Fire Departments Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

State, Federal Funds Support Fire Services, Water Infrastructure

Millions of dollars in state money will help the state fund fire services, as well as infrastructure improvements.

During his weekly media briefing Thursday, Governor Jim Justice announced the first distribution of $3 million dollars in funding for fire services in West Virginia.

“Our volunteer fire departments, gosh. What would we do without all these people?” Justice said. “People that are stepping up and volunteering and trying to help communities over and over and over. And they do, not only they save all kinds of lives, but to help us in every way imaginable.”

The funding comes after the passage and signing of Senate Bill’s 1022 and 1023, supplementing appropriations to the Division of Emergency Management, Growth County Fire Protection Fund, and County Fire Protection Fund.

The first round of funding contained in SB 1022 has been released through the County Fire Protection Fund, delivering resources to all 55 counties in West Virginia.

The funds can be used for Fire Departments and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) to purchase equipment, education and training expenses or to offset costs associated with compliance with Insurance Service Office (ISO) recommendations, utility bills and insurance payments.

The governor also announced more than $10 million in federal funds for infrastructure advancements in three West Virginia communities.

“I’m thrilled to be able to share some news regarding critical infrastructure projects in West Virginia,” Justice said.

The funding from the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency was secured through $2.8 million in matching funds from the state.

The projects in Randolph, Wyoming and Tucker counties will improve water infrastructure, including water treatment and extending water service to communities lacking a reliable drinking water source.

State EMS, Fire Department Leaders Address Job Vacancy, Mental Health Crisis

State fire and EMS leaders face challenges with job recruiting and retention, keeping stations open and maintaining mental health in the wake of experiencing overwhelming tragedy. They are asking for help from the West Virginia Legislature.

Emotions ran high on Tuesday afternoon, as the Joint Committee on Volunteer Fire Departments and Emergency Medical Services heard stories of first responders’ continuing mental anguish in the aftermath of so many trauma response calls.

Jody Ratliff, the state Emergency Medical Services director, said a key to keeping people on the squads is addressing mental health issues. He said 988 Crisis Lifeline counselors are now working with traumatized EMTs and sending staff to ride along on serious ambulance calls.

Ratliff is also establishing regional critical debriefing teams throughout the state, responding when trauma and grief counseling are most needed.

“When there’s a major incident, we can deploy that team out to those areas, and they can actually do critical debriefing for it,” Ratliff said. “All these services, we’ve been able to pull off for free. So it’s not costing taxpayers a penny.”

Ratliff plans to eventually include firefighters in his trauma relief plans.

Randy James, the president of the West Virginia State Fire Chiefs Association, relates the dire funding woes of volunteer fire departments (VFDs) to mental health. James said new legislation gives VFDs the option to purchase a separate insurance policy to cover mental health issues for their members, but he added that it’s not working since it’s not affordable.

“As far as I know, I have not heard of a single fire department purchasing the extra insurance to cover PTSD for its members, they can’t afford it,” James said.

Joint committee members began the meeting by working to revitalize failed House Bill 3153, which would have markedly increased funding for volunteer fire departments and emergency medical services providers.

James told lawmakers if an EMS squad runs short of funds, they shut down. He said in 2022, 15 squads closed their doors. However, he said when VFDs lack funds, they lose volunteers.

“The departments will just keep doing what they do,” James said. “They cut back on services, maybe they don’t purchase as much equipment or they buy used equipment or even cut back on training. But one major thing that happens to a volunteer fire department when you don’t have adequate funding, is they lose members.”

James said it is aggravating to come away from legislative sessions with basically no increase in funding since 2005 while hearing the news about surplus funds and record tax collections. He asked the committee what else first responders can do to turn around 1,900 EMS vacancies with a workforce short by nearly a third.

Del. Joe Statler, R-Monongalia, echoed his fellow member’s sentiments when he said “don’t give up.”

“We know all the departments across the state are frustrated,” Statler said. “We hear when we’re back home, we hear from our local volunteer fire companies and EMS services. We are continuing to work on this problem that we have before us.”

Committee members said they would continue to make the failed funding bill better suited to passage. They plan to draft a letter to Gov. Jim Justice that the bill be included in any upcoming special session.

Fire and EMS Committee Chair Sen. Vince Deeds, R-Greenbrier, ended the interim meeting with a promise.

“As you can tell, everyone on this committee really is involved and engaged on all these issues,” Deeds said. “I give you my word, we’ll do everything we possibly can to get it right.”

Small Town Firehouse Crumbling From The ‘Ground Up’

The Mullens Fire Department building is at risk of washing away, according to Fire Chief Justin England. He said the building itself is solid but the foundation is eroding from underneath. The building is located along the Guyandotte River in Wyoming County.

England said firefighters noticed a crack in the bay floor that lead them outside to see the damage. He said it’s an urgent matter because the right situation and the building could crumble to the ground.

Rebuilding or repairing at the current location isn’t an option since the river will continue to pose the same hazard.

The Mullens Fire Department is working with Region One Planning and Development Council to search for funding. The Council is one of 11 in the state that utilizes federal, state, and local funding to assist with projects concerning infrastructure development, and other facilities.

The department hopes to find funding to construct a new building in town just a few blocks over.

Without a solution, England worries about the community.

The building is used to house and protect equipment. England says the town’s fire house is often called a “light of the community” hosting hotdog dinners, toy drives and more.

Jan Rader Discusses Her Career And The State Of Public Health In Huntington

After 27 years of service, Huntington’s Fire Chief, Jan Rader, is stepping down and transitioning to another role with the city. After officially becoming Huntington’s Fire Chief in 2017, Rader gained global recognition for her approach toward overcoming the opioid epidemic. She spoke with David Adkins to discuss her career serving the public.

This interview has been lightly edited for clarity.

David Adkins: With redefining the role of a first responder, you once said it needs to change from cavalry to something else. In what ways has that role been redefined during your tenure?

Jan Rader: Any first responder role is going to evolve over time because the world evolves, and we have to keep up with that. We need more education, when it comes to what addiction really is and how it affects people. We need more education on how we can refer people to services, things of that nature, and we also need education on mindfulness and keeping ourselves healthy mentally. Because people working today in the first responder role, they’re seeing overdoses of their friends, people they went to high school with, maybe family members, so it affects them in a very deep way versus not going on overdose calls.

David Adkins: With the introduction of COMPASS, which is a wellness program for first responders, how do you think that has helped?

Jan Rader: It’s been amazing and I actually got to be a part of that on the ground level. I’ve seen a need for years and I think that we’re showing first responders throughout the country in the world that it’s okay to take care of yourself even though you know you’re kind of like a superhero without the cake. But if we’re not safe, physically and mentally, then how can we help others?

David Adkins: There’s been a lot of collaboration interdepartmentally, with the fire department, the Huntington health department, and quick response teams. That’s a group of people with different fields that are collaborating together. What is the importance of that collaboration going forward?

Jan Rader: What we’re doing is working, we are making a difference, and that started with the leadership of Mayor Williams. He has guided us and shown us how great it can be to collaborate and partner with other agencies. We’re all in this together. It’s going to take all of us working together. And we have to be able to guide people to the programs that they need to get help. No one department, no one organization can do it alone. So we must work together, and we have and we involve the faith community in everything, and that’s amazing as well.

David Adkins: And having that community involvement for responding to the opioid crisis, that gives people the support system they need.

Jan Rader: It’s so needed. It’s so needed. We have people come here to see what we’re doing from all over the country, and even from other countries, to see how it’s working, and they all comment on the collaboration and the partnerships that we have formed.

David Adkins: A lot of people, when they think about our city, they think of some sort of infamy.

Jan Rader: But look at us West Virginians now. We’re working together and we’re making headway in a very difficult situation. We’re the city of solutions.

David Adkins: How does it feel to be the city of solutions, kind of more of a beacon of positivity and innovation?

Jan Rader: It feels good. You know, it doesn’t take a lot of energy to do the right thing, and that’s what we’re doing. We’re doing the right thing.

David Adkins: Greg Fuller was announced as the new chief. What are your thoughts?

Jan Rader: Greg and I have been friends for years. In fact, he was my chief for 10 years on the fire department. And I was very sad when he decided to retire. He’s a gentleman who has many connections. He has an incredible amount of knowledge when it comes to leadership and dealing with budgets, and he has many connections in the federal government and the state government. He’s just a great guy. He’s a good fit.

David Adkins: You gave your life to public service. What has that been like?

Jan Rader: I feel good about it. I think that I was raised by two very caring parents who taught me that you help those who can’t help themselves. Even if you are not rich yourself, you help others. And that’s how we grew up, and I think we’re all here to help each other, lift each other up. And you know, I think we make a difference when we do that. So I feel good about it. It’s surreal coming to the end of a 27 and a half-year career. It’s a very odd feeling, but it’s time and I love the Huntington Fire Department. I will continue to be their biggest cheerleader, they do amazing things day in day out, sometimes with very little sleep or not the right equipment, but they are my second home. And I’m very grateful for the 27 and a half years I’ve had and I know that they will continue to be superstars in the first responder world.

David Adkins: What are your thoughts on the future of public health in Huntington?

Jan Rader: I think that as long as we keep an open mind, and we collaborate, that we’ll be okay. I think time will tell what we’re going to see in the future.

Note: Jan Rader stepped down as Huntington’s Fire Chief on Friday, February 11, to assume a new role as director of Huntington’s Council on Public Health and Drug Control Policy. Fire Chief Greg Fuller assumed the position Monday, February 14.

House Passes Bill to Help Volunteer Fire Departments

With the passage of their budget bill behind them, members of the House are working their way through a number of bills left on their agenda this legislative session. West Virginia Public Broadcasting took a closer look at two of the bills approved in the chamber Thursday.

Seventeen Senate bills were on third reading in the House Thursday and put to a final vote.

One of those was Senate Bill 255, which changes how vacancies in political offices are filled. The bill would require the appointed person be from the same party as the previous office at the time of his or her resignation, not at the time of election.

As it came through the Senate, several senators pointed to former Sen. Daniel Hall as the bill’s motivation.

Hall was a Democrat when elected to the chamber in 2012, but after the 2014 election, the senator switched parties, giving Republicans the majority in that chamber for the first time in over 80 years. In 2016, Hall resigned from the body and the West Virginia Supreme Court was left to rule on which party would fill that vacancy.

The bill passed on a vote of 87 to 10 in the House. All the no votes were from Democrats and from the single Independent member in the chamber.

Another bill considered in the House, Senate Bill 636, requires the State Fire Commission to begin a pilot program to address any problems within the state’s volunteer fire departments. These issues would be in the areas of training, recruitment, or retention.

Delegate Joe Statler, a Republican from Monongalia County, says volunteer firefighters are the first line of defense in the state, but many struggle to keep their doors open.

Republican Amy Summers of Taylor County questioned Statler about whether this pilot program might end up hurting the volunteer fire departments instead of helping.

“You don’t think that there’s any way that this pilot project could then say to these volunteer fire departments…you can’t function anymore, because you’ve been proven that…you’re not effective, or something of that nature,” Summers asked, “you think this is gonna help the volunteer departments succeed?”

“I actually do believe that it will help,” Statler answered, “If everybody goes into it with the attitude that we’re going to do what we can do to see where we have all these rules and regulations and all this training, and everything else in place, that I believe that this can be a good thing. My biggest fear is, is how many might want to try to get on the pilot program, and we can’t sustain that many people trying to pilot.”

Senate Bill 636 passed 95 to 3.

Three Fire Departments Get Federal Grants

Three West Virginia fire departments will receive more than $887,000 in federal grants for equipment upgrades.

U.S. Sens. Shelley Moore Capito and Joe Manchin announced the grants Monday from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

The Mineral Wells Volunteer Fire Department will receive a grant of more than $655,000 for vehicle acquisition.

Grants for personal protective and other equipment include $187,000 for the Independent Fire Company No. 1 in Ranson and $45,000 for the Springfield Valley Volunteer Fire Company in Hampshire County.