The South Boston Volunteer Fire Company, Inc. was reorganized in 1957 as a chartered non-profit corporation succeeding the previously organized South Boston Volunteer Fire Department which dated back to 1884. The organization was charged with the responsibility of providing personnel to the City of South Boston Fire Department at time of fires and other emergencies in the city and surrounding rural areas. The organization was chartered with an authorized membership of forty (40) regular volunteer members and additional junior, honorary and lifetime members.
The organization is seen as being a local leader in firefighting with the implementation of modem practices that have included the use of positive pressure ventilation in fire attack, use of incident command system, as well as a personnel accountability system.
Since being organized, the Fire Company has worked faithfully to raise funding to help augment the limited funds provided by the City for the operation of the Fire Department. There have been many methods employed that include brunswick stews, dances, turkey shoots, circuses, shotgun raffles, bingo, and a $10,000.00 cash raffle. With the funds raised, the Fire Company has purchased NFPA compliant bunker gear and pagers for all members, issued portable two-way radios for line officers, work and dress uniforms, a fully equipped salvage truck with a modern lighting system for night time operations, and most recently a combination first responder and fire support vehicle.
Over the last thirty-eight years, the members of the Fire Company have exhibited their dedication to the organization and the community by the "hands-on" contributions in building of the "Firemen's Kitchen facility located at the Training Center that was largely built by volunteer labor. Of late, with the purchase of an empty building on Seymour Drive in 1990, the members contributed countless hours in converting this eyesore to a functional facility utilized for bingo games, training classes, and other community functions. This facility with all of the modern furnishings was furnished and paid for in just a few short years with all of the funding being raised by the members.
The Fire Company fielded a highly successful Competition Team from 1977 thru 1998 while having an unprecedented number of winning finishes in both Virginia and North Carolina at the local and state level with a many as ten (10) competitions in a season. The highlight to the Competition Team was in 1984 when they won First Place in the Motor Hose and Second in the One Man Hose contest at the Virginia State Firemen's Convention at Hampton, Virginia.
The Fire Company became actively involved in the mid 1980's with the Fire Department First Responder Medical Program that is utilized throughout the county to augment the work of the local rescue squad. At present, members are funding and constructing a new combination First Responder ALS Non-transport and fire support vehicle that will also carry extraction and spill containment equipment as well as other support equipment for fighting brush fires and refilling of SCBA bottles.
With the challenges and responsibilities of meeting new training requirements, all members are required to complete a minimum number of in-station training hours each year as well as being highly encouraged to take other advanced fire, rescue, and EMS courses that relate to the mission of the Fire Department.
With over fifty years of experience under our belt, we the South Boston Volunteer Fire Company feel confident in our ability to fulfill the future fire suppression needs of the youngest town in the Commonwealth of Virginia for years to come.
