Sylacauga Fire Department

03/15/2026

It’s that time of year again. We have a potential for strong storms overnight tonight. Almost all of Alabama is under threat from severe thunderstorms, strong winds, hail, and, yes, possible tornadoes. As this is an overnight event, so please ensure you have multiple ways to be woken up if your location is threatened. Multiple local phone apps and/or weather radios are great options for this purpose! Do not rely on tornado sirens to wake you up overnight - they are designed for outdoors notification only. As always, have a plan in place for when severe weather threatens and pay close attention to updates from local meteorologists and the National Weather Service throughout the day and overnight!

11/16/2025

This week, we have the incredible privilege of announcing our newest, certified firefighter. Firefighter Caden Machen completed the Alabama Fire College recruit school hosted by Mountain Brook Fire Department. Recruit school is an incredibly grueling 10-week (or 400 hour) course to become a certified firefighter in the state of Alabama. We are so proud of Firefighter Machen for completing recruit school - something only .1% of the US population will ever accomplish! He will be back on his assigned shift serving our community this coming week, completely filling all 3 of our shifts with our maximum budgeted personnel. If you happen to see Firefighter Machen in the coming weeks, be sure to congratulate him on his graduation!

10/24/2025

At the Fire Department, every day is a new adventure. Some days, every hour is a new adventure! This morning’s adventure was rescuing a friendly puppy who had fallen into an old well. Thankfully, the well was dry, and our new four-legged friend was brought up, in need of a bath, but completely unharmed.

10/24/2025

We are proud of Caden and his hard work during Recruit School. We can’t wait to get him back on shift next month, and we look forward to him serving our community for many years to come!

2025 Recruit Highlight-Caden Machen

10/11/2025

Although we know the weather is nice this weekend, we would like to remind everyone that you shouldn’t be burning outside/yard trash. For one, Talladega County is still under the ADEM burn ban until November 1. Additionally, the state is under a Fire Danger Advisory from the Alabama Forestry Commission due to an increased risk of fire spread. Fire Departments around the state have seen an uptick in brush fires the last few weeks. Please refrain from any outdoor burning until November and until the dry conditions improve!

09/27/2025

Commitment Builds Confidence

Friday morning, C Shift made use of an abandoned structure that has been scheduled to be torn down. Crew members packed up and trained on forcible entry, VES techniques and vertical ventilation. Training is not only where we sharpen our skills to serve the community, it’s where we build relationships within our crew. The commitment to our calling builds confidence between firefighters, officers and the citizens, and ensures our ability to serve the public with excellence and efficiency.

09/25/2025

Over September 11 and into last week, several of our firefighters had the opportunity to visit and volunteer with the Tunnel to Towers Foundation’s Mobile 9/11 Exhibit. This 1,100 square foot exhibit made its first stop in the state, being located on the Southern Union campus in Opelika. The exhibit was sponsored by the East Alabama Regional Training Association, which is a fire department training consortium involving departments, including SFD, from all around East Alabama. It was an incredible experience for the 6,333 students (including the 8th grade class from NLMS) and public who visited the exhibit over the 6 days it was operating here.

09/20/2025

Our current recruit Caden “Cookie” Machen just finished his second week at fire school. These young men and women are put through ten tough weeks of training, learning and testing to prepare them for the best job in the world! The next 8 weeks will be mentally and physically challenging for him but it’s all worth it for a life of awesome brotherhood and selfless service.

09/19/2025

At this past week’s council meeting, the City had the privilege of honoring several individuals involved in resuscitating high school football official Joey Shelnutt on August 22. This included honoring one of our own, Lt. Clint Payton. That night, Lt. Payton reacted quickly from the stands to assist with chest compressions and help supervise the scene until the ambulance crew transported Mr. Shelnutt. His leadership and calm under pressure helped the response stay coordinated and efficient. Lt. Payton, thank you for your service and for always representing our department with skill, compassion, and professionalism.

09/15/2025

Under the leadership of Captain Ogilvie, C Shift battled a structure fire this evening. Through high heat and low visibility, the firemen fought their way to the seat of the fire and made a good knockdown, saving the structure and most belongings. These men put in hard work preparing and training every shift because they believe our community deserves the best. So if you see them out and about, tell them you appreciate their dedication to our fine city.

07/18/2025