COLONY, Ala. – The Colony Town Council’s Tuesday meeting became an informal referendum on the community’s volunteer fire service, with officials and audience members sharing concerns about an apparent lack of response to emergency calls by the department.
When Councilwoman Ethel Alexander pointed out that Colony 911 calls go to Blount County dispatch (Town Clerk Patricia Ponder specified in later discussion that land line calls go to Cullman dispatch while cell phone calls go to Blount) and recommended that Colony get a well-equipped first aid kit to keep at town hall and call on medical professionals in the area to volunteer their services to be on call for emergencies, Councilwoman Jasmine Cole countered that the Colony Volunteer Fire Department (CVFD) is supposed to have the first aid items Alexander was recommending. Alexander stated that the department is difficult to contact and seems to be dealing with internal issues that prevent it from functioning as it should. Police and Fire Committee Chairman Sam Ashford told the council that he had spoken with a CVFD representative and had planned on having someone from the department at Tuesday’s meeting, but none was present.
Volunteer fire departments across the country have, in recent years, seen a decline in new recruits as regulations have increased the amount of training and certifications required, and many younger people have shown less willingness to volunteer free service in dangerous fields like firefighting.
Mayor Curtis Johnson told the council and audience that he was once the CVFD chief and talked about the amount of training the firefighters go through, before recommending that those present encourage the department to recruit younger people to serve. Alexander told the council that it needs to find out just what the CVFD is capable of doing at present.
Audience members, who have been quite vocal during recent council controversies, addressed the emergency response problem as well.
One member, responding to council discussion about things the CVFD could do, said bluntly, “Don’t be ashamed to admit that we don’t have a practical fire department.”
Audience members called on the mayor and council to rebuild their relationships with fire departments in surrounding communities like Arkadelphia and Dodge City, both of whose departments have recently responded to calls in Colony, and to find out from the CVFD what resources that department actually has. Ponder told the council and audience that the community needs to reach out to its department, attend department meetings and offer encouragement to both potential recruits and current members.
Ponder also offered a piece of practical advice to anyone calling 911 on a cell phone: Specify that you are calling from Cullman County. An emergency call to Blount County dispatch will be routed to Cullman immediately if the dispatcher knows that the call came from this county.
Other council business
The council tabled three agenda items:
- A proposed resolution from Councilman Eric Carwell that would change council meetings from twice to once per month with the other meeting time reserved for council committee meetings. Johnson argued that the resolution should not be on the agenda since it was presented by an individual council member and not a committee.
- A proposed resolution, also by Carwell, that the council take action to control spending, as the Town has very limited financial resources. Johnson raised the same objection.
- A petition placed on the agenda by Johnson to review the Town’s expired contract with Verizon. The council decided in discussion to look into other possible plans including a phone/internet bundle, since Ponder reported that town hall’s current internet is unreliable. Cole said that she would contact AT&T, which already provides phone and internet service to the community.
In discussion, Cole pointed out the $12,000 grant received by the Colony Public Library this week from the Cullman County Community Development Commission and said that she would talk to the library board about its plans for the grant. The application submitted to the CCCDC stated that the money would be used for “IT equipment and furniture.”
The Colony Town Council meets for work sessions at 5 p.m. on the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month at Colony Town Hall, with regular meeting following immediately. The public is invited to attend.
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