Several helicopters were called to the scene to remove the most critically injured patients.

From TriCities.com:

According to authorities, a green Cadillac was traveling on Route 91 in Damascus around 2:15 p.m. when his vehicle cut through a nearby car wash located off Third Street, where the parade was taking place. The car then went around several vehicles in the parade and plowed into a crowd of several hikers in the parade before coming to a stop.

One eyewitness said that six men lifted the Cadillac off a victim trapped when the car stopped.

Read much more about this mass causality incident at:  UPDATE: Car hits crowd of hikers; at least 50 injured, 4 seriously hurt – TriCities.com: Local News.

Carr Boyd / Roanoke.com photo

In Botetourt County, near Roanoke, the countys first paid fire-EMS chief has tendered his resignation after being on the job for only a year.

Carr Boyd’s appointment wasn’t widely accepted by some of the volunteer chiefs.  Former Buchanan VFD Chief Billy Joe Carter was quoted as saying: “there are going to be a lot of hurt feelings and busted noses” if the newly-appointed county chief attempted to take over a fire scene in Carter’s district.  [Note: Subsequent to several interactions with law enforcement, Carter is no longer a member of the department.]

From Roanoke.com:

A former captain and acting battalion chief with the fire department in Charlotte, N.C., Boyd, 39, holds a doctorate in public policy from the University of North Carolina-Charlotte, and was the first to head the county’s new department of emergency services. Created by unanimous vote of the board of supervisors, it combined into one department all existing fire and emergency medical services, volunteers and paid staff, and created the new post of emergency services director. Boyd’s salary was $70,000.

Volunteers in particular seemed to chafe under Boyd’s presence. Some volunteer chiefs objected to one provision of the job, a provision that the director has the authority to take over direction of an emergency situation from the first responders. As recently as March, David Bush, former volunteer captain of Fincastle Rescue Squad, referred to life under the new department as a “dictatorship.”

However, not everyone felt this way:

“He’s been exactly what this county needed,” Buchanan Volunteer Fire Chief John Manspile said. “He’s been doing what was practical, what needs to be done. … I can’t see where he’s done anything wrong.”

He attributed the dissatisfaction with Boyd in some quarters to people just not getting everything they wanted anymore. He also dismissed the suggestion that Boyd didn’t value the volunteers as much as paid staff.

“He’s helped the paid staff merge with the volunteers,” Manspile said, “in our district, anyway.”

Roanoke.com has far more about the possible situations that brought Boyd to this decision: Carr Boyd resigns from emergency services post in Botetourt County | roanoke.com.

In his usual fashion, Captain Willie Wines over at IronFiremen.com has plenty to say about this, including an interesting and emotional post from the wife of one of the county’s volunteer fire chiefs:  Forward thinking Chief vs. the “good ol boy system.”  FireCritic.com’s Rhett Fleitz also weighs in on this topic:  Botetourt, VA Heats Up Again.  Take a minute to read their thoughts on what has become a local issue to them…and leave your comments here!

Photo: WSET

The man killed in a trailer fire off Mount Cross Road Friday afternoon has been identified as 68-year-old William Thompson.

WSET had previously reported that the fire started in the house trailer around 2PM, and Thompson and a woman fled from the trailer, but Thompson succumbed to his injuries.

Members packed a city council meeting last month.  It appears that their cries have been heard:

From TimesDispatch.com:

Under the plan, police and firefighters advance one step per year, getting a 2.5 percent salary increase with each one, until they reach step 11, according to a city memo. Then they wait five years to reach step 12, which has a 10 percent increase; another five years to reach step 13, which has an 11 percent increase; and another five years to reach step 14, which has a 12 percent increase.

Police and firefighters were included in a 2 percent across-the-board increase for all city employees that the mayor proposed in the $1.4 billion spending plan he presented to the council in March. However, they contended that the city was lagging in salaries and career opportunities and, as a result, losing personnel to other localities after city tax dollars were used to train them.

Read more courtesy of the Times-Dispatch:  Richmond police, firefighters to get step increases – Richmond Times Dispatch: City Of Richmond.

From WDBJ7.com:

Charred car parts at the scene of the fire / WDBJ7.com

The burning car was found around 4 a.m. Monday in the 400 block of Allison Avenue. Once the fire was put out, a body was found inside the car.

The body has not been identified.

Read more:  Dead body found in burning car Monday morning in Roanoke – wdbj7.com.

Stafford County Recruits: May 2013
SCFR photo

On April 25, 2013 Stafford County Fire and Rescue Department held a graduation ceremony at Colonial Forge High School for its seventh recruit academy.

During the twenty-two week academy the students successfully completed Firefighter I&II, EMT-Basic, Hazardous Material Operations, Mayday Firefighter Down, Vehicle Awareness and Operations, Emergency Vehicle Operations, Introduction to Technical Rescue and numerous other training courses.

The class graduated fifteen firefighter/EMT’S, who will began working in the Emergency Services Division on Monday 29th.

Congressman Rob Wittman was the key note speaker and the recruits were sworn in by Stafford Sheriff Charles Jett.

Courtesy Covington Fire Dept.

At 5:35pm on April 17th, the Covington Fire Department was alerted to a house fire in the 200 block of Lexington Ave, and upon arrival of the Fire Department, flames had engulfed the first floor and were extending to the second floor and a neighboring house. At the height of the fire, three hand lines and a two-and-half-inch BlitzFire nozzle were used on the main fire building, along with an aerial master stream.  One hand line was taken into the exposure to extinguish fire in the attic.  45 minutes into operations, a partial 2nd floor collapse occurred. It took hour and half to bring the fire under control and three hours to extinguish it.

Mutual aid from Dunlap, Selma, and Boiling Springs Fire Department were requested to the scene for manpower. Falling Springs and Sharon Fire Departments as well as the White Sulphur Springs (WV) Fire Department provided station coverage.

Courtesy Covington Fire Dept.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation . The American Red Cross provided assistance to the families displaced. 

Courtesy KWFR Facebook

Over the past several months, there had been concern from both members and citizens that the King William Volunteer Fire Department & Rescue Squad’s financial difficulties might force them to close the doors.

The County’s Board of Supervisor’s hesitation to fund the department for FT2014 only added to the stress.  However, the Board has approved funding for the department for the upcoming financial year.

From TidewaterReview.com:

Earlier this year, the KWVFDRS requested financial assistance from the county.

The department, located on Route 360, has incurred a significant amount of debt over several years.To keep the department viable, the county provided $60,000 in March to cover bills and operating expenses through the remainder of FY13.

At the time, it was said that the department would need $240,000 to stay a float in FY14. That amount was included in the first draft of the county budget but was removed during budget work sessions because several Supervisors were concerned about the long-term viability of the agency.

Read far more about these developments at:  King William Fire and Rescue funded – tidewaterreview.com.

In what came as a shock to many firefighters in Virginia and the Carolinas, Slagle’s Fire Equipment of South Boston, VA and Cayce, SC announced on Wednesday afternoon that they’ll be closing their doors for good.  The decision comes after much thought about the future of the free standing and privately owned business within the fire service due to diminished spending by the fire services, especially outside of the federal government supported regions of the country.  Industry leaders are not predicting a return to the pre-2009 purchase levels for several more years due to the tax income being less and the funding stream to the fire service following that by a year or so.

Slagles was formed in 1962 by Jack Slagle, who can still be seen at many of the trade shows. Through the years, each of Jack’s five sons have been instrumental in running the family business.

During the past 50 years, the Slagle’s have not only sold loose equipment, but also built a number of fire apparatus, including the hundreds of “Slagle’s Super Slide” brush truck slip-in units. They’ve built countless brush trucks in house, and have also represented several national manufacturers, including KME for over a twenty years, and most recently, Ferrara Fire Apparatus.

During a VAFireNews.com telephone interview with Barry Slagle, who oversees the South Boston shop and apparatus sales as well, he shared a number of thoughts. The fire service market has changed dramatically in the past four years, not only in Virginia, but nationally as well. Apparatus sales are down drastically (some report as much as 40%), one of the contributing factors to the Slagle’s decision. He stated that it wasn’t an easy decision to make, but with little hope for immediate change to the economy, it was time to make the needed change.  “Our intention is to go out with a favorable name both to the vendors that we represented as well as to the customer’s that we humbly served.”

Slagle reports that the company’s inventory and facilities at both locations will be for sale.  Their intention is to finish out open orders and service  projects in a respectable manner to best fulfill obligations.  People interested in speaking with him should use his e-mail address as the primary means to contact him: bslagle@slaglefire.com.

Courtesy of @RFDVA

Firefighters from the state’s capital city responded to a house fire in the 2500 block of 5th street in the Highland Park area on Monday.

From TimesDispatch.com:

Richmond fire Lt. Robbie Hagaman said the first units on scene encountered heavy fire coming from the two-story structure, but everyone had already made it safely outside.

The Greater Richmond Chapter of the American Red Cross was called to provide emergency housing assistance for the three men, three women and three children displaced by the fire.

Read more:  9 displaced by Highland Park house fire – Richmond Times Dispatch – Richmond VA.

Katie Currid image from The News Leader, showing the Riverheads ambulance and career members.

In Augusta County, the position of Deputy Fire Chief has been eliminated, leaving Chief Mike Armstrong with a job.

From WHSV.com:

Deputy Fire Chief Mike Armstrong has worked in the county for a year. He will leave his position next Friday after the county board cut it out of its proposed budget.

“I think the leadership in the county is going to have to take a hard look at how they do business. What is their vision for the county? If you want the best schools, the best law enforcement organizations, the best fire-rescue, things like that, these services and these organizations cost money, and that money has to come from somewhere,” said Armstrong.

WHSV reports that the county’s board of supervisors supported this decision unanimously.  Read more about this: Deputy Fire Chief Will Lose Job Due to Budget.

As our readers likely remember, the Rocky Mount Fire Department in Franklin County suffered a tragic double line-of-duty-death when two of their long-time members were killed in a traffic accident in 2010.  You can see previous VAFireNews.com coverage of the crash and it’s on-going effects here, here, here, and here.

After the accident, a grand jury refused to indict the driver of the vehicle that struck the responding fire engine.

In the time since then, several civil suits have been filed, and attorneys this week agreed to combine the decisions of both liability and damages.

Our friends at Roanoke.com give us more:

The fire truck was eastbound on Virginia 40, headed to the report of a house fire in Union Hall. At the intersection with School Board Road, the fire truck collided with a 2007 Ford Escape driven by Teri Anne Valentine of Franklin County. An investigation by Virginia State Trooper R.D. Conley determined that Valentine had a green light and Dillon faced a red light. Conley concluded that Valentine had “lawfully entered the intersection” and that Dillon had “failed to proceed through the red light with due regard to safety.”

Conley’s report included interviews with several witnesses who reported the fire truck’s siren and emergency lights were functioning when it entered the intersection.

Since then, lawsuits and countersuits have been filed in an effort to establish which driver was at fault that afternoon.

Last year, Christie Altice-Weaver, a daughter of Altice and executor of his estate, filed suit against Valentine and Ann Dillon, administrator of her late husband’s estate, asserting that both Valentine and Posey Dillon had been negligent on the day the crash occurred. Later, Valentine sued Anne Dillon, as estate administrator, and she countersued.

Read more at Roanoke.com:  Civil trial in fatal fire truck crash delayed to September | roanoke.com.

Gordon / WRIC image

In Goochland County, a 54-year-old volunteer firefighter has been arrested as a result of a several-week law enforcement investigation.  Sources say that he was a member at the courthouse-area station just off Route 522.

From WRIC:

Dennis J. Gordon, 54, a resident of central Goochland, faces two felony grand larceny charges, as well as a misdemeanor larceny charge stemming from a Sheriff’s Office investigation.

Sheriff James L. Agnew confirms that deputies received a report on March 19 of a $1,300 in cash stolen from the firehouse. The money was part of the cost of a lunch wagon, which cost $1,300.

Deputies placed a hidden camera with the approval of firehouse staff. When they reviewed the footage on Tuesday, April 2, deputies recognized Gordon from another video recorded on March 29.

Read more from WRIC.com:  http://www.wric.com/story/21882727/goochland-firefighter-arrested-for-stealing

Photo: WRIC

Near the village of Chester in Chesterfield County, a house fire was reported before 11AM on Tuesday morning.  The house was heavily involved on arrival, and required the use of master streams to aid in extinguishment.

After the fire was contained, a body was found inside the home.

From WRIC:

When fire crews arrived on scene, the home was fully involved in flames, according to fire officials.

Fire officials said crews went into a “defensive mode” when they arrived at the fire. Crews continue to extinguish the fire, treating hot spots.

The person inside the home has not been identified, and the cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Richmond Station WWBT-12 displayed this citizen-shot video of the blaze: http://www.nbc12.com/category/240224/video-landing-page?autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=8732919

Photo: WRIC

At approximately 6AM this morning, five persons lost their life in the southbound lanes on Interstate 85 in Brunswick County, near the Route 46 interchange.

From WRIC TV:

A pick-up truck headed north in the southbound lanes struck a car head-on, according to Virginia State Police.

Police said the driver and three passengers of a Toyota Corolla were killed upon impact. The driver of the pickup truck also died upon impact, according to police.

WRIC added that police had been alerted for a wrong-way driver, but had not been able to catch the vehicle before the crash occured.

Identities of the those killed have not been released.

The Whispering Pines Motel burns on March 12, 2013 / Jay Diem photo, DelmarvaNow.com

In a 3:30PM press release today, Virginia State Police Spokesperson Corinne Geller released additional information about the arrests that occured after the 11:30PM fire in the Melfa community in Accomack County.

According to Geller, after the arson fire in Melfa Monday night, a Accomack sheriff’s deputy and a state trooper effected a traffic stop on a mini-van at Route 13 and Airport Dr.  Monday’s had occurred near this location.  After the traffic stop, 40 year old Tonya Bundick of Parksley was taken into custody.  A short time later, 38 year old Charles Smith, who also uses the alias Charles Applegate, was also taken into custody.  Bundick and Smith were in the van together at the time of the traffic stop.

Police report that Bundick and Smith lived in the same household, but their relationship with one another wasn’t clear.

Each party has been charged with one count of arson and one count of conspiracy to commit arson.  However, according to Geller, the commonwealth’s attorney has indicated that additional charges will be forthcoming against both Bundick and Smith.

Police also stated that the official number is 77 arsons and two attempted arsons.

The motive for the arsons is still under investigation, Geller stated.

In related news, it is reported that Smith was once a member of one of the local fire companies.  However, sources state that he has not been a member of the fire department for quite some time, and was not a member during the 5-month arson spree.   During the press conference, Geller stated that the investigators were very appreciative of the effort given by all of the members of Accomack’s 12 fire companies at each and every fire.

Keep checking VAFireNews.com for updated information on this case.

WXII / Jennifer Gonzalez photo

On Sunday, we brought you news of a massive 95-vehicle crash on I-77 in Carroll County that left three dead and scores injured.

Today, WSLS in Roanoke brings you an interview of one of the many fire & EMS responders to the scene:  http://www.wsls.com/video?clipId=8730280&autostart=true

Bundick

With the number of arsons in Accomack reaching approximately 77 over a four-month period, locals are hoping that the arrest of a Parksley woman overnight may bring the string of arsons to a halt.

From WAVY.com:

Shortly before 7 a.m., Geller confirmed Tonya Bundick, 40, of Parksley was arrested in connection to an arson in the 19000 block of Airport Drive near Melfa. The fire was set around 11:45 p.m. Monday at an abandoned residence.

Geller said Bundick was taken into custody shortly after midnight following a traffic stop near the scene of the arson. The structure suffered minimal damage thanks to the quick response by the Melfa Volunteer Fire Department.

WBOC.com adds that Bundick has been charged with one felony count of arson and one felony count conspiracy to commit arson.

Tidewater’s WVEC:

[Virginia State Police Spokesperson Corrine] Geller stressed at a Tuesday morning news conference that Bundick has no relationship or employment with any law enforcement/first responder agencies in Accomack Co.

Another person is also being questioned in the string of arsons.

VAFireNews.com will keep you posted as this story develops.

WXII12.com / Jennifer Gonzalez photo

In Southwest Virginia’s rural Carroll County, it’s reported that fog lead to a mutli-vehicle crash on Interstate 77, leading to the death of three people, with dozens more injured.

From WXII-12.com:

The chain of 17 separate crashes started around 1 p.m. between mile markers 5 and 6 in Carroll County. Fire was seen in one section of the crash involving six cars and a tractor-trailer.

Fog was a contributing factor to the pileup, investigators said. Fog has been lingering on that stretch of road for the past few days, and a much smaller crash happened Saturday near mile marker 1.

See more images of this incident from North Carolina’s WXII:  http://www.wxii12.com/news/local-news/virginia/-/10704014/19538308/-/format/rsss_2.0/-/devk2r/-/index.html

From WSET:

Courtesy WSET

Police say the driver – 27-year-old Jonathan Andre Barber – was traveling on Bethel Road Sunday morning when he lost control of the Patient Transport Systems ambulance.

No patient was in the ambulance at the time, but Barber and a 22-year-old passenger were transported to the hospital with minor injuries and later released.

Original article: Ambulance Overturns in Halifax County – WSET.com – ABC13.