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Longtime firefighter Pam Whorley was named firefighter of the year at the South River District Volunteer Fire/Rescue’s annual awards dinner Jan. 28.
She was also recognized for answering the most calls last year, 177.
Among the other highlights of the evening was the announcement of the department’s first citizenship award, which went to the family of the late Bobby Berkstresser. Berkstresser was a major supporter of the fire department, giving thousands of dollars in donations to the department over the years, noted Chief Kelly Jennings.
In her report during the dinner, Jennings said the department responded to 552 calls during the year.
Besides Whorley, others recognized for answering the most calls in 2022 included Levi Ulrich with 173; Kelly Jennings, 155; Devin Jennings, 143; John Jennings, 135; and TK King, 128.
The call of the year was a tractor-trailer vs. car accident on Interstate 81 that involved an unconscious female victim. “We choose this call due to the limited staffing on the call and how well it was handled with just those two on it,” said Chief Jennings.
Doug Ciampi was incident commander and John Jennings was also on the call. They quickly assessed the patient, determined she had significant life-threatening injuries and requested a medical helicopter, which landed on the interstate and flew her to the hospital. Unfortunately, the patient later succumbed to her injuries.
The tractor-trailer involved in the accident was on its side in the median, and the driver was not seriously injured. R ockbridge C ounty Fire-Rescue, Fairfield Rescue, Raphine Fire, Lexington Rescue and Riverheads Rescue all assisted in that call.
Also during the awards dinner, two firefighters were recognized for taking the most training hours during the year, Matthew Clark, 280 hours; and McKinzie Craft, 170 hours.
The line officers’ choice award went to the Ladies Auxiliary, which was revitalized this past year.
The evening’s activities included, as usual, a slide show highlighting some of the fire department’s calls and events during the year. The slide show, which was put together by Pam Whorley’s daughter Emilee, concluded with a tribute to Pam Whorley’s father, former longtime fire chief Steve Wilmer, who died in 2022.
