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Wintergreen Fire and Rescue - Past and Future
Both the Wintergreen Fire Department and the Wintergreen Rescue Squad began in the 1970s when the resort was in it’s infant stages. The Fire Department was known then as the Wintergreen Fire Brigade and kept it’s only fire engine in a shed at Golf Maintenance. The Rescue Squad had one transport vehicle which was a Chevy Suburban, typically kept at what is now the Food and Beverage loading dock. Both departments were initially staffed with only volunteers, however the demand for service quickly lead to a career/volunteer department.
In the late 70s, the mountain station was completed. It has been expanded twice, with the most recent expansion taking place in 2007 to accommodate a ladder truck. In the early 90s, a need was identified for a second station which was built in the Stoney Creek community in Nellysford. Stoney Creek grew so quickly that in the late 90s, the size of that station was doubled. Plans are currently being developed to expand the station once again. The stations are owned and maintained by the Wintergreen Property Owners Association. (WPOA)
The Rescue Squad is a non-profit 501c3 organization comprised of approximately 40 volunteers. The organization meets on the second Tuesday of every month. Volunteers are trained from the level of driver, all the way up to Paramedic. Every ambulance which responds from Wintergreen Rescue will have at least one volunteer on board. Frequently, during ski season when call volumes are high, ambulances will be staffed with all volunteer crews.
The Fire Department is a non-profit 501c4 organization comprised of approximately 20 volunteers. The organization meets on the fourth Wednesday of the month. Volunteers complete virtually the same training as career staff. Typically, volunteers meet emergency apparatus at the scene and provide critical support.
“Wintergreen Fire & Rescue” is a department within the WPOA staff. These employees are required to be fully cross-trained for either fire or advanced medical emergencies. 21 full-time and 9 part-time employees are utilized to provide 24-hour fire and rescue coverage for both Wintergreen Stations. Additionally, Wintergreen acts as a sub-contractor providing EMS coverage for all of Nelson County during the hours of 5:00am till 6:00pm Monday through Friday. The Nelson County assignment is handled by a separate batch of medics who are utilized to staff a station on the Route 151 corridor and a station on the Route 29 corridor. All totaled, Wintergreen Fire & Rescue staff are assigned to over 2,000 incidents per year.
Both Departments have a volunteer Board of Directors whom are responsible for administrative and business aspects of the agencies. Operationally, Wintergreen uses the “Strong Chief” model, whereby the Chief, employed by the Owners Association, is responsible for all operations of the staff, as well as the volunteers.
Combined, the Wintergreen Rescue Squad and Wintergreen Fire Department operate 21 pieces of equipment to meet the needs of Wintergreen. This equipment can be as complex as a 90’ Tower truck (on order) or as simple as an SUV used for rapid response. Because of our extreme terrain, almost all of our equipment has to be specialized and is therefore rather expensive. The capital needs of both departments are funded by private donations. Operating expenses are paid by the Counties of Nelson and Augusta, and by Wintergreen Partners Incorporated. All staff expenses are paid by WPOA.
After just a few short decades of existence, Wintergreen has develop and continues to expand a model volunteer/career emergency services system. The Insurance Safety Office has given the Wintergreen Fire district a rating of “4” which many moderately sized cities have yet to obtain. The Wintergreen Rescue Squad was named “Outstanding EMS Agency” for the Thomas Jefferson Council in 2006.
Over the coming decade, Wintergreen hopes to become a training destination for many of the courses required in the industry, yet rarely offered in or near Nelson County. This will include basic life support, advanced life support, firefighting, and technical rescue classes. A 40’ rope training tower was just recently completed, work on a 48’ smoke maze trailer is in progress, and an EMT class has been scheduled. Stay tuned…..