THE HISTORY OF THE CAMPBELL COUNTY RESCUE SQUAD, INC.
On December 28, 1962, the Campbell County Rescue Squad, Inc. was issued a charter by the State Corporation Commission. The Registered Agent Directors that comprised the initial Board of Directors as incorporates were Frank H. Godsey, Thomas Taylor and Richard Smith. Once the Campbell County Rescue Squad, Inc. formed a crew, they started answering calls in mid-February, 1963. The first crew of the Campbell County Rescue Squad, Inc. consisted of fourteen members, thirteen of whom were: Frank Godsey, Fred Lamonds, Richard Smith, Thomas Taylor, Otis Godsey, Reggie Williams, Bill Taylor, Reggie Brown, Otis Maxey, Dave Carnes, Wayne Pulliam, Joe Carderelli, and H.E. Collins.
The Campbell County Rescue Squad, Inc. purchased its first ambulance for $1.00 from Red Whitten, owner of Whitten Funeral Home. The first Crash/Utility Truck was a 1952 Ford Panel Truck donated by Mr. Fred Schmitt, owner of White Star Laundry in Lynchburg, Virginia. In February 1963, the first vehicle that the Campbell County Rescue Squad, Inc. obtained was stationed in a garage at the Winebarger Corporation and was subsequently moved to Feranies Store(now Burley’s Market) located on Route 29 South. It was stationed there from May 1963-July 1963. From August 1963 to December 1963, the vehicle was stationed at the Shell Service Station located at the corner of Route 29 South and Lawyers Road. In 1964, the Campbell County Rescue Squad, Inc. began housing their vehicle at the old Seminole Dance Hall located on Wards Road, near the Lynchburg Airport and this remained the station site until the summer of 1965, when a new crew hall was built.
The new crew hall was located two miles south of the city limits of the City of Lynchburg. It was a two-story, brick building with three bays, a kitchen and crews’ quarters on the first floor and a full meeting room in the basement. At the time the Campbell County Rescue Squad, Inc. moved into their new crew hall, they owned two ambulances, a station wagon ambulance, two boats, and a heavy duty crash truck that was purchased from the Lynchburg Life Saving Crew. In 1973, the State of Virginia Highway Department purchased this crew hall to make way for the Route 460 Bypass and Clover Leaf on Route 29 South. The Campbell County Rescue Squad, Inc. was allowed to remain in the building until 1974, at which time they moved to a temporary station on Timberlake Road until the new crew hall could be built on Rainbow Forest Drive. In 1976, the Campbell County Rescue Squad, Inc. moved to their new crew hall , which has remained as the Main Station to date.
In 1974, the Campbell County Rescue Squad, Inc. added another station, Station Two, at the Lyn-Dan Heights Fire Department located on Rangoon Road and they had one ambulance stationed there. They moved from that station, with the Lyn-Dan Heights Fire Department, to a new building located on Lawyers Road when the Lynchburg Airport expanded. This station location is where they remain today. In 1979, Station Three was added in Evington, Virginia, near the intersections of Leesville Road and Route 24. At that time, one ambulance was stationed there. In 1999, Station Four was added in Bedford County, Virginia on Vista Center Drive. This station has two bays and an office quarters.
The first radio system for the Campbell County Rescue Squad, Inc. was a Citizen’s Band Radio(CB) that used the member’s wife to relay messages since a large area of the county was covered and communication signals were not good. Subsequently, the crew purchased Motorola Radios from the Indiana State Police for a private band used with the Campbell County Emergency System. Later, an upgrade of radios was done to General Electric Mobile and a repeater was set up on No Business Mountain, off Perrowville Road in Bedford County, Virginia. This gave the crew the its own radio system, until the new 911 System came into Campbell County, Virginia and the crew was then added to the county-wide system with the Campbell County Dispatch Center.
2008 Update
Well back to square 1, as of July 15, 2008 our Station 2 at Lyn-Dan Heights Fire Department had to be moved after 34 years in their locations. Expansion to house the new Campbell County 100 Ft. Ladder Truck (Truck 15) that will serve the county out of the Lyn-Dan Fire House has taken our bay due to the length of the new truck.
We are back to the original site of the Old Shell Station Building, where we were stationed August 1963 through December 1963 before moving to the old Seminole Dance Hall Bldg. on Wards Road (29 south). The original Shell Station Building was renovated to a Steel Construction Business Office, that has now moved to a new location, leaving the building for sale. We will be located in the basement as a temporary Station 2 for a while.
Study will be conducted for a new location in the 29 South/Wards Road area in the future.
At present we are operating from our Main Station #1 on Rainbow Forest Drive and three (3) satellite stations. Station #1 equipment consists of 4 ambulances, 2 crash trucks, a response car, and a fully stocked Mass Casualty Incident trailer. Stations #2 and #3 house 1 ambulance each, and Station #4 houses 1 Ambulance and rescue boats.
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