History of the SCVFD
How It All Began: Roemane Willett's Big Idea
On Wednesday, January 11, 1981, there were two house fires in the Spring Creek area of Madison County. One house fire was in the Bluff area; the other along Meadow Fork. The home in Bluff was completely destroyed; the Meadow Fork home was not. The story of those fires is how Spring Creek got its Volunteer Fire Department.
Roemane Willett and his wife were traveling home from church that winter evening when Mrs. Willett saw flames in a neighbor’s house. She got out of the car to call for help while Roemane drove on to the house to alert his neighbor, Mrs. Plemmons. She was already aware of the fire. There was supposed to be a hard freeze that night so, Mrs. Plemmons had brought some extra buckets of water up from the creek in anticipation of the harsh weather.
Roemane and Mrs. Plemmons started pouring those buckets of water onto the fire, burning a wall of her house. Within minutes, other residents, about 20, alerted by Mrs. Willett, arrived to form a bucket brigade from the creek and quickly had the burning wall well wet and the fire out. While everyone was watching to ensure that the fire did not reignite, Roemane observed that since everyone had done so well with no equipment and no training, they would do really well if they had a fire department and needed one.
Stan McElroy speaking at the February 17 meeting in 1981; also shown are Jerry Vehaun, Vernon Dover, and Ron Owensby
Things started to happen very quickly after Roemane Willett suggested a fire department in January, 1981.
Stan McElroy, a community member, started talking to folks and asking after their thoughts and concerns about the lack of fire protection for their homes and surrounding woodlands. The two fires in one night drove home the point that a change was needed.
On February 17, 1981, about a month after the fires, more than 100 Spring Creek residents came to a meeting at the Spring Creek School to talk about the formation of a volunteer fire department for the, then called, West Madison area. At that meeting 27 men signed up to be volunteers and $863 was donated; Dempsey Woody started it off with a $100 donation.
There were many pledges of non-financial support from surrounding communities and various state agencies. The NC Forest Service, by way of the Civil Service, offered up a four-wheel drive vehicle for use as a brush truck, for attacking wild fires, and a ¾ ton WWII vintage non-firefighting truck. The Forest service allowed that money was tight and there was none to offer and it could take a year to get the trucks.
Two other issues arose at that meeting: it was suggested that if a building were to be built, that it should be big enough to accommodate emergency medical responders, a point on which community members agreed; it was also suggested that the formation of a Ladies Auxiliary could be important to fund raising.
Having achieved all of that in a matter of weeks just a few to-do items remained before Roemane Willett's idea of a volunteer fire department could become a reality: form a fire department; get a state charter; form a support Auxiliary; get the firefighters trained; acquire some land; build a firehouse on that land; get some fire trucks; put some equipment on those trucks; and, do all that with $863.
In fact, it would take 928 days from the meeting that February night until September 3, 1983, when the community celebrated the first ever Fireman's Fair at the new fire house.
Forming the fire department got off to a difficult start. The first meeting was planned for March 19, 1981 but had to be postponed until April 6 due to icy road conditions. At that meeting Stan McElroy, who had done so much to get the community behind Roemaine Willett’s idea, was elected the very first Fire Chief of the West Madison Volunteer Fire Department.
Stan McElroy, in his new role as Fire Chief, petitioned the Madison County Board to have the County Attorney draw up the legal documents including a charter, bylaws and NC state and Federal tax exemptions. This was approved at no charge to Spring Creek.
Fund raising was a critical activity which largely fell to the Auxiliary. Despite the original suggestion, the first auxiliary was open to all men and women who were not directly involved in the VFD; everyone was welcome to join. Connie McElroy, the Fire Chief's wife, was elected temporary chairperson. About a month later Ethel Kirkpatrick was elected its first President.
These first steps were completed by the end of April, 1981.
In April and May of that year the training started: Red Cross training for CPR; and, a 2-day training school in Marion, NC.
By the end of May some positive steps had been accomplished: (a) The Asheville Fire Department donated 14 sets of fire protective helmets, coats, pants and boots, called turnout gear; (b) The department acquired a firetruck with a 1,000 gal. tank along with hoses and nozzles; (c) Medical and fire training moved into a higher gear.
The Auxiliary started fund raising. The first event was an auction for a 250-lb. Duroc/Yorkshire hog, a donation from a community member. Tickets went for $1 and $900 worth were sold. The Auxiliary disavowed the responsibility of processing the hog but they were willing to deliver it to the processor. Three year old Forrest Walker drew the winning ticket, #245.
This was followed by other Auxiliary events including Bar-B-Ques, flea markets, basketball games, cookbooks, Tupperware parties, wrestling, music, Halloween parties, turkey-shoots and clogging. The amounts raised were never very large but, in the aggregate, enough was raised to enable the community to break ground for a fire station in the Spring of 1982, about a year after the February meeting.
The Original SCVFD: Class of 1981
Pictured:
Front Row (L to R): Johnny Kirkpatrick, Robert Roullard, Muffy Brown, Rhett Kirkpatrick, Carroll Wyatt III
Middle Row (L to R): Tom Speight, Bobby Clark, Ray Gene Waldroup, Dan Beckwith
Back Row (L to R): Dave Shaffer, Harold Finley, Roemaine Willett, Carroll Wyatt, Jerry Willett, Pat Byers, Carroll Askew, Blane Gregory
Not Pictured:
Lionel Brooks, John Brown,Dwight Cloud, Lloyd Edwards, Robert Fleming, Jim Hayes, Vern Holt, Joe Justice, Harry Kirkpatrick, Tom Maloney, Frank Massey, Stan McElroy, Tim Morrissey, Kelly Mount, Eddie Parton, Jesse Patmore, David Plemmons, Larry, Plemmons, Glenn Price, Mack Rathbone, Ken Reese, Charles Sams, David Simpson, Brad Stevens, Chris Stroud, Carl Waldroup, Bill Walker, Dennis Willett, Harry Wood, and George Worley
Special Recognitions
Fireman of the Year
2000 Shannon Allen
2001 Stan McElroy
2002 Romaine Willett
2003 Mark Allen
2004 Levi Roullard
2005 Rhett Kirkpatrick
2006 Ben Pickard & Curtis Rollins
2007 Denise Rathbone
2008 Danni Speight
2009 Coty Norton
2010 Todd Glasser
2011 Levi Roullard
2012 Todd Glasser
Honorary Lifetime Members
Carl Price
Carroll Askew
Donnie Caldwell
Bobby Clark
Ron Morris
Eugene Woody
Joe Duckett
Lionel Brooks
Roemane Willett
Sam Kirkpatrick
Perry Plemmons
Shirley Speight
Charles Sams
2013 Forrest Stavish
2014 Coty Norton
2015 Luke Anderson
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
Connie McElroy
Stan McElroy
Kate Kirkpatrick
Spenser Rollins
Buena Frisbee
Sue Keener
Dan Beckwith
Ethel Kirkpatrick
Rhett Kirkpatrick
Shirley Ledford
Harold Hunter
Shannon Allen
Joe Ferguson
The Text of Rhett’s Long Leaf Pine Nomination Letter:
On January 11, 1981 there were two house fires in the Spring Creek community in Madison County, then called West Madison. As a consequence, the residents of Spring Creek came together and formed the West Madison Volunteer Fire Department. 27 men signed up on the original fire department roster in that year.
One of those 27 was Rhett Kirkpatrick. Today (note: the award was presented on 12/13/2016), 35 years later, only one of those 27 men is still on the Spring Creek VFD roster. That one is Rhett Kirkpatrick, having served for 35 continuous years as a member of the (now) Spring Creek Volunteer Fire Department.
The number of times that Rhett has responded to a 911 call are beyond numbering … responding day and night, in rain and shine, in sleet and snow, to medical emergencies and fires alike. As a first responder he has touched the lives of countless people in crisis, both Spring Creek residents and passers through, freely giving of his time and training, asking and expecting nothing in return for his efforts and contributions.
Over 35 years Rhett has been involved in every phase of the growth and development of the VFD. When the fire station was being planned Rhett helped to cut the logs that became the lumber that built the station. When the station was being built Rhett was there cutting that lumber, driving the nails, putting on the paint. Money for the VFD in Spring Creek has always been tight, fund raising always an integral part of the VFD’s existence. Rhett has been there at every event, 35 years of flipping burgers, making chili and scrubbing the pots, helping with Bar-B-Ques, motorcycle rallies, flea markets, basketball games, wrestling, music, Halloween parties, turkey-shoots to name a few.
In addition to all his efforts on behalf of the VFD Rhett has also been called on to assume a leadership role in the VFD, having served at various times as Captain, Lieutenant, and also as the officer for the several support positions in the VFD, such as Training Officer. Rhett has also been an Emergency Medical Technician.
In 2010 Rhett, and his wife Ethel, were elected Honorary Lifetime Members of the Spring Creek VFD.
From that small observation grew an institution that has served Spring Creek for more than three decades and has responded to community emergencies a thousand times and a thousand times again.
Roemane Willett, whose big idea started folks thinking about fire protection, was one of the founding members of the Spring Creek (originally West Madison) Volunteer Fire Department and served as its Chaplain for more than 20 years until his passing in 2007.
In 2004 the Spring Creek VFD was awarded a FEMA grant for a brand new truck which cost $150,000. On the side of that truck, now Pumper Tanker 9, is a plaque which reads: Dedicated to Roemane Willett for his vision and dedication to SCVFD, Nov. 2004.
The Community Comes Together
Lisa Holt, Connie McElroy, and Lori Parker Count the $863 Donated at the February 17, 1981 Meeting. Celena Chapman looks on.
Special Recognition for a Special Man and His Contributions
27 men signed up to join the newly forming VFD at that February, 1981 meeting. Since then probably a few hundred people have joined the Spring Creek VFD and then moved on. Only one person has been a member from 1981 to the present day: Rhett Kirkpatrick.
In March, 2016 Rhett completed 35 years of continuous service in the Spring Creek VFD, a commitment to the community that will be difficult to equal. In 2010 Rhett, and his wife Ethel Kirkpatrick, were voted Honorary Lifetime Members for their many years of service and their many contributions to the formation and growth of the Spring Creek VFD.
Spring Creek VFD firefighter, Rhett Kirkpatrick, was honored by being inducted into the Order of the Long Leaf Pine. The Order of the Long Leaf Pine is among the most prestigious awards presented by the Governor of North Carolina. It is presented to individuals who have a proven record of extraordinary service to the state, contributions to their communities, extra effort in their careers, and many years of service to their organizations.
The award certificate, signed by Governor Pat McCrory, was presented by Madison County Sheriff, Buddy Harwood, at the Spring Creek VFD’s annual awards dinner on Tuesday, December 13th. Rhett Kirkpatrick was recognized for his 35 years of continuous service in the Spring Creek Volunteer Fire Department.