Gloucester Volunteer Fire and Rescue Squad, Inc.

08/28/2026

At our monthly business meeting, Chief of our Company JD Clements was honored for his 40+ years of service to the citizens of, and visitors to Gloucester County. JD joined the Company in August of 1988. Prior to joining this Company, as a member of the Gloucester Ruritan Club he had raised a substantial amount of money for Gloucester Fire to purchase its first ambulance!

(The writer is told that in the days before GVFRS owned, staffed and ran Medic Units, Ambulances were owned and run by funeral homes here in our county as well as others around the Commonwealth. Sometime in the late 1960s, the funeral service wanted to get rid of transporting living bodies, and somewhere along the line, (perhaps because of the perceived potential conflict of interest or maybe not) the legislature and executive branches agreed to mandate that ambulances be owned and staffed by entities other than funeral homes and in the case of our County, our fire service stepped up to take on that role.)

Three years after joining GVFRS, JD was promoted to the rank of Captain serving in that capacity until 1995. In that year, the Assistant Chief for Station 6 in Sassafras, Lloyd Carlton was killed by a drunk driver in an automobile accident. JD was appointed to serve out the remainder of Carlton’s term of office, and thereafter was elected annually by our membership to serve as the Assistant Chief for Sassafras Station 6.

In 2008, then Chief of the Company Joe Fary decided not to seek re-election and recommended that JD succeed him in that capacity. Accordingly, our membership elected JD to serve as Chief of the Company and has re-elected him to that office annually.

JD and his brother Frankie own and operate Herbert Clements and Sons, Inc. Plumbing, Heating, and AC that is a business started by their father some 65 years ago. As Chief of the Company, JD has, and continues to spend countless hours away from his business running emergency calls, attending meetings, and tending to other administrative matters that go along with the position.

Pictured with Clements is WL Johnston, Chairman of our Awards Committee.

GVFRS is comprised of a whole host of men and women, young and old from various backgrounds and professions who have come together for the purpose of rendering aid to the residents of and visitors to Gloucester county on what is most likely the worst day of their life. If you’ve wondered how you can make a difference in making your community a better place while at the same time growing in ways you’ve never imagined, stop by Station 1 in the Courthouse Village or visit our website www.GVFRS.org to find out more about becoming a firefighter, EMT, or both!

08/25/2026

Last night, 27 members of Gloucester Volunteer Fire and Rescue completed putting specialized rescue tools aboard our new Rescue 1, and then physically pushed the truck into Station 1 on Main Street where it will be housed. Physically pushing newly in service fire apparatus into its station for the first time is ceremonial in nature and is called a “push-in”. It is a historical nod that beckons back to when fire apparatus was drawn by horses. Because horses would not backup, apparatus had to be disconnected from them and then pushed into the station by firefighters.

The process of getting this particular truck in service has been a long time coming with our Company President having signed the contract for it in December of 2022. You may remember during the last economic downturn in the national economy, the United States Government enacted the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). It was thru those funds that GVFRS was authorized to “spec out” the purchase of a new rescue truck and tools to go on it, and that process was completed prior to our Company President signing the contract!

Thereafter, the manufacturer was dealing with an ongoing backlog of apparatus orders that has, and continues to plague the fire service today! Once we finally received it, several of our members painstakingly determined what rescue tools should go where, and then went about the process of getting them on the truck.

We are glad to finally have our new rescue truck available to serve the citizens of and visitors to Gloucester County! PLEASE drive safely so that we don’t have to respond it to an accident involving you!

08/25/2026

🚨 BREAKING GROUND: New Station 1 Construction Begins! 🚨

We are excited to announce that construction is officially underway on our new Station 1 facility at 6677 Main Street in Gloucester!

This new ~28,000 square foot, six-bay station represents a major investment in the future of emergency services for Gloucester County. It will give our crews the space, equipment bays, and modern facilities they need to keep responding quickly and safely to our community's calls for help.

This project has been years in the making, and it wouldn't be possible without the support of Gloucester County, our dedicated volunteers, and this incredible community. Thank you for standing behind us as we build for the future.

Mark your calendars — we'll be hosting an official groundbreaking ceremony in September! More details on the date and time will be shared soon.

⚠️ As construction gets underway, please use caution when traveling near the site at 6677 Main Street. We appreciate your patience and care as we work to build a stronger future for Gloucester's emergency services.

Stay tuned for updates as construction progresses — we can't wait to show you what's coming!

08/15/2026

At our monthly business meeting, Paramedic Karen Meyer was honored for her 25+ years of service to the citizens of, and visitors to Gloucester County. In addition to serving as one of our volunteer Medics, Karen is also a registered nurse. Over the course of her career, Karen served as a Supervisory Nurse at Riverside Walter Reed Hospital here in Gloucester, and as an Emergency Room Nurse at Stoneybrook University Hospital in New York (SUNY) and at Riverside Regional Hospital in Newport News. Karen also served her country with the United States Army Reserve! She completed two tours in Iraq as a nurse on a Forward Surgical Team. After 23 years, she retired having attained the rank of Major. Pictured with Karen is WL Johnston, Chairman of our Awards Committee.

GVFRS is comprised of a whole host of men and women, young and old from various backgrounds and professions who have come together for the purpose of rendering aid to the residents of and visitors to Gloucester county on what is most likely the worst day of their life. If you’ve wondered how you can make a difference in making your community a better place while at the same time growing in ways you’ve never imagined, stop by Station 1 in the Courthouse Village or visit our website www.GVFRS.org to find out more about becoming a firefighter, EMT, or both!

08/09/2026

HERE'S SOME GOOD INFORMATION CONCERNING BOAT FIRE SAFETY. OF COURSE, THE BEST WAY TO FIGHT A BOAT FIRE IS TO PREVENT ONE ALTOGETHER!

There's a lot of very good information in this article - click on the link below to learn more!

Learn how to prevent boat fires, choose the right fire extinguishers, create a fire plan, and respond safely during onboard emergencies.

08/08/2026

A dozen members of Gloucester Volunteer Fire and Rescue are on location at Home Depot attending Gloucester’s Emergency Management’s 4th Annual Disaster Preparedness Event. We’ll be here until 2:00pm. Come on out and look over one of our newest Engines, our Heavy Rescue, one of our Brush Trucks and Gator, and one of our Rescue Boats. We also have a Medic Unit on hand as well. In addition to us, Abingdon Volunteer Fire and Rescue, Gloucester Sheriff’s Deputies, Virginia Conservation Officers, Virginia Forestry, Virginia Department of Transportation, Gloucester CERT, the Civil Air Patrol, Tidewater Search and Rescue, Riverside Walter Reed, Middle Penninsula Amateur Radio and Three Rivers Medical Reserve Corps and other agencies are in also attendance.

08/04/2026

At our monthly business meeting two probationary firefighters were promoted to full fledged members of the Company having met all necessary requirements and conditions. In the left photo Firefighter Kelly Millen is shown holding her yellow helmet that was presented to her by Harcum Station 4 Chief Forrest Conner. In the right photo, Firefighter Andria Greene is shown holding her yellow helmet that was presented to her by Sassafras Station 6 Chief Nick Bonniville.

08/04/2026

Every January and again in the summer, the Piankatank Community League hosts the members of Gloucester Volunteer Fire and Rescue Squad, Inc. for dinner at their Community Center in Harcum. This tradition has been going on for at least four decades - perhaps longer. It is their way of saying thank you to our volunteers and we GREATLY appreciate their fine, southern hospitality!

07/30/2026

At our monthly business meeting Associate Member Wright Villani (pictured right) was honored for his five plus years of service to the citizens of and visitors to Gloucester County. Wright was the first person voted into membership as an Associate Member when our Bylaws were amended to allow non-firefighter and non-EMTs to assist the Company and community in other ways. Wright has helped out with EMT classes and helps staff the Fire Prevention Table at large events when Station 1 is open to the public. Wright has a way of bringing out the best in people and readily gives and receives hugs from most all of our members. Perhaps Company President Bruce Soles sums up best what Wright “brings to the table” when he exclaimed “if there were more Wrights in the world it would be a better place!” Wright is employed in Richmond by VCU-MCV as an animal cage specialist in the hospital’s basement. Pictured to Wright’s right is WL Johnston, Awards Committee Chairman.
GVFRS is comprised of a whole host of men and women, young and old from various backgrounds and professions who have come together for the purpose of rendering aid to the residents of and visitors to Gloucester county on what is most likely the worst day of their life. If you’ve wondered how you can make a difference in making your community a better place while at the same time growing in ways you’ve never imagined, stop by Station 1 in the Courthouse Village or visit our website www.GVFRS.org to find out more about becoming a firefighter, EMT, or both!

07/29/2026

At our monthly business meeting four of our members were recognized for their ten plus years of providing services to the citizens of and visitors to Gloucester County. Pictured in the upper left photo is Lieutenant Jacob Kent, upper right photo Lieutenant David Carlton, lower left photo Firefighter Zachary Childress and lower right photo Firefighter Zachary Hudgins. All four of them are assigned to Station 6 in Sassafras. Pictured with them is Awards Committee Chairman WL Johnston.
GVFRS is comprised of a whole host of men and women, young and old from various backgrounds and professions who have come together for the purpose of rendering aid to the residents of and visitors to Gloucester county on what is most likely the worst day of their life. If you’ve wondered how you can make a difference in making your community a better place while at the same time growing in ways you’ve never imagined, stop by Station 1 in the Courthouse Village or visit our website www.GVFRS.org to find out more about becoming a firefighter, EMT, or both!