bids for the first phase of the new training facility at 3790 Veona Daniels Road, which will include the grading and infrastructure work. The department is working with an engineering firm to get permits for the work.
The idea behind the facility, which will benefit both the Vestavia Hills Fire Department and the Rocky Ridge Fire Department, is to be similar to what is at the Mountain Brook training facility, which allows for hands-on training for structural fires, technical rescue, ladder truck training, forcible entry, live fire, and search and rescue, Elliott said.
The timeline for the project is not yet known.
The facility, just up the road from the Cahaba Pump Station, includes an existing building that has five levels underground, Vestavia Hills Fire Chief Marvin Green previously said. That “bunker” can serve as an underground drill tower, allowing firefighters to train for a variety of situations.
Neither department currently has its own facility in which to train, leading the departments to use acquired structures, which are temporary spaces rented to the department for a period of time, Baker said.
The deal with the county is an efficient one for the departments, with the license agreement between the county and the two departments costing just $1 per year for a 49-year agreement, Lord said.
The Rocky Ridge Fire District and Vestavia Hills Fire Department have had an automatic aid agreement for 1½ years, helping each other on calls. The districts now share a hazardous materials and special operations vehicle.
