Belle Fire Department, Inc.

06/10/2026

☀️ **SCHOOL’S OUT, KIDS ARE OUT: DRIVE SAFELY!** ☀️

It’s Wednesday, and with summer break officially in full swing, our daily routines look a little different. Schools might be empty, but our neighborhoods, parks, and streets are busy!

Kids are home, playing outside, riding bikes, and walking to nearby friends' houses. They don't always look both ways before chasing a ball into the street, so it’s up to us to be extra vigilant.

Please keep these quick reminders in mind during your commute:

🐢 **Slow Down:** Stick strictly to neighborhood speed limits.
📱 **Ditch the Distractions:** Put the phone away. A split second makes all the difference.
👀 **Expect the Unexpected:** Scan between parked cars and near driveways where kids might suddenly step out.

Let's work together to make sure this is a safe, fun, and accident-free summer for all of our local youth.

Drive safe out there today! 🚒👇

06/09/2026

🚒 The Roots of Tradition: Passing the Torch

In the fire service, tradition is our backbone. It’s the quiet passing down of hard-earned wisdom, meticulous attention to detail, and the promise that the excellence of those who came before us will be carried forward.

Few things capture that powerful tradition quite like this moment during a recent Rescue Scuba Diver class in Summersville, WV.

Decades ago, the foundation for our area's water rescue capabilities was laid by the late Chief Jack Sigman, who helped build the dive team right here at the Belle Fire Department. Today, that blueprint is still being lived out by his family.

Pictured here, Lieutenant Chance Sigman performs a precise gear check on his grandfather, Dive Master CW Sigman, before hitting the water.

Water work runs deep in the family. Lieutenant Sigman brought a strong foundation of operational experience to the class, having previously worked in commercial diving for Jack’s other son, Clark Sigman.

When you look at this photo, you are seeing the living history of the fire service. You are seeing a grandson and officer ensuring his grandfather's safety, carrying forward the watchful eye and technical precision that Chief Jack Sigman instilled generations ago.

We salute the Sigman family for their unbroken line of service, and we thank all our members who honor our history by committing to the highly technical training required to protect our neighbors.

The gear changes, but the tradition of service remains unshakable.

06/08/2026

Please check out this flyer for first aid and CPR AED training provided by the CAMC Center for Learning and Research. Register at ce.camcinstitute.org or call 304-388-1856.

- June 15 8:30am-1pm
- July 27 8:30am-1pm
- August 8 9am-1pm
- September 28 8:30am-1pm
- November 9 8:30am-1pm

06/08/2026

06/08/2026

This past weekend, members from several area departments completed a highly specialized Rescue Scuba Diver certification class! When emergencies happen on our waterways, regional collaboration ensures we are ready to respond quickly and safely.

A massive shoutout to all the dedicated divers who put in the hours, including personnel from:
🛑 Belle Fire Department
🚒 South Charleston Professional FireFighters Local 837
🧑‍🚒 West Side Vol Fire Dept #2 Sta 21

Water rescue requires seamless teamwork, and that is exactly what we built this weekend. We also want to give a huge thank you to our instructor, Dalton Moyers, for guiding the crew through this intense training! Also participating was Divemaster CW Sigman from Kanawha County Emergency Management & Floodplain Management.

(Note: If you look closely at our Belle group photo, you will also spot Tony Hess! Tony attended the training with South Charleston, but we had to sneak him into our lineup because he is a faithful mutual aid partner and dedicated volunteer over at the Malden Volunteer Fire Department.

We can't wait to train again with this great group of guys.

06/08/2026

Hey Kanawha Valley Riders! 🛞🌲

Heading out on the side-by-side or ATV this week? Before you load up and hit the trails around Belle, the surrounding ridges, or the local hollows, there is one quick, free tool you need on your phone: what3words.

When you are deep in the woods, on an old logging road, or navigating a hollow, giving a standard street address to Metro 911 is impossible. Trying to read off a long string of GPS coordinates in a high-stress emergency can easily lead to mistakes when every second counts.
The what3words app fixes that. It has divided the entire world into 10-foot squares and given every single square a unique combination of three simple words.

📱 Why You Need It On The Trails:
Pinpoint Accuracy: It gives emergency services your exact location, showing us precisely which ridge, hollow, or trail breakdown spot you are on.

🔋 It Works With ZERO Cell Service: This is the most important part for riding in West Virginia. The entire grid is built into the app, and it uses your phone’s internal GPS chip—which talks directly to satellites, not cell towers. As long as your phone can see the sky, it will give you your 3 words, even with zero bars.

📟 Kanawha County Ready: Whether you call 911 or use Text-to-911 here in Kanawha County, dispatchers can plug those three words directly into their system and route Belle Fire personnel and first responders right to you.

Remember: If cell service is too weak for a voice call, a text message will often still go through!

🛠️ Your Pre-Ride Checklist:

1 Download the free what3words app before you leave the house.

2 Open it up in your driveway to see how it works. You’ll see three words formatted like ⁠///word.word.word⁠ right at the top of the screen.

3 If you ever get stranded or hurt, pull up the app, find your three words, and call or text 911.

📌 Pro-Tip: If you come across a massive trail washout, a downed tree blocking the path, or an injured rider, drop a pin in the app, write down the 3 words, and pass them along to local authorities or fellow riders. It completely eliminates the guesswork.

It takes two minutes to download, costs absolutely nothing, and helps us get to you the quickest when it matters most.

Stay safe, look out for each other, and enjoy the ride! 👨‍🚒🚒

06/07/2026

🚨 FIRE TRIVIA REVEAL! 🚨

Thank you to everyone for their guesses on yesterday's trivia question!

The correct answer is B: They acted as "sirens" to clear the path ahead of the horses, while also guarding the valuable equipment. 🐶💨🚒

The History Behind the Spots:
Back in the 1700s and 1800s, fire engines were heavy carriages pulled by teams of horses. When the alarm sounded, the horses had to move fast, but crowded city streets made that incredibly difficult.

That is where the Dalmatian stepped in! Dalmatians have a natural, historic affinity for horses. They would run alongside or directly in front of the horse teams, barking loudly to warn pedestrians and clear a path—essentially acting as the very first fire sirens!

Once they arrived at the scene of the fire, the dogs switched jobs to become guards, staying with the horses and protecting the fire department's valuable equipment from theft while the firefighters worked.

Give a shout-out in the comments if you got it right! 🎉

06/06/2026

🚒🤿 RESCUE DIVER TRAINING 🌊

Today, members of your Belle Fire Dept. dive team—including Chief Fletcher, Asst. Chief Keeney, Captain Sizemore, and Lieutenant Sigman—joined emergency personnel from paid and volunteer departments across Kanawha County at Summersville Lake to successfully complete the open water portion of the NAUI Rescue Scuba Diver course.

Building directly on foundational Open Water and Advanced Open Water skills, this rigorous course shifts a diver's focus from themselves to the safety of others. The training prepares personnel to manage intense, high-stress underwater scenarios, focusing heavily on:

Identifying and managing diver stress and panic

Executing emergency underwater search patterns

Managing surface and underwater victim rescues

Handling complex dive emergency management and extraction

We extend our sincere gratitude to the Kanawha County Office of Emergency Management and the Kanawha County Commission. Their vital support and funding make this specialized, multi-agency training possible.

Thank you to all the participating departments, instructors, and our own team members for putting in the long hours to keep our communities safe!

How You Can Help: Specialized dive operations require expensive gear and continuous training. As a volunteer department, we rely on your support to fund this life-saving equipment.

Donations can be sent to:
📩 Belle Fire Department Inc.
708 E Dupont Ave
Belle, WV 25015

Thank you for standing behind us!

06/06/2026

🚒 TEST YOUR FIRE TRIVIA KNOWLEDGE! 🚒

It’s time for a quick history check! We all know and love the classic Dalmatian as the ultimate firehouse mascot—but do you know why they became the official dog of the fire service? 🐶🐾

Before there were fire trucks with loud sirens, there were horse-drawn steam engines. Dalmatians weren't just there to look cute; they actually had an incredibly important, high-stakes job to do.

What was the Dalmatian's original job at the firehouse?

A) They used their incredible sense of smell to sniff out where a fire started.

B) They acted as "sirens" and cleared the path ahead of the horses, while also guarding the equipment.

C) They were trained to carry small tools to firefighters inside a burning building.

D) They kept the firehouse free of mice and pests.

Think you know the answer? Drop your guess (A, B, C, or D) in the comments below! 👇

We will reveal the correct answer and the fascinating history behind it tomorrow morning.

Tag a friend to see if they can guess it right!

History

06/05/2026

🔥 Having a Fire Pit Night? Let’s Keep It Safe! 🧑‍🚒

Relaxing around a backyard fire pit is the best part of summer, but a fire can get out of hand in seconds. Keep these 4 quick rules in mind before you strike a match:

📍 1. Give It Space

The Distance: Place your fire pit at least 15 to 25 feet away from your home, deck, porch, overhanging trees, and wooden fences.

Look Up: Make sure there are no low-hanging branches or power lines directly above the flames.

🧹 2. Clear the Ground

The 10-Foot Circle: Clear a 10-foot area around your pit. Strip away all dry grass, leaves, and twigs until you have bare dirt, stone, or gravel.

Wood Only: Burn only clean, dry firewood. Never burn trash, plastic, or treated lumber, which release toxic chemicals and cause flying sparks.

🛡️ 3. Play It Smart

Never Leave It: An adult must stay with the fire from the second it is lit until it is completely extinguished.

Watch the Wind: If it's a windy evening, skip the fire. Wind can easily carry hot embers into dry brush or your neighbor's yard.

Kids & Pets: Keep a 3-foot "safe zone" around the pit to prevent accidental trips or burns.

🧯 4. Keep Water Close

Be Ready: Have a charged garden hose or a bucket of water right next to you before you start the fire.

Drown It Out: When the night is over, drown the coals with water, stir the ashes, and drown them again. If it’s too hot to touch, it’s too hot to leave!

🚒 Let's look out for one another and keep our neighborhoods safe. Enjoy the fire, Belle! 🧑‍🚒🔥