By Hannah Curran, Editor
CENTER POINT — The Center Point Fire Chief, William Eugene “Rhino” Coleman, has retired after 43 years of faithful and honorable service.
Coleman’s introduction to the fire service dates back to 1976, when a trip to the fire station selling Bar-B-Que tickets for the local Civitan club introduced him to what would soon become his home away from home.
“I had an interest and kept going back,” Coleman said. “Those guys allowed me an opportunity to work with a career program, essentially a Career Exploration Program, which was through the Boy Scouts of America and Erwin High School; from that, I got very well hooked into the fire service.”
This organization allows young people the opportunity to serve their communities, and have an introduction to what may become their future career, much as Coleman did.
Coleman began his career in the fire service in 1979. At the age of sixteen, he became one of the youngest paid members of the Center Point Fire District; as Coleman’s time dedicated to the fire service grew, so did Center Point Fire District. At his point of hire, there were only two stations in the entire district.
“We had a station in Center Point and another one in Pinson,” Coleman said. “As the district grew, Jefferson County built fire station three in the Pawnee/Robinwood area. I had the opportunity to work the first shift at that fire station. We also built fire station four in Clay as those areas came into our district. Fire Station five was built in 1995, after the winter storm of 1993. The district saw fit to buy a house, build a lean-to and put fire apparatus there, but that fire station now is a really nice facility. I saw four fire stations go up, and EMS transport came in 1995.”
Fire Station No. 1 was in a flood plain and moved to the old Center Point Elementary School property, where he went to elementary school.
“My third-grade classroom was my office as a battalion chief,” Coleman said. “That building itself has so much history in Center Point, but as far as me personally going from first to sixth grade, there are several memories there. Just some awesome things that are still occurring today.
“The district was one of the early pilot projects in unincorporated Jefferson County to have a rescue unit or have paramedics. They would respond to medical emergencies pretty much all over the northeastern side of Jefferson County because there was nobody else besides private ambulances.”
Coleman said that by the 1990s, the private ambulances could not keep up with the demand for emergency medical services, so the leadership at the time created an ambulance section of the department and purchased three ambulances, They were placed in service and began transporting patients which increased patient continuity and decreased wait times for ambulances. Coleman also saw the creation of Jefferson County 911, which has aided the department in decreasing response times and providing enhanced information for the responders.
“That’s something we’re proud of, but at no time it was my department it was our department,” Coleman said. “Everybody in our organization has an opportunity to contribute and make the service better.”
As he rose through the ranks at Center Point Fire, he began a career at the Birmingham Fire and Rescue Service Department on January 3, 1989. In both departments, he rose to the rank of Battalion Chief. He announced his retirement at Birmingham Fire and Rescue, effective December 1, 2018, as he prepared to take the lead as the Fire Chief at Center Point Fire District.
Some of Coleman’s most cherished memories from the fire service include working with several youths in the exploring program and allowing them to learn the job properly, the same place where he got his start. Coleman always could be seen looking into the future “preparing our replacements” is a statement he often used to remind the veterans of the fire service to encourage them to continue mentoring their younger generations. Center Point Fire District has produced many firefighters, of which Coleman and others have worked closely with across the metro area.
The creation of the Alabama Fire Explorer weekend was one of his projects that made a difference. The Explorer Weekend brings youth from across Alabama to learn about firefighting. Each year about 150 youth travel to the Alabama Fire College in Tuscaloosa. Firefighters that were explorers volunteer their time to provide realistic hands-on training. It teaches firefighting but also values and brotherhood. The fire service is a close-knit group or a family. We were able to coordinate a trip to the nation’s capital for the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Service after September 11th”, Coleman said.
In the 50-plus years of The Center Point Fire District, Chief Coleman was only the fifth Fire Chief. He led a ninety-plus member organization with four fire stations that cover the cities of
Center Point, Clay, and Pinson and unincorporated sections of Jefferson County. Chief Coleman was honored to be trusted with this responsibility and promised to continue the great legacy of providing the very best fire and EMS service for the Center Point Fire District.
Coleman said he is extremely proud of the explorer program, one because it contributed to him becoming a firefighter. He continues to work with the Alabama Association of Fire Chiefs and the Southeastern Association of Fire Chiefs. He hopes to continue his involvement with those associations to mentor and share his knowledge gained from experience.
In his time as fire chief, the department lost six civilians in house fires. Alabama continues to lead the nation in fire deaths. Center Point Fire District has a program “Turn your attention to fire prevention.”
Center Point Fire District is committed to preventing the loss of life from fire, and they remind the public to:
- Keep a beep where you sleep
- Close the door where you snore
- Have your address properly posted on the street
- Have a plan of where to meet outside if there’s a fire in your home
“Our number is 911, and we still make house calls,” Coleman added
As far as plans after retirement, just hoping to continue to contribute to others. He looks forward to spending time with his family and living life to the fullest. He will wait to see what doors God opens in the future.