Buckhannon Firefighters achieve new ranks, receive pins during City Council Meeting

May 3, 2019

BUCKHANNON: During Thursday’s City Council meeting, four members of the Buckhannon Fire Department received new pins marking their respective ranks. Fire Chief J.B. Kimble presented the pins for their family members to affix to each firefighter’s uniform.

Firefighter Ethan Smith successfully completed the probationary period, and is now a full-fledged firefighter without restriction. Lieutenant Franklin “Linn” Baxa, Captain Joseph “Joey” Baxa, and Captain Brian Elmore all successfully passed promotional exams to move up in rank.

The Buckhannon Fire Department is a rural, combination fire department comprised of twenty-four members. Of these members, seventeen are volunteers and seven are paid firefighters. The department has members trained in fire suppression, incident management, hazardous materials mitigation, vehicle and machinery rescue, confined space rescue, water rescue, dive operations and basic life support.

The Buckhannon Fire Department has a fleet of seven apparatus, one UTV, one hazardous materials containment trailer, and two boats. Our fleet consists of four engine/pumpers, one aerial, one rescue and two support vehicles. The first due area, or area of primary responsibility, spans over the City of Buckhannon and beyond. The department provides services to over 12,000 residents in the first due area and over 25,000 within additional areas covered by mutual and automatic aid agreements.

For questions, contact Callie Cronin Sams, callie.csams@buckhannonwv.org.