Cullman City Councilman Andy Page, Cullman Fire Rescue Chief Edward Reinhardt and Cullman Mayor Woody Jacobs share a laugh at Thursday’s ribbon cutting ceremony for the city’s new fire station. Reinhardt will retire with 40 years of service on April 30, 2018. (W.C. Mann for The Tribune)
CULLMAN – Years of planning came to fruition on Thursday morning when the ribbon was officially cut on Cullman Fire Rescue’s (CFR) new administrative headquarters and Fire Station 3 off Alabama Highway 157 on Cullman’s north side. Retiring Chief Edward Reinhardt had the honor of wielding the giant scissors. The station has actually been in use for more than a month, playing an active role in the emergency response to the storms of March 19.
Cullman Mayor Woody Jacobs told the crowd, “Fire Station 3 was talked about–I started on the council in 2000, and it was a vision long before that . . . In Cullman fashion, we built something very appropriate. It is very nice, no doubt about that. Look at the facility: the command center’s up here now, training’s up here now, the station’s up here now, emergency medical calls are up here now. And it’s put it in a strategic location to better serve our community as it grows, and we just thank all of these guys and what they do for our community.”
Cullman City Council President Garlan Gudger said, “This all started with all of our visions, this community’s vision to have a better-quality fire protection, first responders, and we’ve set the bar higher than we’ve ever had in the history of the city of Cullman.”
Reinhardt told the audience, “It’s teamwork. You can’t say any one person made this happen. It comes from everybody. And I want to again reiterate and thank everybody that helped with it. I also want to take the time to thank the crews, my staff, everybody that helped get this ready for today; they did a tremendous job. I’d like to thank my wife and my family for their patience with me during this time, which was really hectic sometimes. I just want to say, ‘Thank you,’ and I hope it serves well for the community and everybody enjoys it.”
Gudger recognized former Cullman Mayor Max Townson and former Cullman Economic Development Agency Director Peggy Smith for their roles in the long-term planning for the station, and the three presented a plaque to Brad Pepper of Topre America for the company’s gift of $150,000 toward the project. Gudger also thanked Steve Glasscock of Merchant’s Bank for that institution’s help.
Division Chief Brian Bradberry led the department in presenting to Chief Reinhardt a retirement gift in celebration of his 40 years of service: the bell from CFR’s Engine 514, which was lost in an accident in 2006.
After the ribbon cutting, the department hosted an open house for visitors and a retirement luncheon for Chief Reinhardt and his family.
Read more about Chief Reinhardt at www.cullmantribune.com/articles/2018/04/19/fire-chief-edward-reinhardt-reflects-40-years-service.
For more on Station 3, see www.cullmantribune.com/articles/2018/03/10/sneak-peek-cullman-s-fire-station-no-3.
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