GULF SHORES FIRE RESCUE BY THE NUMBERS

Getting To Know Your Fire Department

Wow, what a year it has been for the Gulf Shores Fire Department! There have been a lot of things put in place in just twelve short months that have already proven to be so crucial to the citizens of Gulf Shores. We have seen our personnel grow by eleven this year, enabling us to do things we were unable to do in the past. Thank you to our Mayor and City Council for being a part of making this happen.

The area in which we serve is very dynamic, and for us, that means we have to be proficient in several areas to ensure the safety of our citizens and tourists. Within our community, we have the potential for emergencies far outside the normal house fire and EMS call. In Gulf Shores, we are challenged with surf rescue, high-rise condominiums, and an intracoastal waterway with supply barges making their way through every day, not to mention our daily population can grow by several hundred percent on a holiday weekend. I only mention this to acknowledge some of the things we have been able to put in place this year to help ensure we continue to be prepared for the potential emergencies within our city.

As mentioned before, this year we increased our manpower by eleven. Having expanded our workforce, we are able to staff a ladder truck full-time for the first time in Gulf Shores. This is huge for our community since we have so many highrise structures. As with all fire departments in the country, EMS is the leading cause of emergency calls that we run. One of the new personnel we were able to put in place was a full-time EMS Officer to ensure all of our providers maintain the highest level of continued education training. He also oversees all of the daily EMS operations for our department. Another aspect this position has had a massive influence on is the growing number of Nationally Registered Paramedics within our department. Just this year, we have had fourteen newly graduated paramedics and eleven more in school. By the time this group of firefighters finish their schooling, we will have over eighty percent of our firefighters certified as Nationally Registered Paramedics ensuring our citizens are receiving the best care possible. The last position we were able to create was a Fire Inspector. This position assists the Fire Marshall with the ever-growing demand of new construction, renovation, and community risk reduction. One thing we were able to implement this year was a smoke detector program that ensures every home in the City of Gulf Shores has at least one working smoke alarm.

2022 brought great things to our fire department and the people living and staying in our city. I feel that we are one of the all-around best-trained departments. Most importantly, our crew has a true passion for being public servants. With 2023 on the horizon, our department is prepared to grow and learn from our past experiences. We are honored to continue to serve the citizens of the City of Gulf Shores!