Montgomery officials respond to firefighter station break‑ins and neighborhood stray gunfire

Montgomery City Council heard accounts from firefighters and neighborhood residents about repeated break‑ins at fire stations and stray gunfire in residential areas, and officials described steps now underway to strengthen station security.

The issue surfaced when Ty Taylor, an attorney representing the Montgomery Firefighters Association, said multiple stations had experienced vehicle burglaries and at least one vehicle theft and urged the city to make station security a priority. "The last thing they need to worry about is, am I gonna get back?" Taylor said, describing firefighters who are on duty 24‑ to 48‑hour shifts and return from calls to find personal property missing.

Why it matters: Union leaders said thefts from station parking lots put firefighters and their equipment at risk and could escalate into more serious violence. Council members and public speakers tied those incidents to broader neighborhood public‑safety concerns, including recent stray bullets entering homes in Sheridan Heights.

Union request and department response Ty Taylor urged the council to adopt measures “more than just a camera, more than just a motion sensor,” to deter repeat offenders. He described a pattern of burglaries at stations including a vehicle theft at Station 13 and said station locations, staffing patterns and overnight shifts make fire personnel especially vulnerable.

The city’s fire leadership acknowledged the problem and described actions already under way. The Fire Chief (name not specified in the record) said the city allocated an initial $80,000 last summer for camera installations and that staff are replacing or upgrading cameras at city facilities as needed. The chief said the planned installation would include about 50 cameras across the city’s 15 fire stations but cautioned that cameras alone "still may not fix everything." The chief also urged firefighters not to leave high‑value items in vehicles parked at stations.

Costs and past options Council discussion recalled earlier studies and past proposals for automatic gates, which at prior points were estimated at roughly $150,000 per gate. The chief and other staff said automatic gates are costly and that the city is pursuing a combination of cameras and other measures rather than an immediate, systemwide gate installation.

Resident reports of gunfire and traffic safety Resident Valerie L. Bailey of Sheridan Heights described two incidents in her home — one in August 2023 and a more recent incident on Dec. 28, 2024 — in which bullets or bullet fragments entered her house. "It has been a continual rounds of ammunition being fired ... boom boom boom boom boom," Bailey said, asking the council for more strategic interventions and for traffic calming measures such as speed humps on Conrad Street and nearby blocks.

A council member who represents that area (name not specified) responded that Sheridan Heights has received focused attention from traffic engineering and that placement of speed humps involved field review; the council member invited the speaker to follow up directly for details and help navigating the process.

What the council did next Councilors and staff said work is ongoing; staff described budgeted and planned camera work and continued coordination with police and fire leadership. The meeting record shows discussion and public comment but no formal vote or ordinance adopting a new security program during this session.

The council and staff indicated follow‑up would continue with public‑safety partners, and residents were encouraged to provide additional information and to meet with the council member representing Sheridan Heights for next steps.