By Matt de Simone
Earlier this year, the Read Mountain Volunteer Fire and Rescue Department voted to pursue dissolution as an incorporation. After working with its legal counsel over the last several months, Read Mountain Fire & Rescue have presented the documents to the county. Botetourt County Fire & EMS Chief Jason Ferguson shared this information with the board during last week’s meeting.
The board unanimously approved the dissolution. Valley District Supervisor Mac Scothorn thanked the volunteer staff for all of their hard work over the years.
“We’ve seen, throughout the years, it’s harder to take that time away from work, but those individuals (volunteers) dedicated their time and their life… I really feel honored that they were there,” Scothorn shared. “We need it. We can’t thank them enough.”
The station itself is not ceasing operations. Ferguson said that career staff has operated out of the Read Mountain facility over the last several months without negatively impacting every day service delivery to the area.
Read Mountain Fire and Rescue has served as a volunteer fire company and rescue squad since 1993. The volunteer department indicated that it no longer meets the proper requirements (https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacodefull/title32.1) and requested the board authorize its dissolution, removing the volunteer agency from the public safety program in the local county ordinance.
Last spring, the department voted on the decision to dissolve. Read Mountain Volunteer Chief Adam Dickerson said in April that, “Recent losses of members and known future departures have led us to a tipping point.”
As previously reported, the operations of the Read Mountain Fire & EMS station over the past several years have incorporated career staffing from both Botetourt and Roanoke Counties. Roanoke County first began staffing a part-time ambulance during daylight hours out of Read Mountain over 10 years ago. More recently, Botetourt County has stood a 24/7 career-staffed fire engine and ambulance crew to support the needs of Read Mountain and the surrounding areas.
Anyone interested in becoming a fire department volunteer or learn more about serving the Botetourt community may visit www.botetourtfirems.org or call 540-928-2220.
