TO THE RESCUE

Wayne Shirley was hired in 2001 as the city’s first fire chief, and since then, has served as its only municipal chief.

Chelsea Fire and Rescue is comprised of full- and part-time employees and volunteers, but started out as an all-volunteer group in 1977.

“I believe in volunteers,” Shirley said. “That’s the way I started.”

His father, Donald Shirley, was a volunteer firefighter when Wayne was growing up.

“I used to go with him to volunteer calls and volunteer training nights,” Wayne said. “Going with my dad on calls is how I got started here.”

In 1981, Wayne became a junior volunteer with the fire department.

“They would allow you to do that at age 14 back then,” Wayne said.

As a 35-year veteran in the fire service, he has seen changes not only in the department’s staff, but in equipment and call type and volume.

“We started running medical calls in the early ’80s,” Wayne said. “Now, medical calls are the majority of the calls we run.”

The department started in a two-bay building down the road from Station 31, on Chesser Drive.

Station 31 sits on the original site of Lloyd’s Restaurant before it moved to its current location on U.S. 280 in Birmingham.

Station 32 is located on Shelby County 69, and Station 33 is on Shelby County 51.

When the department was a volunteer group, an old military fire truck donated to the city became the first fire engine, Wayne said.

Now, the department has multiple engines stocked with equipment and supplies critical in emergencies, such as heart monitors for patients and more reliable safety gear for firefighters.

“Our best asset is our staff,” Wayne said. “We just have a great group of folks here. Everybody here wears multiple hats. It takes everybody on the team and doing what they’re good at in making that area of the department better.”

In addition to answering calls, the department operates a volunteer chaplain program and an Explorers program for young people interested in a fire service career.

“I feel the department’s role is to serve. If there’s a need we can help with, then I think it’s our responsibility to do so,” Wayne said. “I’m very proud of that. That’s what it’s going to be as long as I’m around.”

Wayne said he expects the department to grow as the city continues to grow.

“I’m looking forward to next 20 years in Chelsea,” Wayne said. “I think bright days are ahead for this department as well.”

The Chelsea COP is entering its 17th year of existence as an all-volunteer organization.

“From the inception to now, we have had on the rolls 102 members,” COP Director Jim Thornton said. “From 2004 until now, COP has volunteered almost 67,000 hours.”

The group consists of about 40 active members, with 13 new members since last year – the most ever in one year, Thornton said.

Niven called COP members “dedicated individuals” for keeping the group active since its formation.

“I think we are doing what we were chartered to do and always looking for ways to do it better,” Thornton said.

Thornton, who moved with his wife to Chelsea 10 years ago and joined the COP in May 2013, was appointed in July 2015 to succeed Bill Robertson as director.

Thornton also served as an associate director for a year.

“I think we enjoy a really good relationship with (Chelsea) Fire and Rescue and the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office,” Thornton said. “We get comments from a lot of citizenry, especially about the ghost car. It serves as the deterrent that we want it to be.”

The city pays for the expenses the COP incurs to operate the program, including uniforms, fuel, vehicle maintenance and miscellaneous expenses, Thornton said.

Regarding equipment, the COP has added two vehicles to its fleet in the last few years, and the group has its own tower and radio network that ties into the Chelsea Fire and Rescue system.

Thornton said the fire department has been instrumental in helping the COP get the right equipment and in having it installed properly.

“Through this, we also have the capability to receive 911 calls as text messages, an asset if we’re out and need to respond to a situation,” Thornton said. “It always can be better, but I think we’re able to have communications, so we’ve pretty much got the bases covered. I think we’re extremely fortunate that we have the support of the city, fire department and sheriff’s office to keep the citizenry aware of what we’re doing.”

The COP unveiled its new website, ChelseaCOP.com, this year. Designed by Chelsea resident Chuck Watkins with New Leaf Design, the website allows residents to contact the COP, and it features tools COP members can use for daily patrol and other duties.