CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A Kanawha County volunteer fire department is rebuilding while also continuing to provide fire protection for a large area of the county.
Tyler Mountain Volunteer Fire Department’s lone board member, Barry Holstein, told the Kanawha County Commission Thursday that he remains the lone board member for now, but the station has been taking calls and is running about as smoothly as residents can hope for.
“Until we have an election for new board members, then it will just be me operating that organization as a sole board member, which does limit our ability of what we can and can’t do, but so far, we haven’t ran into a problem where something needed to be done immediately that would have required a core of a board,” Holstein said Thursday.
Just two weeks ago, the fire department saw its chief and every one of its board members resign after a sizeable group of firefighters had resigned. Holstein, who had been on the board for less than a month before the mass resignation, addressed the community during what was supposed to be a board meeting, and answered as many questions as he could for firefighters and concerned citizens.
Holstein says some firefighters have returned and their numbers are looking good.
“We have went from, recent times, 18 firefighters to 21,” Holstein said. “Out of the 21, 17 are certified to go into fires.”
Holstein announced Thursday that he was able to name former assistant chief, Thomas Robinson, the active chief of the station. Holstein also says there is enough capital to continue operating, and the station is able to pay its bills. The department also has workers compensation paperwork up to date.
The department’s board won’t have one lonely member for much longer, as a board meeting set for next week will accept nominations from community members for new board members. Official positions for the board will be elected on September 19.
Kanawha County Commission President Lance Wheeler says, without Holstein’s efforts, the Tyler Mountain Volunteer Fire Department would be in serious jeopardy.
“If it was not for you staying on that board after your board resigning, we wouldn’t have fire calls coming out of that station right now,” Wheeler said. “You’re keeping it up and we’re grateful for that because what we care about, is the community of Cross Lanes and that they’ve got adequate fire service, and it sounds like they do.”
Holstein says that the unity between the members of the station has been the thing that has kept things moving.
“The folks on the fire department have come together,” Holstein said. “We’re going to get there.”