St. Clair County, Alabama (pop. 91,103) is protected by a mixed system: the career Pell City Fire Department staffs four stations around the clock, Moody Fire & Rescue runs a career station, and Springville Fire & Rescue (ISO Class 2) is a combination department. Twenty town and volunteer departments, including Argo, Ashville, Odenville and Ragland, cover the rest of the county's 632 square miles of land. St. Clair County E-911 dispatches all fire calls.
St. Clair County E-911 Dispatch (non-emergency)
(205) 884-3333- Pell City Fire Department: (205) 338-6006
- Moody Fire & Rescue: (205) 640-0350
- St. Clair County Emergency Management Agency: (205) 884-6800
- Pell City Fire Department, 3040 Cogswell Avenue, Pell City, AL 35125, USA
- pellcity.gov/fire
- Moody FD office: Mon–Fri 7:00–17:00 (CT)
Who Provides Fire Protection in St. Clair County
- Pell City Fire Department — career, with 64 firefighters and fire-medics serving about 16,000 people in a 27-square-mile jurisdiction from four stations staffed around the clock. Station 2 is moving to a new site on US 231.
- Moody Fire & Rescue — career, founded in 1972: 18 full-time and 10 part-time members, including 15 paramedics, in one 24/7 station.
- Springville Fire & Rescue — combination (10 full-time, 3 part-time, 10 volunteers), two 24/7 stations; hazmat response for the north of the county.
- 20 more departments — the town departments of Argo, Ashville, Margaret, Odenville, Riverside and Steele, and 14 volunteer departments; staffing not published.
St. Clair County E-911 in Pell City dispatches police, fire and medical calls and says over 95% are dispatched within 90 seconds. The departments work together through the St. Clair County Fire & EMS Association. 911 sends the right department based on your address.
Fire Departments in St. Clair County
| Department | Type | Main station | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pell City Fire Department | Career (4 stations) | 3040 Cogswell Ave, Pell City, AL 35125 (HQ) | (205) 338-6006 |
| Moody Fire & Rescue | Career | 911 Firefighter Blvd, Moody, AL 35004 | (205) 640-0350 |
| Springville Fire & Rescue | Combination (2 stations) | 200 Walker Dr, Springville, AL 35146 | (205) 467-2703 |
| Argo Fire & Rescue | Town (2 stations) | 100 Black Jack Rd, Trussville, AL 35173 | (205) 352-2109 |
| Ashville Fire & Rescue | Town | 222 7th Ave, Ashville, AL 35953 | (205) 594-5186 |
| Margaret Fire & Rescue | Combination (AFC) | 1120 County Rd 12, Margaret, AL 35112 | (205) 629-3091 |
| Odenville Fire & Rescue | Town | Odenville, AL 35120 | (205) 629-2232 |
| Riverside Fire & Rescue | Town | 379 Depot St, Riverside, AL 35135 | (205) 338-7692 ext. 3 |
| Steele Fire & Medics | Town | 4025 Pope Ave, Steele, AL 35987 | (256) 538-8145 |
Volunteer fire departments
- Chandler Mountain VFD — 5501 Chandler Mtn Rd, Steele, AL 35987 · (256) 490-8812
- Cook Springs VFD — 555 Mtn Top Loop, Pell City, AL 35128 · (205) 640-2496
- Cool Springs VFD — 10496 County Rd 31, Ashville, AL 35953 · (205) 594-3312
- Davis Lake VFD (AFC: combination) — 221 Marietta Rd, Springville, AL 35146 · (205) 467-3533
- Friendship VFD & Rescue — 19484 US Hwy 411, Springville, AL 35146 · (205) 629-2927
- New London VFD — 4040 Logan Martin Dam Rd, Cropwell, AL 35054 · (205) 525-5177
- Northeast St. Clair VFD — 12855 County Rd 24, Ashville, AL 35953 · (205) 613-9164
- Pinedale Shores VFD — 88 Shore Rd, Ashville, AL 35953 · (205) 594-1311
- Pleasant Hill VFD — 12670 US Hwy 11 N, Springville, AL 35146 · (205) 352-2302
- Ragland VFD — 220 Freida St, Ste 102, Ragland, AL 35131 · (205) 472-2200
- Shoal Creek VFD (2 stations) — 13370 Shoal Creek Rd, Ashville, AL 35953 · (205) 472-4500
- Wattsville Fire & Rescue — 990 AL Hwy 144, Ragland, AL 35131 · (205) 338-9502
- Whitney Fire & Rescue — 20225 US Hwy 11, Steele, AL 35987 · (205) 594-3260
- Wolf Creek VFD — 4980 Wolf Creek Rd, Pell City, AL 35128 · (205) 338-9400
Volunteer stations are not always staffed. For anything urgent, call 911 rather than a station number. "Town" = municipal, staffing not published.
Second stations: Springville, 1616 Mountain View Rd, Odenville; Argo, 8885 Gadsden Hwy, Trussville; Shoal Creek, 4170 Shoal Creek Rd, Ashville. Pell City Stations 3–4: not published.
Estimated Response Time
Pell City's four staffed stations share a 27-square-mile jurisdiction, an average radius of roughly 1.5 miles. Moody's single station covers 24.5 square miles (about 2.8 miles), and Springville's two stations cover its 9.6 square miles (about 1.2 miles). The other 571 square miles (about 105 residents per square mile) have 22 town and volunteer stations, roughly 2.9 miles each.
| Radius | Pell City & Moody (career) | Springville (combination) | Rest of county (volunteer) |
|---|---|---|---|
| ≤ 1.5 mi | 4–6 min | 5–8 min | 8–12 min |
| 1.5–3 mi | 6–8 min | 7–10 min | 10–14 min |
| 3–6 mi | 8–11 min | 9–13 min | 12–18 min |
| > 6 mi | 11+ min | 13+ min | 18+ min |
Typical expectation: about 4–6 minutes in Pell City, 6–8 minutes in Moody, 5–8 minutes in Springville and 10–14 minutes for most other addresses.
Estimated Fire Control Time
| Fire size | Example | Indicative time |
|---|---|---|
| Small | Grass patch, dumpster, small vehicle | 5–20 min |
| Medium | Room-and-contents, car fully involved | 15–45 min |
| Large | Whole house, commercial unit | 45–120 min |
| Major | Multi-alarm, industrial, large woodland fire | 2–12+ hours |
Away from the cities many roads have no hydrants, so water comes by tanker; expect the upper end of each range. Woodland fires are fought with the Alabama Forestry Commission. Pell City keeps a dive team and two boats for Logan Martin Lake. An F2 tornado struck north of Pell City on April 8, 1998.
Apparatus & Equipment
Pell City Fire Department fleet:
- ALS engine companies
- 3
- ALS quint
- 1
- 100 ft aerial platform
- 1
- Reserve pumper
- 1
- Hazmat & trench rescue unit
- 1
- Air unit, command, medical transport
- 3
- Rescue boats
- 2
- ATVs (incl. brush)
- 3
Springville: 4 engines, a service truck, a hazmat unit and a command unit. Other fleets are not published.
- Fire suppression
- ALS / EMS
- Hazmat
- Water rescue
- Trench rescue
- Wildland
Ratings & Accreditation
Springville Fire & Rescue: ISO PPC Class 2 (since 2014). Moody Fire & Rescue: ISO Class 5/10. Ratings for Pell City and the other districts are not published.
Outdoor burning: Inside Springville, get a burn permit from Springville Fire & Rescue at (205) 467-2703; in other towns, ask the local fire department. Elsewhere in Alabama, a permit from the Alabama Forestry Commission, (800) 392-5679, is required for burns larger than ¼ acre, and statewide no-burn orders can apply during droughts.
Neighboring Counties
- Etowah County, AL (northeast)
- Calhoun County, AL (east)
- Talladega County, AL (southeast)
- Shelby County, AL (southwest)
- Jefferson County, AL (west)
- Blount County, AL (northwest)
FAQ
What is the non-emergency number for fire in St. Clair County?
St. Clair County E-911 dispatch (non-emergency): (205) 884-3333. Pell City Fire Department: (205) 338-6006. For any fire or medical emergency, always call 911.
Which fire departments serve St. Clair County?
Pell City and Moody run career departments and Springville a combination department, while 20 town and volunteer departments, from Argo and Odenville to Ragland and Steele, cover the rest. 911 dispatches the right one based on your address.
What ISO rating do St. Clair County fire departments have?
Springville Fire & Rescue holds ISO Class 2 (since 2014) and Moody Fire & Rescue ISO Class 5/10. Pell City and the other districts do not publish their ratings.
How fast does the fire department respond in St. Clair County?
About 4–8 minutes for the first unit in Pell City, Moody and Springville, and about 10–14 minutes for most other addresses, longer in remote areas.
Do I need a burn permit in St. Clair County?
Burns larger than ¼ acre need an Alabama Forestry Commission permit from (800) 392-5679. Inside Springville, get a permit from Springville Fire & Rescue at (205) 467-2703; in other towns, ask the local fire department.
Last verified:
- City of Pell City — Fire and Rescue and Fire Station #2
- City of Moody — Fire and Rescue
- City of Springville — Fire Department
- St. Clair County — E-911
- St. Clair County — Emergency Management Agency
- St. Clair Fire & EMS Association — Fire Department Addresses & Contacts (2013)
- Alabama 911 Board — Emergency Communication Districts
- Alabama Forestry Commission — Volunteer Fire Departments (August 2025) (addresses, phones)
- Alabama Forestry Commission — Burn Permits
- Wikipedia — St. Clair County, Alabama
- Wikipedia — Pell City, Alabama
- Wikipedia — Moody, Alabama
- Wikipedia — Springville, Alabama