SPANISH FORT, Ala.—Residents looking for evidence of the city’s growing pains might find proof in the unlikeliest of places: the Spanish Fort Fire-Rescue Department.

Fire Chief Roger Few said the volunteer fire department—currently boasting 40 recruits—saw a “pretty good spike” in false alarm activity in 2008, with 115 such bogus alarms reported last year compared with only 14 in 2007.

Few attributes the 721 percent increase primarily to the city’s robust economic expansion that welcomed several new high-profile developments to the department’s jurisdiction and, with them, some sensitive smoke-detection devices.

“I guess that’s one price of progress,” said Few, noting that the majority of new retail and residential developments in the Highway 98 and Highway 181 districts are equipped with monitoring systems that—on occasion—can malfunction and signal danger when none exists.

“The increase is attributable to an increase in the number of alarms in use in our area,” he said.

Of course, Few’s personal definition of progress focuses more on the department’s 2008 highlights, including zero firefighter injuries reported, the addition of a new ladder truck and federal grant funding to help offset the cost of purchasing new turnout gear.

The complete suits—including boots and gloves—cost about $2,250 per firefighter, but Few said the department secured a Federal Emergency Management Agency Assistance to Firefighters Grant totaling $45,000, while the department invested about $75,000.

In operation since 1962, the department is a nonprofit corporation that contracts with the city of Spanish Fort for fire services and relies on community donations and county ad valorem taxes for the balance of its $332,000 budget for 2009. Few said that figure has increased in line with the city’s population growth since 2007 when the budget was $274,000.

Few held the department’s annual meeting recently, giving the more than two dozen attendees a glimpse into the 2008’s activities, not to mention a few smoke detectors and fire extinguishers. The results include the following:

<484 total responses, representing a 10 percent increase compared with 2007;

<19 brush fires, consuming 9.43 acres;

<16 structure fires, causing more than $9.2 million in damage, but only $285,800 of that figure was considered total loss;

<54 Emergency Management System (automated external defibrillators are onboard all vehicles);

<133 motor vehicle crashes;

<15 vehicle fires;

<17 canceled alarms, meaning the department was not yet en route when the alarm was deemed false. This represented an 85 percent increase compared with 2007;

<45 miscellaneous calls ranging from Dumpster fires to fuel spills;

In addition, Few said the department’s 484 total calls represented 2,398 man hours and 3,049 hours of training. For example, each firefighter was required to complete 24 hours of training on the new ladder truck placed into operation during 2008.

Meanwhile, maintenance accounted for 1,450 hours and fire prevention activities, spearheaded by Capt. Brad Jernigan, represented 2,377 man hours in 2008, getting the word out to more than 1,200 local residents.