By Haley Mitchell Godwin

During the week of Nov. 19, volunteer fire departments across Crenshaw County enhanced their skills and preparedness by participating in specialized propane emergency training exercises facilitated by the Alabama Fire College. Held at the old Luverne Slacks factory, the training utilized the propane emergency simulator, a state-of-the-art unit designed to replicate real-life propane emergencies in a controlled environment.

Luverne Volunteer Fire Department Chief Bill McManigle discussed the importance of this type of training.

“There are a lot of new, young firefighters in various departments, and this kind of training really helps them get a feel for things,” McManigle said. “Training helps us all stay prepared. There’s more to it than just putting the wet stuff on the red stuff and we appreciate the Alabama Fire College for providing training.”

McManigle highlighted the connection between training and maintaining strong Insurance Services Office (ISO) ratings, which evaluate the effectiveness of a fire department’s services and range from one (the best) to 10. Crenshaw County departments have consistently maintained above average Class 4 ratings, which helps keep insurance premiums low for residents. 

“With more training opportunities than ever before, now is an excellent time to get involved,” McManigle said.

The simulator is equipped with propane tanks feeding two burners, allowing operators to adjust fire intensity and temperature. It can replicate challenging scenarios, allowing firefighters to practice responding to hazardous conditions safely.

The Highland Home Volunteer Fire & Rescue Department highlighted the training’s value in a Facebook post.

“This is vital training for our departments,” the post said. “We want to thank Acme Propane Gas of Highland Home for their continued support of this training. We could not do this training without them.”

Harrison Weed, Chief of the Bullock Community Volunteer Fire Department, said that it is extremely important for volunteer firefighters to meet and exceed the minimal training requirements for volunteer firefighters in Alabama.

“As firefighters, our mission is to protect lives and property and that starts with top-notch training,” Weed said. “The required training to become a volunteer firefighter in the State of Alabama is very minimal, but our citizens deserve the very best. So, in Crenshaw County we take pride in going above and beyond those requirements. 

“By investing in advanced local training, we ensure our firefighters are prepared to serve our citizens with the highest level of professionalism and safety. The Alabama Fire College provides essential training tools like the propane simulator, confined space trailer and mobile burn trailer, which equips our team to handle the challenges we face in the field.”

Dozier Volunteer Fire Department Chief Chase Burnett echoed these sentiments, noting that his department participated in three days of training.

“We are so blessed to have the Alabama Fire College offer this kind of training to us,” Burnett said. “Propane is a very common energy source for our predominantly rural communities and when these homes and businesses that use propane are exposed to fire, it is detrimental to our safety and success on the fire ground in handling those exposures.”

For those interested in volunteering, the Crenshaw County Association of Volunteer Fire Departments can be reached at (334) 335-4538.

Photos courtesy of Highland Home Volunteer Fire & Rescue Department.