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ABINGDON, Va. --- One of the longest running volunteers with the Abingdon Fire Department has retired after 50 years of service, ending his long-term stent as captain of the department.
Robert “Bob” Howard began volunteering at the fire department at age 17, a high school senior who lived just walking distance away, but had never thought about becoming a volunteer for the department.
“I had lived behind the fire station all my life,” Howard said. “But, it had never occurred to me to volunteer there until my bus driver, the Reverend Glenn Weller, who was a member of the fire department, asked me if I’d like to get involved.”
Fifty years later, Howard has accumulated a half-century of memories from 1972 to 2022.
“That dash between those two years contains too many memories---some bad, but mostly good,” Howard wrote in a Facebook post following a surprise reception hosted by his fellow firefighters earlier this summer.
During the recognition, Howard was awarded a gold-plated fireman’s ax on a plaque that represents the ranks of firefighter, sergeant, lieutenant, and captain he held since 1972.
He received numerous accolades during the reception for his excellent service with the department.
Howard was named Firefighter of the Year in 2017, and served as department treasurer for many years.
During the reception, Tim Estes, fire chief of the Abingdon Fire Department, introduced Howard as a member of an elite club called the "Half Century" club, joining other long-standing employees Chief John Crigger, Sr. who retired with 50 years of service; Master Firefighter Jimmy "Crow" Clark, who is still active with 55 years of service; and Deputy Chief Gerald Thompson, who is active with 53 years of service.
“Captain Howard has always been instrumental in the forward thinking, progressive nature of the fire department,” Estes said. “Bob was always able and willing to help and assist his fellow man---a quality that will be greatly missed.”
Howard’s commitment to service and strong teamwork skills also allowed him to serve on the Abingdon Town Council for more than three decades.
A career of fighting fires
Howard’s career in the fire department started early.
At first, he qualified to be a junior firefighter in 1971, a teaching program designed to acquaint teens with the fundamentals of firefighting.
By the time Howard turned 18 and had graduated from Abingdon High School, he was voted a senior member of the Abingdon Fire Department, serving along with a team of 30-some firefighters.
During the years, Howard answered a myriad of calls in the Washington County area.
“It’s hard to say how many,” Howard said, who took a break from working in his car garage at home earlier this week to reminisce about his service work. “I’d say it’s in the thousands.”
If he had the chance, Howard said he’d do it all over again.
“I just hope I have made a positive impact on our town and county,” he said, adding a bit of witty humor he’s well known for. “My right hip will be a little lighter as my pager will no longer be hooked on my belt.”
Howard remembers well his first call as a firefighter and his last call on June 30 of this year.
“My first call was at age 18. I was mowing a yard down the street when I heard the fire whistle blow. At that time, the fire whistle sat on top of the Barter Theatre,” he said.
“That was the only method of notification when you were outside. There were no pagers or portable radios then.” The small fire in town was easily extinguished, he said.
His last call while a member of the fire department was for a late-night auto accident in town, just a few hours before his retirement was set to begin the end of June.
“I answered a call for a structure fire earlier that day, and I thought that would be the last call I would take, but after I got to sleep that night, the call for a wreck in town came in.”
The good and the bad
His years of service hold memories of good and the bad times---some of which are etched in his mind.
“I’ve seen a lot of bad stuff. I’ve seen bodies and people burned up. I can remember the first time I found someone dead in a house. I found the body on the floor. At that time, we didn’t have a crisis intervention team. It was pretty traumatic,” he said.
Howard said some television shows, such as “Chicago Fire” are fairly accurate in portraying a fire scene, but Hollywood often embellishes the drama.
“For the most part, you can’t see what’s going on and what your firefighters are doing because a real fire is totally black and you have to feel your way through it. A flashlight helps to see through the smoke. Portable radios help us communicate now.”
The number of calls the fire department answers each year has dramatically increased throughout the years.
“Back in the 1970s, we ran 60 to 70 calls each year and those were mostly structure and building fires. When I left the department last month, we were running over 600 calls per year.”
Firefighting gear and equipment also has come a long way, he said.
Before pagers came along in the late 70s and early 80s, the Abingdon firefighters relied on hearing the three fire whistles strategically placed throughout town.
The department didn’t get portable radios until the 1990s, he said. Before that, the members relied on hand signals while fighting a fire. Howard demonstrated the hand signals for “pressure up” or “pressure down” and “half tank of water left.”
Nowadays, a phone app alerts the firefighters about emergencies and their locations.
Some of the department’s modern fire trucks are equipped with hydraulic tools, allowing firefighters to remove a trapped person from a vehicle.
“In the early days, we didn’t offer that service, it was all done by the life saving crew.”
A wealth of stories began to surface the longer Howard talked about his firefighting days.
“There was a big fire downtown in 1983 across from the post office all the way from People’s Drug Store to Clifton Insurance Agency,” he recalled.
Pumping water to the fire scene, the fire truck began to run low on fuel. In a moment of haste, Howard asked his father to bring a five gallon can of gas from home to help sustain the truck.
Throughout the night, the town police hauled gas from the town shop.
“Those older fire trucks used a lot of gas. Everything we have now runs on diesel which lasts a lot longer.”
In the 1970s, a forest fire in the area required Howard to spend two days on site before the fire was contained.
It’s that level of commitment that has led Howard to a successful career with the department.
During the time that Howard worked for Pittston Coal Company in Lebanon, Virginia, and Highlands Union Bank in town, he continued to answer firefighting calls on weekends and in the evenings after work.
“A lot of young people aren’t interested in devoting that much time to this. There are too many other distractions out there now,” he said. “You have to commit a lot of time if you want to be successful. You can join, but if you don’t show up, you’re not going to last long.
“You either love it or you hate it.”
For Howard, it comes down to a love for service and a devotion to the community.
Carolyn R. Wilson is a freelance writer in Glade Spring, Virginia. Contact her at citydesk@bristolnews.com.
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