In both departments, he rose to the rank of Battalion Chief.
“Everybody in our organization has an opportunity to contribute and make the service better.”Īs he rose through the ranks at Center Point Fire, he began a career at the Birmingham Fire and Rescue Service Department on January 3, 1989. “That’s something we’re proud of, but at no time it was my department it was our department,” Coleman said. Coleman also saw the creation of Jefferson County 911, which has aided the department in decreasing response times and providing enhanced information for the responders. They would respond to medical emergencies pretty much all over the northeastern side of Jefferson County because there was nobody else besides private ambulances.”Ĭoleman said that by the 1990s, the private ambulances could not keep up with the demand for emergency medical services, so the leadership at the time created an ambulance section of the department and purchased three ambulances, They were placed in service and began transporting patients which increased patient continuity and decreased wait times for ambulances. “The district was one of the early pilot projects in unincorporated Jefferson County to have a rescue unit or have paramedics. Just some awesome things that are still occurring today. “That building itself has so much history in Center Point, but as far as me personally going from first to sixth grade, there are several memories there. “My third-grade classroom was my office as a battalion chief,” Coleman said. 1 was in a flood plain and moved to the old Center Point Elementary School property, where he went to elementary school. I saw four fire stations go up, and EMS transport came in 1995.”įire Station No. The district saw fit to buy a house, build a lean-to and put fire apparatus there, but that fire station now is a really nice facility. Fire Station five was built in 1995, after the winter storm of 1993. We also built fire station four in Clay as those areas came into our district. I had the opportunity to work the first shift at that fire station. “As the district grew, Jefferson County built fire station three in the Pawnee/Robinwood area. “We had a station in Center Point and another one in Pinson,” Coleman said. At his point of hire, there were only two stations in the entire district. At the age of sixteen, he became one of the youngest paid members of the Center Point Fire District as Coleman’s time dedicated to the fire service grew, so did Center Point Fire District. This organization allows young people the opportunity to serve their communities, and have an introduction to what may become their future career, much as Coleman did.Ĭoleman began his career in the fire service in 1979. “Those guys allowed me an opportunity to work with a career program, essentially a Career Exploration Program, which was through the Boy Scouts of America and Erwin High School from that, I got very well hooked into the fire service.” “I had an interest and kept going back,” Coleman said. Coleman’s introduction to the fire service dates back to 1976, when a trip to the fire station selling Bar-B-Que tickets for the local Civitan club introduced him to what would soon become his home away from home.
0 kommentar(er)
