Photo by Ron Burkett.
Fire Chief Tim Shotts
Fire Chief Tim Shotts.
After a personnel matter within the Trussville Fire Department, everyone began looking toward the man they knew they could count on: Assistant Fire Chief Tim Shotts.
Shotts was previously interim chief at the department, but he transitioned into the chief role in September. As of Feb. 1, his title is official.
As assistant chief, Shotts was responsible mostly for operations.
“Operations is where the rubber meets the road,” Shotts said. “Putting out fires, running the calls, taking care of sick people.”
Shotts would oversee operations staff and make sure they had all necessary resources to do their jobs in the most efficient manner possible. Now, he has shifted to take charge of administration.
“Administration is budgeting, scheduling, hiring, promotions,” Shotts said. “It’s more of a support function.”
Shotts was like many children growing up, dreaming of being a firefighter as a career, but he is one of the few who actively pursued that career path from a young age. Shotts began working as a volunteer firefighter in Trussville in March 1994, and then went through paramedic school and was hired full time at the department in June 1996.
He worked his way up through lieutenant, captain and battalion chief to assistant chief.
The family atmosphere is what Shotts said he most enjoys about working at a fire department.
“Living in Trussville allows me to be close to what I do on a day-to-day basis, but the fire department is like a big family,” Shotts said. “They live together for 24 hours at a time, and sometimes they’re with their fire department family as much as they’re with their real family. It’s nice to be able to be close if they need something.”
In the transition from assistant chief to chief, Shotts said he’s most excited about partnership with the community, which the fire department already has in abundance.
“I would like to see us grow with the community, and grow as the community grows,” Shotts said.
While Shotts has an impressive personal tenure at the Trussville Fire Department, his focus is always spotlighting those who protect the Trussville community on a daily basis.
Shotts said firefighters make a trip to the senior building every Monday to offer complimentary blood pressure checks. They routinely go to elementary schools to read to the students and also help parents install car seats. This includes installation, checking an already installed car seat for safety and showing parents how to take the car seat out and reinstall it properly.
“One of the neat things is they have the latitude to do things like that as they see a need for it,” Shotts said. “We’re not limited.”
Shotts said this is also unique because the department has a heart for doing these things of their own accord, rather than it being encouraged to get out and do good.
Additionally, the fire department supports local Boy Scout troops and the Fire Explorer program, which allows teens interested in becoming firefighters to train and get real-life experience, as well as the opportunity to get their volunteer firefighter certification.
Students at Hewitt-Trussville High School interested in participating can apply and are chosen based on physical standing, GPA, attendance and discipline records. They go through a combination of classroom study, drill field practice and training evaluations. Students also are able to shadow firefighters with the Trussville Fire Department.
Shotts said he and the department are also proud they ran more than 3,000 calls during 2016.
“Not that they’re excited about that, because when we have a busy day that means that other people had a bad day,” Shotts said. “But they’re proud of their accomplishments and they should be.”
Shotts has been married for 18 years, and he and his wife have two boys, 12 and 10 years old. In his spare time, he and his family like to spend time at the lake fishing and boating.
