SLOCOMB: 6:29 PM Geneva County E911 dispatched Slocomb Fire Rescue, Fadette Volunteer Fire Rescue and Malvern Volunteer Fire Rescue to 701 E. Lawrence Harris Highway for a fire in a production commodities warehouse.
While responding and based on information provided by Geneva County 911 and arriving units Slocomb Fire – Rescue Chief Kyle Hovey mutual aid requested Rehobeth Fire – Rescue to be dispatched. One reason for Chief Hovey’s mutual aid request of Rehobeth Fire – Rescue to be dispatched is Rehobeth Fire – Rescue has a ladder truck.
Chief Hovey, who as Fire Chief attempts to stay informed what businesses have, cautioned responding units of forklifts inside with propane tanks and urged the fireman to exercise caution, Also Chief Hovey knows where the fire hydrants are located and instructed incoming fire engines of their specific location and what to connect to as they arrived.
Slocomb Engine Company 4 arrived on scene and gave a BIR ( Brief Incident Report ) which provided specific details. Some of those details, a commercial metal building, single story, smoke and flames visible and top include, heavy black pressurized smoke visible from approximately 20,000 square-foot warehouse.
Slocomb Fire – Rescue made forcible entry into the building. Slocomb Fire – Rescue and incoming foreman from responding departments made an interior offensive attack on the active fire. The fireman located several tons of peanuts and pallets on fire. Fire crews were able to extinguish the fire.
The City of Slocomb local street department responded with their backhoe to assist the owner of the warehouse in removing smoldering products. No one was injured.
Slocomb, Fadette, Malvern, in Geneva County, Rehobeth, Taylor, Bay Springs and Southern Junction in Houston County and Wicksburg in Houston County, all border each other as does Hartford. Each department views county lines for political people and not for emergencies. And they all assist each other.
Geneva County depends on the municipalities for emergency EMS coverage and Geneva County supports the EMS to only $ 1,000.00 per year. Slocomb Fire – Rescue staff is comprised of paid and volunteer, but they handle both fire and EMS services and all are trained in both fire fighting and EMS. Tonight with the active fire of a commercial 20,000 square foot building took their resources. Not wanting to bring Hartford rescue to the east end of Geneva County, and Rehobeth Fire – Rescue having equipment and resources in Slocomb and Rehobeth maintaining coverage for their territory, Mr. Joey Pilcher of Pilcher Ambulance in Dothan dispatched a ambulance crew to Slocomb to stand by in the event any EMS calls came into the east end of Geneva County while Slocomb Fire – Rescue fought the fire.
TO THE CITIZENS OF GENEVA COUNTY AND HOUSTON COUNTY … I probably monitor radio traffic more than most people. I heard this fire when dispatched. In listening to the response, Chief Hovey responding from home, Operations Chief Brandon Hovey responding from Dothan with his family, the on duty and off duty members of Slocomb Fire – Rescue responding from the station and those not at the station from wherever on a Saturday night, adjacent departments responding, Geneva County 911 in management of radio traffic and resources, Slocomb Police and Geneva County Sheriff Department, each of you citizens can be proud of your emergency responders. They do this out of a heart of service, many for free and those paid are paid very little for the emergencies they handle.
GOOD JOB!!!!
