Sydney Cromwell
Homewood Fire Department
Fire engines wait in the garage at Fire Station 1 off Central Avenue.
The fire department's vehicle reserve has been stretched to its limit recently after unexpected problems put two main engines and one reserve in the repair shop.
Fire Battalion Chief Mike Anastasia said typically repair work puts an engine out of service for a day or two. However, this has not been the case with Engines 1, 3 and 5.
Though the repairs are moving ahead of schedule, Anastasia said the soonest one of the engines will be returned to duty is in three to four days. The second will be repaired in a little over a week, and the third will be in the shop for about a month.
"It's been a rough year," Anastasia said of the repairs during the July 27 city council meeting.
The fire department has still been running at full staffing, Anastasia said, by utilizing the two remaining reserve engines. Homewood only began keeping three reserve engines about three years ago, and has never faced this problem before. Had another maintenance problem arisen, he said Vestavia Hills and Mountain Brook Fire Departments had volunteered their reserve engines for temporary use.
Anastasia asked the city council for $15,000 in funding for the needed repairs, which include fixing the transmission in Engine 1. He noted that $2,000 was allocated specifically to Engine 5 and the council could choose not to give that amount at the present meeting. However, he said he would have to return by mid-August to request that money again.
The council voted to give the fire department the full amount, which will be coupled with some funding the fire department already has to complete the repairs.
