Cullman Economic Development Agency Director Dale Greer speaks with other local officials in the kitchen of Cullman Fire Rescue Station No. 3.

Cullman’s fire coverage is now greater than it has ever been after the recent opening of Cullman Fire Rescue Station No. 3.

The department hosted a ribbon cutting for the station Thursday afternoon, and local officials gathered to celebrate its opening and get a look at the new facility. 

Cullman Mayor Woody Jacobs said Fire Station No. 3 was a vision for the city for many years, but the end result was worth the wait, as the city’s fire coverage .

“In Cullman fashion, we built something very appropriate,” he said. “It was put in a strategic location to better serve our community as it grows.”

The $4.8 million station features four bays, a classroom, lodging for firefighters and an operations and administrative center. Fire Station No. 1 at City Hall is still staffed and in operation, as well as No. 2 in the west side of the city.

Also included in the features is a tower that will double as a hose dryer and for technical rescue training.

Cullman City Council President Garlan Gudger said the project would not have been possible without the efforts of Jacobs and the current City Council, former Mayor Max Townson, longtime Cullman Economic Director Peggy Smith and many others who shared the same vision to help the people of Cullman.

“There’s no ‘I’ in team,” he said. “This all started with all of our vision, this community’s vision.”

He also gave special thanks to Topre America Corporation for donating $100,000 in seed money that helped the construction of the station get off the ground and Merchants Bank of Alabama for selling the land on which the station was built.

Through all of those people working together, the city now has some of the best equipment and facilities around, and the people of Cullman will be safer because of it, Gudger said. 

“We’ve set the bar higher than we ever have in the history of Cullman,” he said.

Reinhardt retiring after 40 year

The afternoon’s festivities also included a send off for Chief Edward Reinhardt, who will be retiring at the end of the month after 40 years in Cullman Fire Rescue and nine years as the department’s chief.

Division Chief Brian Bradberry, who will be taking over as chief, introduced Reinhardt and spoke about the leadership that Reinhardt has shown over his career. 

“He loves this community and this department, and he’s always been a great leader,” he said.

Out of his many accomplishments, Reinhardt enhanced the department’s medical response, and he was also the driving force behind many of the department’s grants over the last several years, including the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response Grant that was used to hire 12 new firefighters ton increase the city’s coverage, Bradberry said.

Multiple truck purchases and equipment upgrades have also made Cullman Fire Rescue one of the best-equipped departments in the state, and all of those accomplishments will save lives in the community and will continue to do so for years to come, Bradberry said. 

“When he’s gone, I’m gone, we’re all gone, he’s still going to be saving lives,” he said. 

Reinhardt kept his own remarks brief, but expressed his gratitude to everyone who helped in the construction of the new station and for the people he has served for the past four decades. 

“I just want to say thank you, and I hope it serves well for the people of this community,” he said.

Is staffed with professional firefighters 24/7.

Features four engine bays that currently house multiple fire engines, an emergency response trailer and an Advanced Life Support rescue truck.

Has a hose tower built to hoist and dry fire hose that also doubles as a Rope Rescue Training Center, complete with rope anchoring systems installed.

Includes a connected Fire Department Administration Building that houses all of the fire department administration offices.

Has an Emergency Command Center/ Training Classroom that is also built to withstand storms.

Has a natural gas backup generator to keep the fire station functional during power outages.