The City of Fairhope Fire Department operates on an all-volunteer basis. It has a class-four rating with three stations and one training facility.
Officers for 2007: Kevin Hempfleng, Chief; Jim Bung, first assistant chief; James Bauer, second assistant chief; Dale Kelly, treasurer; and William Stanczah, secretary.
Fairhope is known for its dedicated volunteers and the members of the Fairhope Volunteer Fire and Rescue are no exception. The 35 firemen (women are welcomed to join, but none have applied in recent years) are trained and prepared to handle whatever may come their way. The department has been an all-volunteer organization since it was established nearly 70 years ago.
The department maintains three stations and a training facility, the only one of its kind on the Eastern Shore. The FVFD has a class-four rating. “That’s a great rating for an all-volunteer department,” said Fire Chief Kevin Hempfleng, explaining that fire departments are rated from 10 (low) to 1 (high). “Only a few large cities have class-one ratings, and many paid departments around the country do not have a rating as high as Fairhope's class-four. The ratings are based on a number of factors, including equipment, training, number of stations, response time, and available water supply.” In 2006, the FVFD responded to 406 emergency calls.
Many of the firefighters live and work in Fairhope and are available to answer calls day and night, others work out of town and focus their firefighting efforts on evenings and weekends. One thing they all have in common is a high level of training.
As a group, the volunteers spend every other Tuesday evening working on firefighting and rescue techniques, including search patterns, vehicle extrication, and work with hazardous materials (each firefighter is required to have 12 hours of study in this every year). “Our firefighters are very well trained,” said Chief. “Several have completed a 160-hour certification course through the Alabama State Fire College, and we have a number who are certified ‘first responders’ for accidents and emergencies.” In addition, many of the firefighters have had supplemental training through the State Fire College and the National Fire Academy.
Cluster said the department operates almost entirely on donations. “We receive outstanding support and help from the city in purchasing larger items, such as our aerial and pumper trucks, but everything else is purchased and maintained by the fire department, thanks to donations from the community. Donations are used for training, to purchase insurance for the firefighters, to build and maintain our three stations and the training facility, and to purchase new equipment.” Last year, the FVFD purchased a new pumper. This year, the FVFD plans to purchase new airpacks and improved communication equipment.
Current Members and Officers of Fairhope Volunteer Fire and Rescue
| |
Officers of Fairhope
Volunteer Fire and Rescue |
 |
 |
| Fairhope Volunteer Fire Department educating local students on fire safety. |
|
History of the Fairhope Volunteer Fire Department
The equipment and service provided by today's Fairhope Volunteer Fire Department differs greatly from the early days, according to the department unofficial historian Tom Odom, who today serves the city as fire inspector. Odom spent almost 40 years on the volunteer force.
The Eastern Shore Fire Department, responsible for fighting fires from Spanish Fort south to Mullet Point, was organized in 1936 under Jack Titus. It became the Fairhope Volunteer Fire Department in 1938 with William S. Funk as the first Chief.
According to Odom, the city's first fire station was downtown on Section Street, at the site of the current city Welcome Center. At the time, the building also housed the police department and the generating plant for the city-owned utilities. Odom says fire fighters were alerted by a siren.
That worked pretty good, the town was small enough then for everyone to hear it, he recalled. But we didn't have very much protective gear in the early days, so the fellows who lived closest to the station got the slickers, and the rest of us just showed up in our regular clothes.
Odom says the department has been good about acquiring equipment and building stations over the years.
A two-bay station was built on Ingleside in the mid-1960s (and enlarged in the 1980s). This station, now Leo Keller Station No. 1, was named after one of the early founders of the department who also served as chief in 1965-1966.
The Roy White Station No. 2 on Thompson Hall Road was built in the early 1990s and is named after a former city councilman who also served for a time as city judge, was on the police reserve force and was a big supporter of the fire department over the years. White's daughter, Debbie Quinn, is a current city council member.
Les Bung Station No. 3 was built in 1999 at the Fairhope Municipal Airport, located on Baldwin County Road 32, just south of Fairhope. Bung served as chief in 1978-1979. According to Odom, Bung was injured during a fire call, but didn't let that stop him. Odom says Bung remained active with the department in a support capacity long after his retirement. His son, Tim Bung, is a current member of the department.
The Fairhope Volunteer Firefighter of the Year for 2006
Kevin Hempfleng has been selected FireFighter of the Year by the Fairhope Volunteer Fire Department.
Among other projects, Kevin chairs our school fire prevention program and does an excellent job with that. He is also our representative to the Elks Club, the Fairhope Police, and the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Department on Project Alzheimer’s, the protection program for people with Alzheimer’s or similar disorders. On top of all of that, Kevin is a great firefighter and just an outstanding individual in all ways.
Kevin Hempfleng was born in California and moved to Fairhope as a teenager after his father retired from the military in 1976 and brought his family home to the Gulf Coast. After graduating from Fairhope High School, Kevin worked on his father’s shrimp boat until Hurricane Frederic sunk both the boat and the business. He was hired by the City of Fairhope in 1980 and has worked in the water department since that time.
Kevin’s also been part of the FVFD for a long time. “I used to help cook and do odds and ends for the fire department, and they finally just asked me to join. I’ve been a member for over 20 years now, and I just enjoy the heck out of it. I love the brotherhood, and the challenge of fighting fires.” A past chief, Kevin is currently First Assistant Fire Chief.
Hempfleng and his wife, Monica, a registered nurse at Thomas Hospital, have been married 13 years and have a little girl, Destiny, age 6. “She’s my hobby,” Kevin joked. “If I’m not working or firefighting or involved in community services out at the Elks Club, I’m home with her. She keeps me busy.” Kevin’s family also includes two grown children, Jessica and Kevin, three grown stepchildren, Cameron, Daniel, and Tanya, and six grandchildren.
|
