This is the fifth in a six-part series on Volunteer Fire Departments in Cullman County.

With 693 square miles to cover, Cullman County’s 26 volunteer fire departments have their work cut out for them responding to situations ranging from trees in the roadway and medical crises to automobile accidents and house fires. But help is never far away, as every home in the county is located within five miles of a fire station.

What makes it work, says Joe Golden, vice president of the Cullman County Association of Volunteer Fire Departments and chief of the Gold Ridge Volunteer Fire Department, is the cooperation between the departments and other entities in the county.

“All the departments work together,” Golden said. “I know if I need help I just have to call for it.”

Which department gets called first for an emergency is determined by a system set up about 20 years ago with the formation of the E-911 service.

Roger Humphrey, administrative director of Cullman County E-911, said it was determined then which department is toned out depending on the address of the emergency. Today, when a call comes in, a computer screen shows a map of the county and highlights where the call is coming from. It also lists the name of the primary department responsible for the call and the next closest departments. It also lists the responding law enforcement office and ambulance service, Humphrey said.

Dispatch then tones out the first volunteer fire department on the list. Each department has its own tone, recognizable by the length and pitch of its signal.

Golden said the situation will determine how many departments will get toned out.

Small fires, medical calls and auto accidents usually require one department to be called out.

“On a structure fire, we automatically call out the closest department,” Golden said.

There are times, Golden said, when a department may not be available. He said it’s then the dispatcher discretion to call the next department on the list. The times when that happens, he said, is mostly during regular work hours.

“We’re pretty fortunate to the extent that we’ve got people who work at all various times,” Golden said.

Fortunately, he said as well as living in the area they cover, most of the volunteer firefighters work there, too.

The cooperation flows over into the other emergency response personnel in the county, Golden said.

He said the departments work well with the Sheriff’s Office, whom they often assist during traffic accidents and at other scenes.

But nothing would work without the volunteers and community support.

“Our volunteers are very important and community support is also vital because we depend on the community to help support us financially,” Golden said.

The support pays off, he said, in ISO ratings and it’s not something they take lightly.

“We want to do the right thing,” Golden said. “Both save lives and property and save money on insurance ratings.”