The Shadow
HOT SPRINGS – It may take the entire roster of the Hot Springs Fire Department to extinguish 100 candles on a birthday cake.
They’ll find out next Sunday.
The Hot Springs Fire Department is planning an open house on Sunday, Sept. 16, from 2 until 6 p.m. in celebration of its 100th birthday.
Bath County’s oldest fire department can trace its roots back to 1912.
In addition to the open house, the fire department will dedicate its new annex, while a time capsule will also be sealed.
“We want people to come by and celebrate with us,” said President Clifford Williams.
There will be hamburgers and hot dogs at the celebration along with door prizes and activities for the children.
Equipment will be on display along with an array of old photos and other memorabilia.
“We would encourage everyone to come,” said Chief Robbie Chestnut.
The Hot Springs Volunteer Fire Association can trace its roots back to 1912, although the exact date it formed is unclear. It remained Bath County’s only firefighting unit until Millboro was organized in 1962.
Prior to moving to its current location on Main Street in Hot Springs, the association was housed in The Homestead garage a little further up Main Street.
Fire department vehicles were housed at different locations.
The current Hot Springs Volunteer Fire Association facilities were constructed in 1975 on land donated by the Virginia-Hot Springs Company with an understanding that the fire department would be housed under the same roof as the rescue squad with the same amount of officers in each division.
The existing building was constructed on a site that once served as the turnaround for a train that ran between Covington and Hot Springs.
Williams and Eldon Robertson met with Thomas J. Lennon, president of The Homestead, and Erwin “Shad” Solomon, attorney for the fire department. They worked out the details, setting up a building committee and a by-laws committee.
E.G. McAllister was elected chief of the fire division, a post he held for 32 years. William was tabbed as president when the fire association moved into its new facilities, while John Hart was named assistant chief.
The Hot Springs Rescue Squad was founded in 1964 after a fundraising endeavor by Hot Springs firemen. Many of the early rescue squad members were also members of the fire department.
Early equipment for the new rescue squad included a 1964 carry-all donated by K.T. Ellis and an old Cadillac hearse which was donated by McLaughlin Funeral Home owner D.H. McLaughlin. This hearse was converted into an ambulance.
The Hot Springs Fire Department’s primary coverage area extends to the Alleghany County line to the south, Bolar on Rt. 220 to the north, the top of Back Creek Mountain to the west and the top of Warm Springs Mountain to the east.
The association conducts several annual fundraisers. It also depends on support from Bath County and The Homestead. Private donations are always welcomed.
With a century of memories under its belt, there are several fires that stand out during the 100-year history of the department.
There was a fire at a hotel in Bolar one winter many years ago.
With 15-18 inches of snow on the ground, firefighters started north in three vehicles. Two of those vehicles broke down on the way to Bolar, and the fire department had to convert a farm truck by adding a 1,000-gallon pumper to the vehicle just to make it through the rest of the winter.
Long-time members also remember a fire across state lines in Marlinton, W.Va., back in the 1960s. A downtown block of Marlinton, including a hotel and theatre, was burning, and Hot Springs was called for assistance. Members feared frostbite as they battled this blaze for several hours.
In more recent years, Hot Springs firefighters remember another cold-weather fire that destroyed a building which once housed part of the old Bacova Guild facilities and was then the home of the Bath Community Rehab and Wellness Center.
About 70 firefighters spent eight to nine hours at the scene of this five-alarm laze that began on the evening of Nov. 11, 2009.
Hot Springs received assistance from Mountain Grove, Millboro, Sharon and Falling Spring on the call.
“If we didn’t have help from the other fire companies, we wouldn’t have been able to save what we saved,” said Capt. Lee Church.
The Hot Springs Fire Department answers on average between 90 and 100 calls per year. In 2011, they responded to 112 requests for service. These calls include wrecks, fires, false alarms and setting up landing zones.
Their equipment consists of a 1999 American LaFrance pumper, a 1982 Mack pumper, a 1987 Chevrolet mini-pumper, a 2008 GMC crash truck, a 1995 Mack tanker, a 1988 American LaFrance truck with a 100-foot ladder, a 2011 Chevrolet brush truck and a 1997 Ford equipment truck.
Current members of the Hot Springs Fire Department include Bart Ailstock, Donald Altizer, Steven Ailstock, Alisha Ayers, Mac Bird, Travis Braxton Jr., Jimmy Bryan, Jay Bryan, Jamie Bryan, Weldon Caracofe, James Carpenter, Berlie Chestnut, Robbie Chestnut, Lee Church, Robert Conner, Doug Durrett, John Fisher and David Fisher.
Also, Kevin Fry, Jerald Gray, Ron Gray, Kenny Gwin, Jeffrey Hamilton, John Hart, Billy Hodge, Hugh Hite, Junior Johnson, David Lindsay, Eddie McCallister, Daryl McCulley, Buddy McLaughlin, Lonnie Martin, Jason Miller, Harold Peery, Clarence Peery and Cole Plecker.
Also, Danny Pritt, Greg Pritt, Lawrence Roake, Eddie Swearengin, Gary Smith, Billy Stover, Brian Smith, Jerry Taylor, Bobby Thomas, George Tidd, Robbie Weaver, Clifford Williams, Gilbert Williams, Billy Wolfe, Debra Woodzell, Justin Woodzell, Charlie Woodzell and John Wright.
Junior members include Nathan Cook and Michael Hamilton.
Officers include Clifford Williams, president and vice president of the Hot Springs Fire and Rescue Association; Jay Bryan, secretary/treasurer; Robbie Chestnut, chief; Greg Pritt, assistant chief; Lee Church, captain; Danny Pritt, lietuenant; Gilbert Williams, training officer; Hugh Hite, chaplain; and Robbie Weaver, engineer.
“I would like to say thank you to each and every member of the fire department for what they do,” Chief Chestnut said.
Past chiefs of the Hot Springs Fire Department include Thomas Walker, J.W. Robinson, R.H. Patterson, W.J. Matthews Jr., H.P. Hoover, W.P. Farnsworth, L.C. Ford, E.T. Layman, G.L. Taylor, E.G. McAllister Sr., Gilbert Williams, and Billy Stover.
The fire department is always interested in new members. Anyone interested in joining the department can obtain an application from any current member.
Next Sunday’s celebration will cap 100 years of service by the Hot Springs Fire Department to Bath County.
The time capsule, donated by Creative Fabrication of Covington and dedicated in memory of Charles Rath, an executive vice president of Wendy’s and friend of Clifford Williams who led a group of golfers that donated money for the endeavor, will include memories and other memorabilia from the first 100 years. It will be opened on the 150th birthday of the fire department in 2062.
The open house will allow Bath County an opportunity to thank the Hot Springs Fire Department. It will also allow the fire department a chance to express their gratitude to the community.
“The county has been good to us, and the community has been good to us,” Chestnut said.
