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Opine-Tallahatta newest VFD in Clarke County
Department revived From the mid-1970s through the mid-'80s, the area had a fire department but back then there were no state or county funds available to help departments purchase equipment or even keep what they had in running order. At that time the department had an old army truck they had converted into a pumper. There was no place to house the truck and in the winter all the water had to be drained out of it. In early 2005 members of the community, who had on several occasions banded together to help put out fires in the area, expressed an interest in reviving the department. 'Overwhelming support' "We called a meeting and there was just overwhelming support in favor of starting a department," Tim Kelley, president of the fire department's board of directors, said. Over the next several months volunteers researched state and county regulations and approached the Clarke County Commission and the Clarke County Firefighters Association about adding a new fire department. "We had to convince them we needed a fire department out here," Kelley said. Because the department would not be in a municipality it had to be established as a non-profit organization with a governing board. Board members Board members included Kelley as president, Doug Pugh, vicepresident; Marie Slade, secretary; Harold Agee, treasurer; and Rusty Bishop, Perry Dailey, Rex Rush and Kim Grocholl, board members. Bishop also serves as the chief of the volunteer fire department. Membership includes 35 firefighters and three junior firefighters. At the beginning of 2006 all the department had was volunteers. There was no fire station, no land to build a station on and no trucks. A lot has changed in a year's time. Donations, loan got it going Money was donated so land could be purchased to build a station. A loan was soon secured and a new fire station, which includes three bays for trucks, an office, meeting room, restroom, kitchen and storage room, was built by members of the community in July and August. "When we were building the station we even had people cooking for us," Rush said. "The whole community has really gotten involved," Kelley added. A 1974 750 gallon pumper was donated to the department in April by Alabama Port Fire Department. The department also has a 1990 one-ton pickup on loan from the Alabama Forestry Commission. The truck was converted to a brush truck. Grant funds were used to outfit the truck with a pump and tank. In December they received a $50,000 rural development grant, which was used to purchase a 1,000 gallon pumper truck. Around that same time the department was certified by the state as a Class 10 department. Good ISO rating The county commission had agreed to help fund the department once they were given a Class 9 ISO rating. The department's board was notified this month that the department had been given a 7/9 ISO rating by the Public Protection Department and can now receive its portion of the county's fire tax. The department also officially joined the county association of firefighters during the March meeting. "During the course of all this our chief has been conducting monthly training sessions, which helped us get our ISO rating," Kelley said. In addition to the donated pumper truck, other fire departments have donated equipment and turnout gear. Various individuals and businesses have also donated materials, services and money to help get the department going. "We really got a lot of help from Roy Mott, who is over the state volunteer fire departments and Nivory Gordon with USDA Rural Development," Agee said. Mott helped the group cut through the legal red tape and Gordon helped them secure the grant they needed to purchase the pumper truck. The Opine-Tallahatta Springs district includes the Tallahatta Springs, Opine, Woods Bluff, Morvin and Campbell communities, which were formerly covered by Thomasville and West Bend fire departments. They have responded to five calls since being certified. "This has truly been a community effort. There has been a lot enthusiasm. We're really proud the department and it's a testament to our community spirit. I think we'll continue to improve and upgrade," Kelley said. Open house planned
An open house and fundraiser will be held Saturday, May 19 the fire department, beginning at p.m. They plan to have entertainment, concessions, a cake auction and a quilt auction.
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