The St. Albans Fire
Department has a 100 year old history of serving the City of St. Albans
community. Beginning in 1906 with the St. Albans Salvage Corps and
there efforts to preserve property which later became the St. Albans Fire
Company 1. Staffed by all volunteers efforts shifted to not only preserving
property but life safety. In the early 1950’s the department initiated the
shift to full-time staff in efforts to improve the quality of service.
Currently the fire department has 22 full-time and 11 part-time firefighters
and maintains an ISO Class 3 protection rating. The fire department
responds to all types of emergencies including EMS, Auto Accidents, Water
Rescue, Trench and High Angle Rescue, and Haz-Mat. The department has 12
firefighters who participate with the WV Regional Response Team to WMD
events. The firefighters provide fire prevention education and safety to
over 2000 children annually. The department visits all businesses annually
to insure that the buildings within town are safe and to build relationships
with business owners and managers. Unlike the days of the past the
firefighters are highly trained to handle all types of emergencies and are
always willing and capable to assist the citizens of this great city. Many
times annually I receive letters from citizens commenting on the
professionalism and the genuine compassion the firefighters have for the
citizens they serve.
The fire department has two stations; one located at Walnut Street (Highlawn Station), and the main Station on 6th Ave, (Central Station). St. Albans is approximately 6.8 sq miles with a population of 11,248 (2000 Census). Annually the department responds to approximately 1,700 emergencies. The department operates with an annual budget of approximately $1.5 million.