Decatur Fire Chief resigns after five years of service

After serving over five years as the Decatur Fire and Rescue Chief, Anthony Grande announced today that he is leaving at the end of the year. Grande began his tenure as the fire chief in 2014. In January, he will move to Tennessee to serve as the executive director of the Tennessee Firefighter Commission. Today, Mayor Tab Bowling and Decatur first responders came out to congratulate him. Chief Grande says leaving Decatur is bittersweet. “I came in and found a wonderful group of folks that just needed just a little guidance on their path, and they ran with it and they ran with me, and they’re going to keep running,” said Grande. During the transition, Division Chief Trent Putman and the senior leadership of the fire department will take over the chief’s responsibilities.
WZDX-TV Huntsville

City of Trussville hopes to move first responders quickly through traffic

Technology will help first responders in Trussville get to their destination faster and safer. Trussville Fire Chief Tim Shotts says it's still a major problem that a lot of drivers don’t know how to handle emergency vehicles when they suddenly show up. This could put everyone at risk. To deal with this, the city is using what is referred to as Glance Priority and Preemption equipment. Devices developed by a company called Applied Information will be placed in fire engines and other emergency vehicles, as well as about 25 stoplights on the main roadways in Trussville. The device on the truck will send a signal to a tower, which in turn sends a signal to the stoplight; giving first responders a green light and stopping all other traffic.
WBRC-TV Fox 6 Birmingham

Shoals first responders go through hazmat training

The two day training event at the old abandoned Cloverdale School focused on hazmat situations. Firefigthers learned how to test chemicals and ran through different scenarios during the training. Florence police, firefighters, Lauderdale County Emergency Management, and the Colbert County hazmat unity all took part in the training. "We've staged a scenario where our weaknesses are and make preparations and plans for improvement prior to a real incident happening," said Tim Anerton, the deputy fire chief in Florence. Some of the scenarios plan for domestic and international terrorist attacks using chemicals and explosives. Anerton said he's grateful to get this type of training from the National Guard. "We are learning tricks of the trade from them and were finding our own equipment issues we need to make changes and improvements too," said Anerton.
WAAY-TV ABC 31 Huntsville

Mobile Fire-Rescue tackles 2 early morning fires

Mobile firefighter crews battled two fires early Friday morning. The first was on Park Avenue North, and a short time later firefighters also responded to a fire on Gaston Street. The second one came at about 5 a.m., with units arriving on the scene of a residential fire in the 300 block of Gaston Street. That's between Basil Street and Adams Street. Mobile Fire-Rescue reported heavy flames were visible from the front of the single-story, duplex-style structure. Firefighters were able to extinguish the flames. MFRD spokesman Steven Millhouse told FOX10 News on the scene that the primary search of the home's interior was clear, with no one inside the structure. The vacant structure suffered significant flame and water damage, and an investigation into the cause of the fire is pending, Millhouse said.
WALA MyFox Gulf Coast

Mobile Fire-Rescue looking for suspect in Winn-Dixie and Wendy’s restroom fires

Mobile Fire-Rescue Department was dispatched to the Winn-Dixie, located at 6300 Grelot Rd, at approximately 8:45 a.m. in reference to reports of the smoke being visible inside of the business. Fire personnel inspected the grocery store and was able to confirm that the smoke was coming from the women’s restroom. The fire was extinguished and no one was injured in the incident. Several hours later at approximately 11:38 a.m., Engine Company 6 was dispatched to the Wendy’s at 1275 Hillcrest Road in reference to smoke coming from the restroom. Wendy’s employee’s told firefighters that a “disgruntled” woman set fire to the restroom before leaving the restaurant. The fire was extinguished quickly with mild damage to the area. Surveillance footage was used to identify the suspect, as the same woman was at both locations near the time of each fire.
AL.com

Hoover Fire Department gains new hazmat truck

The Hoover Fire Department recently put a new $317,000 hazardous materials truck into service. The truck includes $153,000 worth of new equipment to deal with hazardous materials, fire Chief Clay Bentley said. Hoover spent $217,000 on the truck and about $15,500 to help pay for the equipment, with the rest of the funds coming from donations and grants. Colonial Pipeline donated $100,000 to help buy the truck. The Hoover Fire Department also obtained a federal grant that provided $137,500 of federal money for hazardous materials equipment. Bentley said he realizes the truck the city purchased is expensive, but it was needed and his department was frugal in deciding which truck to purchase and how best to equip it. The department also worked hard to get outside funding assistance to lessen the burden on the city.
Hoover Sun

Albertville resident treats police, fire departments to breakfast

During the Albertville City Council meeting Monday night, Bill Ingram, who is a member of the city’s planning commission, announced he would provide the Albertville Police and Fire Departments with a free breakfast to show his appreciation.“I want to do something that would touch each one of them,” Ingram said. “I would like to provide them a meal.” To figure out where to have breakfast, Ingram found help from Dale Carroll and Carolyn Davis with the Albertville Senior Center. Davis said she would be preparing the meal, and it would be a full breakfast, complete with eggs, bacon, sausage, biscuits, and gravy. Ingram invited Mayor Tracy Honea and the city council to attend the breakfast, and each one of them expressed their gratitude.
Sand Mountain Reporter