On December 8, 2015, VernerJohnson Principals Brad Nederhoff and Glenn Remick, along with John Gerner of Leisure Business Advisors, presented the final master plan for the Heroes Activity Center to the board members, key leadership staff and Shelby County officials.

What began five years ago as a plan supported by the Shelby County Commission to display a private collection of fire fighting antiquities has evolved into a museum project more purposeful than originally imagined. With the hiring of Russell Jackson as new CEO in December of 2014, the then named Alabama Firefighters Museum and Education Center defined its mandate to develop a new museum in Calera, Alabama. The institution is now in a position to undertake bolder initiatives and to leverage its collection of fire-related artifacts, vehicles, and regional resources (such as the Alabama Fire College) into a national campaign to create a unique institution named the Heroes Activity Center.

Alabama suffers from one of the country’s highest death rates by fire. Yet, the tragedy of these deaths is made even worse by how easily many could have been prevented. With the help of public and private support, the new National Center for Fire and Life Safety can become much more than the traditional artifact-based firefighter museum. It can become a museum dedicated to educating the public on all-hazards safety, prevention and responders. It can become a national resource whose core mission is to help save lives, property and resources.