Residents 'adopt' fire and rescue station, urge other neighborhoods to do the same

By ANNETTE JONES

Date published: 1/2/2007

WHEN Sheryl Bennett moved to Spotsylvania County from Pittsburgh in 2002 she felt comforted that the Wilderness fire and rescue station was less than a mile down the road from her new home.

So when her husband's heart condition warranted an ambulance ride, Bennett confidently called 911 and waited.

And waited.

She called 911 again.

And waited.

After about 20 minutes, a fire truck arrived. No ambulance.

The problem, she was told, was that it was after 3 p.m. on a Friday. Company 7 was manned Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m.

"My jaw dropped," Bennett recalled recently. "How could they not be there all the time?"

A year later, a similar situation--this time a nearby house fire--prompted Bennett to take action.

She circulated a petition among her neighbors urging round-the-clock EMS and fire coverage at Company 7, which is on Orange Plank Road near Wilderness Battlefield.

"I don't think anybody knew it was not manned [all the time]," said Melissa Baker, a founding member of the Spotsylvania Coalition for 24/7 Fire and Emergency Services. The coalition was Bennett's idea.

More than 300 people living in the subdivisions surrounding Company 7 signed the petition.

Now, the station is manned from 4:40 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday by paid personnel. An overnight rescue crew also inhabits the station.

"They've been behind us in getting staffing," said Spotsylvania County Fire and Rescue Battalion Chief Terry Snellings. And not just at Company 7. By asking questions, the coalition prompted supervisors to consider emergency services.

"It's been a phenomenal evolution of learning on our part on what our county has--the resources, the dedication, the red tape," Bennett said.

Almost immediately, the group "adopted" Company 7.

Even before the coalition was organized, the neighborhood started holding fundraisers. "Company 7 had needs not being met," said Bennett. So the residents raised $5,000 with a chili cook-off and silent auction. A community cookbook organized by Baker was unveiled with a bake sale and tasting. Two printings later, the cookbook has brought in $10,000 for Company 7.

Bennett parlayed that $15,000 into much more, though, always asking merchants for items that she knows are on Company 7's wish list. "She never misses an opportunity, everywhere she goes," said Baker.

Want to know more? Visit the coalition's Web site, spotsy24-7.org. The site shares some of the accomplishments of the coalition, has a plethora of links to other county sites and includes a "firehouse cookbook." Neighborly gifts Kevin Dillard, administrative chief for Company 7, said the coalition "is very good about asking us about what our needs are." The coalition has obtained a number of items for the company. To make the station seem more like home: Dishwashers Washing machine and clothes dryer Toaster, pots and pans, dish towels Bed comforters, sheets, pillows, mattress pads Bedroom and living room curtains Recliners and sofas To help the rescue workers do their jobs: Oceanid RDC water rescue craft Stearns ice rescue suits EMSAT subscription Ad campaign for Firefighter 1 class Shed Photocopier

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Date published: 1/2/2007