Response to Structure Fire
September 1, 2011-Pinetree Road

As your fire chief, I wanted to comment on the front-page picture in the Centreville Press on Wednesday September 7th, captioned, “Montevallo Volunteer Fire Department responded to a fire on Pinetree Road in Six Mile Community”. It makes one wonder, where was the Brierfield Volunteer Fire Department when the call came in at 2:11 pm. on that Thursday afternoon?

This is a serious issue for the department. One in which we have been trying to address through help of the community for many years. The fact is that when daytime emergencies arise we simply do not have enough available personnel to respond. Brierfield has 25 first responders who are dedicated to serving their community. However, 90% work outside the Brierfield area during the day. This problem is a common for volunteer departments. Years ago, to help alleviate this situation, volunteer departments formed “mutual aid agreements”. These allow surrounding departments like Montevallo or Centreville to respond to calls outside of their jurisdiction when neighboring fire departments need help. This is why Montevallo and Centreville responded to the fire on Pinetree Road. Without these agreements there is the real chance that no one will respond on weekdays when volunteers are away at work.

Despite these challenges volunteer departments are successful in saving lives and homes. On Saturday, August 27, while working at fundraising event at the Brierfield Park the Brierfield Volunteer Fire Department was dispatched to vehicle fire on Ash Rd. Two engine companies and a rescue unit immediately responded and were on-scene in less than 5 minutes. The car was fully involved and was less than 20 feet from the home. Another example was on September 15th when the department responded to a structure fire in a mobile home on Copperas Creek at 6:35 am. Fifteen firefighters, with six pieces of equipment responded. Additionally one engine company and 5 firefighters from Montevallo also assisted. The structure sustained only minor damage. Fortunately, for these citizens, the emergencies occurred at a time when first responders were available.

Small communities all over this country face the same issues. There is an increased need for volunteer fire & rescue service yet volunteerism is on the decline. This issue is not easily solved, as people have more demands for their time than ever before. In most households both adults have to work, then nights and weekends are taken up with school work and activities for kids. Volunteer firefighters are also facing greater demands. There was a time when fire departments only responded to fires, today they must train to respond to any emergency. A certified firefighter must complete 160-hours of basic training through the Alabama Fire College and attend 20 hours of drills per month. To drive an apparatus a member must a 40-hour operator’s course and attend 4 1⁄2 day driver classes yearly. Then specialized training is required for emergency medical training, hazmat, technical rescue and incident command.

What are the options?

• Hire career firefighters. This requires significant funding that is not simply not available at this time.
• Recruit daytime firefighters. A good option, but we still are faced volunteer time constraints.
• Partner with local businesses to train employees as daytime firefighters. A very good option that should be explored.
• Maintain automatic mutual aid agreements with surrounding departments. This means increased response times in rural areas but is probably our best option for the foreseeable future.

• Recognize and understand the problem. We all enjoy the benefits of country living and having no neighbors within shouting distance is wonderful. However, this often means a significant delay in fire department response because no one reports the fire until it is fully involved. 911 then dispatches the call and volunteers respond traveling to the fire station for gear and equipment. They must then go to the scene which may quite some distance from the station. This can take some time. If you really want to protect your property from fire install a residential sprinkler system.
• Support your local volunteer fire department and their volunteers who sacrifice their personal time & safety to protect the community. You can do this by paying your dues and participating in fund-raisers. The fact is that only 30% of our community pays their fire dues. This makes it very difficult to keep up equipment, pay utilities and buy fuel. Become part of the solution, get involved. Volunteer! 85% of fire department activities are administrative. We need people to handle record keeping, help maintain equipment, fund-raising, hose testing and hydrant testing, etc. This frees our first responders to train and prepare for emergencies. It is crucial that our volunteers be well trained and able to respond when you call.
• Recognize the financial worth the fire department brings to the community. The Brierfield Volunteer Fire Department has an Insurance Services Organization (ISO) rating of 6. This simply means that because of the equipment and personnel we provide that the average homeowner living in a 5-mile radius of a station saves approximately 50% on their homeowners insurance and even more for commercial properties.

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