Craft VFD holding open house/fun Day Saturday

HALEYVILLE - Great summer fun with a purpose is planned for Saturday, Aug. 10, at the Craft Volunteer Fire Department.
Craft VFD will be holding its first-ever open house/fun day beginning at 10 a.m. at the Craft Fire Station, located at 7109 County Highway 19 (Thornhill Road) off of Highway 129 near Haleyville.  There will be water slides - provided by Partyville Rentals - a bouncy house and an appearance by Marshall from “Paw Patrol.”  A free lunch will be served and free smoke detectors will be given away.
Firefighters are also hopeful that Air Evac will be able to land a helicopter at the department during the event for people to see.  Attendees will also get to look at Craft’s fleet of rescue vehicles, which includes a pumper, a tanker, a mini-pumper and a Suburban, which is used as a rescue vehicle.
While firefighters are hoping the community will come out and have a great time during this event, they are also hoping those in attendance will see the need for volunteer fire departments and will consider signing up to volunteer.  Craft VFD currently has less than 20 members, whose ages average in the 40s.  In 2023, the department responded to 125 calls, including providing mutual aid to surrounding departments, a significant amount for a small group of volunteers.  With a majority of their calls being of a medical nature, and with most of the firefighters holding down full-time jobs along with volunteering, there is a need to have more volunteers ready to go when the call comes.
“It’s hard.  We have 9-5 jobs, and your call volume is more during the week.  We need younger people to sign up.  We want to get the kids involved and get them to show an interest,”  Craft VFD Chief Ray Cantrell said.
Requirements to be a volunteer firefighter at Craft are being 18, having a driver’s license and living less than 16 miles from the fire station.  In-house training is provided, along with CPR certification, which is renewed every two years.  The department is open to men and women to join.
Craft Volunteer Fire Department was formed in 2017, and covers 64 square miles, including Highway 278 toward Brilliant, up Highway 241 to Cherry Hill Road and South Haleyville.
One of Craft VFD’s founding members and  assistant chief, John Chambers, hopes the community will turn out for the open house and fun day, as well as make a decision to volunteer.
“Fire departments don’t survive without community support,”  Chambers said.
Cantrell and the fire department thank the community for its continued support and look forward to everyone coming out for this event.
“We wanted to do something for the community to come out to and enjoy.  Hopefully, we will also get some people to sign up to volunteer,”  Cantrell said.
Updates on both the fun day/open house and other things happening at Craft VFD are always available at the department’s Facebook page, located under Craft Volunteer Fire Department.
Potential volunteers are always welcome to stop by the fire station on Monday nights at 6 p.m. when Craft holds its weekly drill to see firsthand what firefighters do and learn more about the department.