Fairhope Single Tax Donates $745,000 to Fairhope Fire Department For New Training Facility

The Fairhope Volunteer Fire Department has received a $745,000 grant to cover the construction of a new training facility. The FVFD's current training facility, located behind Station 2 on Thompson Hall Road, has been in use since 1992. Numerous additions and modifications have been made to the training center over the years to accommodate the training needs of the department to better serve the community. The FVFD has reached a point where the current training burn tower/building needs to be replaced to continue to provide a safe environment for their firefighters to train.

The new training building is an economical, state of the art, modular type training building that will provide many years of real world training to continue the first class training that the firefighters receive. One of the many benefits of the new type of building is that portions of it can be repaired and replaced without having to replace the entire building, ultimately saving repair and replacement costs over time. Another benefit of the modular training building is that it can easily be modified over time to adapt to the changing needs of the department. The approximate cost for the new facility is $950,000 for the installation of the new building with the City of Fairhope making up the remaining $200,000 with a generous in kind donation.

The Fairhope Volunteer Fire Department dates back as far as 1936, initially called the Eastern Shore Fire Department covering from Spanish Fort to Loxley. Their current response jurisdiction spans approximately 48 square miles, protecting approximately 24,000 residents and businesses. The department is committed to providing quality services including EMS, fire protection, and offering mutual aid to neighboring departments when needed. 

The FVFD currently has an average of 52 active volunteers who give their time to protect and serve their community. Most of their members have, at minimum, Firefighter 1 and Hazmat certifications. Many of the members also hold additional certifications such as EMT, Paramedic, Firefighter II, Instructor 1 & 2, Officer 1, as well as other certifications. Numerous members of the department who reside in Fairhope are also career firefighters in neighboring departments such as Daphne, Mobile, Spanish Fort, and Gulf Shores. 

FVFD members receive, at minimum, 120 hours of hands-on training each year during their twice monthly drills in addition to numerous workshops, classes, and off-site training. They conduct mutual aid training with surrounding departments and partner with the Alabama Fire College to facilitate several certification courses throughout the year. All training and fire service education is provided to members at no cost to the members. 

The FVFD responds to calls from four stations strategically located throughout the jurisdiction, with a fifth station planned near the intersection of Highways 104 and 181. They operate six engines, two rescue trucks, a 100’ ladder truck, an airport firefighting vehicle, a 25’ firefighting boat, three squad/rescue firefighting trucks, and multiple support vehicles. The training center is located at Station 2 on Thompson Hall Road. 

FVFD is a 100% volunteer department with operating funds coming from fundraisers, Baldwin County ad valorem tax, the City of Fairhope, and generous donations from residents and businesses. 

On behalf of the FVFD and its members, Chief Chris Ellis would like to express his sincere gratitude to the Fairhope Single Tax Corporation and the City of Fairhope. 

Visit the website of the Fairhope Single Tax Corporation at https://www.fairhopesingletax.com and the Fairhope Volunteer Fire Department at https://fairhopevfd.org.