The former Collins Chapel Fire Station No. 2 is now officially known as Cedar Grove Fire Department.

Adam Price, president of the Chilton Firefighters Association and chief of Cedar Grove, said papers were signed last week between the two departments. Starting Thursday, Aug. 13, he added, E-911 dispatchers began acknowledging the change.

“It was the best thing for both communities,” Price said. “We had grown so much, and we just had some differences inside the department.”

What does this mean for residents in the departments’ coverage areas? For the time being, nothing more than a name change.

Collins Chapel Fire Department is located on County Road 29, east of U.S. Highway 31. Its coverage area extends west to the railroad tracks along Highway 31, and east along 29 to near Jemison’s corporate limits. It also includes rural areas north and south of the station.

Cedar Grove is located on County Road 37 near the church of the same name. Its coverage area picks up on the west side of the railroad and runs west, meeting Isabella to the west and Fairview to the south. On the north side, it runs to the Pates Chapel community and near Thorsby.

For now, the ISO rating of both departments will remain the same. The rating is currently 4.

Insurance companies use ISO ratings, which measure a department’s capacity, to determine homeowner insurance premiums. The lower the number, the more favorable the rating.

“Most likely, both departments will have to be re-tested within six months to a year,” Price said.

When asked about the change, Mike Minor, district chief of Collins Chapel Fire Department, echoed Adams’ sentiments.

“It’s what the board of directors said they thought would be best, so that’s what we’re going to do,” Minor said.