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VALLEY — Administrators from the East Alabama Fire Department were guest speakers at last week’s meeting of the Kiwanis Club of Valley. Captain Cody Sims talked about what he does on the fire department side, and Captain Brandon Elliott discussed the EMS side.

Sims has been with East Alabama for 17 years and is the current day shift captain. He handles anything that’s fire prevention-related. This includes public relations-related appearances in local schools, inspections and fire investigators when they are needed. “We have spent a lot of time lately at the new Chick-fil-A, making sure everything adheres to fire codes and life safety,” he said. “This is routine for any new business. We also make sure existing businesses are within the city’s fire codes.”

While the East Alabama Water, Sewer and Fire Protection District is a separate entity from the City of Valley, the EAFD does work closely with the city on code-related matters. “We want to make sure everything is right when it comes to codes,” Sims said. “We want to make sure fire extinguishers are in place, up-to-date and properly tagged. We want to make sure all exit doors are clear.”

It’s a service of the EAFD to provide free fire and smoke detectors to anyone who lives in their jurisdiction. “We will install it for you at no charge,” he said. “This is something every home and every business should have. We also encourage everyone to change their smoke detector battery at least once a year to make sure it works properly.”

Sims said his department averages 20 structure fires every year. “We have more fires than that, but thankfully most of them are under control before they become fully involved,” he said. “In many cases, we can get control of a kitchen fire before it gets out of control.”

The EAFD has two stations, the main location on Fob James Drive and a new station near the Fairfax Mill site. “We run five firefighters per shift,” Sims said. “We have three firefighters at the engine company on Fob James and two more in Fairfax. We have two medics on duty at all times, one on Fob James and one in Fairfax. The medics don’t do anything that’s fire-related. They are there for anything that’s medical.”

Capt. Elliott is over anything that’s EMS-related. He reviews all calls and sends the needed information to the billing company. East Alabama EMS averages 240 calls every month, or around 2,850 per year.

Eight paramedics are on four rotating shifts. It’s usually 24 hours on duty and 48 hours off.

“We do lots of training,” Elliott said. “We want to make sure everyone is up to date. Each paramedic gets in 60 hours of continuing education every two years. “

A member of the club asked Elliott under what circumstances will a helicopter be called to transport someone for emergency care. “We will call a helicopter if someone is exhibiting stroke symptoms,” he said. “They usually take them to Piedmont Regional Hospital in Columbus, which has the closest stroke center. We can take them there by ambulance as long as we can stay under 80 miles an hour. We may also call a helicopter for a trauma case, but you have to have them stable before you call them. We want the public to know that we will always do our best for our patients. We undergo training all the time.”

Elliott said that East Alabama EMS gets lots of calls for routine injuries, such as someone falling and can’t get up. “We will go to any incident that could involve a stroke, heart attack or trauma,” he said.

They also get calls they shouldn’t get. They don’t need to tie up an ambulance and its crew if someone is having a stomach ache. “This is a problem all across the country,” he said. “Ambulances don’t need to be tied up in the minor situations,” he said. “It can be a real problem if something more serious happens somewhere else.”

As anyone who has driven past Chick-fil-A recently has noticed, they are counting off the days till they open. It should be by Friday, December 6th.

Sims has a word of advice for those who are leaving Chick-fil-A. “I think it will be best to turn right on 33rd Street and turn left to 35th Street (which runs between Bradshaw Library and Walmart) and get the traffic light on Highway 29.”

It’s risky to get back on Highway 29 from 33rd Street, especially if they are heading north.

One nice feature of the new Chick-fil-A is ample parking. “They will have more than most of the Chick-fil-As I have seen,” he said. “They will also have two covered drive-in lanes.”