Our main fire apparatus is a 1991 4×4 E-One pumper that we acquired used in 2001. Since we bought 13B the regulations governing fire engines has changed. Due to those changes, we can no longer consider 13B a front-line engine for fire rating purposes. It is also the oldest piece of fire equipment in active frontline service within the city, with even the reserve trucks that Huntsville Fire and Rescue operates being 10 years or more newer than our beloved 13B. While this engine has served the mountain well, it is time to consider a replacement for the engine. We are in a unique position in the city, as we can tailor our equipment to the unique needs of our community, a community that we all love. The city does maintain an engine up here under our agreement to continue operating their station, but that engine is simply too large physically for everywhere in our district. There are several places on this mountain that the normal size fire engine such as 13A, and the ones that you see HFR using, simply cannot easily access due to their size. That is why when we got our current engine, we got an engine that was smaller than a normal pumper and can easily go down the unique, and narrow, driveways that we have on this mountain. The city currently has no plans to place a manned station up here, as our call volume and majority call type simply won’t support the manned station argument.

In 2022 we ran 48 calls for the year, 13 of which were fire calls in nature, with 1 brush fire being our only actual working fire. The city cannot justify the million-dollar or more annual expense of a station with that low of call volume, let alone one with the majority of the calls being medical. That is why we exist and why we have the unique equipment we do, to better serve the exact needs of our neighbors. We understand that this is no small fundraising effort, with a goal of $300,000. We humbly ask for your assistance in our capital campaign, and as a 501c3 organization any donation that is given is tax-deductible.

We accept donations via our PO Box address or at paypal.me/GMVFD .