Photo by Jon Anderson
Hoover city officials join with other officials to dedicate the opening of a new Hoover Fire Station No. 1 in the Green Valley community in Hoover, Alabama, on Thursday, July 23, 2026.
Hoover city officials on Thursday took time to celebrate the opening of a new Fire Station No. 1 in the Green Valley community.
The $5.25 million station is at 1596 Montgomery Highway in front of the Hoover Court shopping center. It’s just a couple hundred yards to the east of the former Fire Station No. 1, which is behind Hoover Court, but gives firefighters a more modern facility with quicker and more direct access to U.S. 31.
The former fire station was built in the early 1970s and was smaller and not properly designed for modern fire vehicles and equipment, fire Chief Clay Bentley said. The new facility is more visible, easier for the public to access and provides firefighters with better living quarters, he said.
The roughly 8,900-square-foot station has three vehicle bays, one of which is a drive-through bay. The first floor has a kitchen, dining room, lobby and captain’s office, and the second floor has restrooms and sleeping quarters for the firefighters. The station will house at least 12 firefighters on a rotating basis over three shifts, Bentley said.
There also is an area for firefighters to remove contaminated gear and keep it separate from their living quarters, he said.
“We think that firefighter health and safety is very important,” Bentley said. “We want to keep them healthy both mentally, physically and spiritually. We think this fire station — with how it’s designed and laid out — will do just that.”
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Photo by Jon Anderson
Hoover fire Chief Clay Bentley speaks at the grand opening of Hoover Fire Station No. 1 at 1596 Montgomery Highway in Hoover, Alabama, on Thursday, July 23, 2026.
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People mill around after the dedication ceremony for Hoover Fire Station No. 1 at 1596 Montgomery Highway in Hoover, Alabama, on Thursday, July 23, 2026.
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The Hoover Fire Department Honor Guard carries in the flags for the United States of America and Alabama at the dedication ceremony for Hoover Fire Station No. 1 at 1596 Montgomery Highway in Hoover, Alabama, on Thursday, July 23, 2026.
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Officials gather for a photo at the dedication ceremony for Hoover Fire Station No. 1 at 1596 Montgomery Highway in Hoover, Alabama, on Thursday, July 23, 2026.
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People assemble for the dedication ceremony for the new Hoover Fire Station No. 1 at 1596 Montgomery Highway in Hoover, Alabama, on Thursday, July 23, 2026.
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Abby Ross Bentley, one of the daughters of Hoover fire Chief Clay Bentley, slides down the fire pole in the new Hoover Fire Station No. 1 at the dedication ceremony for the station at 1596 Montgomery Highway in Hoover, Alabama, on Thursday, July 23, 2026.
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Hoover Fire Department memorabilia line the shelves in the dining area for Hoover Fire Station No. 1 at 1596 Montgomery Highway in Hoover, Alabama, on Thursday, July 23, 2026.
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Part of the upstairs living quarters at Hoover Fire Station No. 1 at 1596 Montgomery Highway in Hoover, Alabama, on Thursday, July 23, 2026.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
Part of the upstairs living quarters at Hoover Fire Station No. 1 at 1596 Montgomery Highway in Hoover, Alabama, on Thursday, July 23, 2026.
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People eat hors d'oeuvres at the dedication ceremony for Hoover Fire Station 1 at 1596 Montgomery Highway in Hoover, Alabama, on Thursday, July 23, 2026.
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People check out the back patio at the new Hoover Fire Station No. 1 at the dedication ceremony for the station at 1596 Montgomery Highway in Hoover, Alabama, on Thursday, July 23, 2026.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
People gather for the dedication ceremony at Hoover Fire Station No. 1 at 1596 Montgomery Highway in Hoover, Alabama, on Thursday, July 23, 2026.
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The Hoover Fire Department's first truck, made in 1944 and purchased from the Birmingham Fire Department, sits in front of the new Hoover Fire Station No. 1 at the dedication ceremony for the station at 1596 Montgomery Highway in Hoover, Alabama, on Thursday, July 23, 2026. Behind it is one of Hoover's newer ladder trucks.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
The Hoover Fire Department's first truck, made in 1944 and purchased from the Birmingham Fire Department, sits in front of the new Hoover Fire Station No. 1 at the dedication ceremony for the station at 1596 Montgomery Highway in Hoover, Alabama, on Thursday, July 23, 2026.
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Hoover fire engine 1 sits ready for deployment outside the new Hoover Fire Station No. 1 at 1596 Montgomery Highway in Hoover, Alabama, on Thursday, July 23, 2026.
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Members of the Hoover Fire Department and Hoover Mayor Nick Derzis pose for a photo at the dedication ceremony for Hoover Fire Station No. 1 at 1596 Montgomery Highway in Hoover, Alabama, on Thursday, July 23, 2026.
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Hoover Mayor Nick Derzis speaks at the dedication ceremony for Hoover Fire Station No. 1 at 1596 Montgomery Highway in Hoover, Alabama, on Thursday, July 23, 2026.
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A crowd assembles for the dedication of Hoover Fire Station No. 1 at 1596 Montgomery Highway in Hoover, Alabama, on Thursday, July 23, 2026.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
The Hoover Fire Department Honor Guard presents the flags for the United States of America and Alabama at the dedication ceremony for Hoover Fire Station No. 1 at 1596 Montgomery Highway in Hoover, Alabama, on Thursday, July 23, 2026.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
Hoover fire Chief Clay Bentley speaks at the dedication of Hoover Fire Station No. 1 at 1596 Montgomery Highway in Hoover, Alabama, on Thursday, July 23, 2026.
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An old Hoover fire lieutenant's hat decorates a shelf in Hoover Fire Station No. 1 at 1596 Montgomery Highway in Hoover, Alabama, on Thursday, July 23, 2026.
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Part of the upstairs living quarters at Hoover Fire Station No. 1 at 1596 Montgomery Highway in Hoover, Alabama, on Thursday, July 23, 2026.
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at 1596 Montgomery Highway in Hoover, Alabama, on Thursday, July 23, 2026.
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A statue outside the new Hoover Fire Station No. 1 at 1596 Montgomery Highway in Hoover, Alabama, on Thursday, July 23, 2026.
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Miss Hoover 2026 Ali Mims sings the national anthem at the dedication of Hoover Fire Station No. 1 at 1596 Montgomery Highway in Hoover, Alabama, on Thursday, July 23, 2026.
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at 1596 Montgomery Highway in Hoover, Alabama, on Thursday, July 23, 2026.
The fire station has a very traditional look from the exterior and even has a traditional fire pole firefighters can slide down to get from the second floor to the first if they so choose.
Bentley thanked the city’s past and current leaders for providing the resources for the new station and said it shows the commitment that they have for public safety. Putting a new fire station in a place formerly occupied by a vacant business also shows the city’s commitment to help revitalize the Green Valley area, he said.
Getting the station built was a challenge because there were some issues with the construction company that delayed the station’s opening by about nine months. City leaders debated whether to terminate their relationship with the construction company but decided it would cost too much money and time to make a switch that far into the project.
Mayor Nick Derzis said there were some lessons learned about the need to vet companies better before entrusting them with building new city facilities, but he’s excited to finally have this new station and get it operating for the community.
This facility will stand for generations as a reminder that Hoover officials are committed to making public safety a priority, Derzis said.
The department has come a long way since it was formed as a volunteer department in 1962. Today, there are 11 fire stations and 184 employees.
The Hoover Fire Department has a Class 1 rating from the Insurance Services Office, which is the best rating a fire department can get. The ISO rating measures a fire department’s ability to respond to structure fires.
The department also has been accredited by the Center for Public Safety Excellence since 2021 and recently was recommended for reaccreditation through the Commission on Firefighter Accreditation International. The accreditation process examines all aspects of services provided by the Fire Department, not just response to fire calls. It includes a review of emergency medical services, emergency transports, rescue calls, hazardous materials calls, public fire safety education and more.
Bentley said he appreciates the excellence and professionalism of the people within the department and their commitment to providing top-notch service to Hoover residents and visitors.
“We’re not perfect, but every day we’re striving to be the best we can be,” he said.
Derzis, Hoover’s former police chief, thanked Bentley for his leadership in the Fire Department and thanked other elected officials and the public for their support of the public safety agencies in Hoover.
