The Baldwin County Fire Chiefs Association recently honored Mrs. Alice Dunbar for 36 years of service to the Styx River community as dispatcher for the Styx River Volunteer Fire Department. In the early years, before the 911 system came online in 1988, Dunbar started calling firefighters to action by telephone or citizens band radio.
She first would receive a call from the Robertsdale Police Department or a person in the community about an emergency, then she would pass that information on to the volunteers. Also, before 911, she dispatched for the Seminole Volunteer Fire Department for a short time.
For 17 years, the communities of Styx River, Rosinton and Gateswood were all combined into one department covering 225 square miles. Dunbar kept the 12 fire trucks and 30-plus volunteers moving smoothly to and from the hundreds of emergency calls.
When the communities formed their own individual departments and all went to the 911 system, Dunbar continued to dispatch for her community, Station 65 in Styx River.