With the City of Cullman planning to build a third fire station on the north side of town, local industry Topre America Corporation has decided to donate $100,000 to help kickstart the process.

Company officials said the city has always been a close and supportive partner, and they believe a third station will benefit the entire community. So, they wanted to help make it happen.

“We understand the need and realize the importance of continuing the excellent fire service provided to the industrial areas and to Topre,” Topre America president Hideo Shimizu and vice-president Brad Pepper said in a joint statement. “Topre America wants to be a part of helping the city with this important public project. We realize the new station is on the north end of town, but more trained personnel and equipment translates into maintaining and preserving service for industrial, commercial and residential areas.”

Cullman Mayor Max Townson thanked the officials for the donation, and noted Topre has a long history of community support, dating back to the 2011 tornadoes that caused significant damage to the city and county.

“This is a great contribution for a community-minded, and safety-focused, company,” he said.

Cullman officials have hired Goodwyn, Mills & Cawood for engineering services related to the design and construction of a proposed Fire Station No. 3, which will be located on the north side of the city. Officials are close to closing a deal on a property purchase.

The city has set aside $163,000 to finalize a design for the station, and engineers are working with Cullman Fire Rescue to ensure the final plans fit the needs of the growing department.

The new station has been a need for quite some time, though the award of a new $1.1 million grant set to fund a dozen new fire fighters served as a major catalyst to get the project off the ground. The Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) Grant will be used to hire a total of 12 new firefighters, and the grant will fund those new hires for two years.

With the firefighter funding in place, the city has authorized Mayor Max Townson to finalize and negotiate terms to purchase four acres near the corner of Alabama Highway 157 and U.S Highway 31. Officials believe the location is an optimum base to serve the economic and construction growth on the north side of the city.

Fire chief Junior Reinhardt noted the location of the station will not only improve response times on the north side of the city, but also provide an extra unit for operation, so a truck will still be available to run calls in the event of a fire.

“It gives us another unit in service for back-up, which is huge,” he said.

With the city’s second fire station, built just a few years ago in west Cullman on Main Avenue, already starting to feel cramped, officials hope to include at least four top five bays at the new station to allow space for future growth. Reinhardt noted they already have enough vehicles now to fill bays in both of the existing stations, as well as the new station.

Townson said he anticipates a deal for the property should be closed by the end of the year.

The city has been applying to the SAFER grant program for years, and with the funds finally lined up, Reinhardt recently said it will allow the department to drastically increase its available response capabilities.