[continue to operate] without some kind of government support.”

[continue to operate] without some kind of government support.”

There are no state or federal grant programs available to underwrite the purchase of fire apparatus. Costs frequently run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars for pumpers and other trucks. The state of Virginia does have a grant program that will pay 80 percent of the cost of medical emergency rescue vehicles.

Fire companies are responsible for the remaining 20 percent. Fire companies have been criticized, for the way they have chosen to spend their money. The firefighters and EMS personnel, too often understaffed and overburdened, consider that their own lives are on the line.

The FLB now serves as an important leveling device between the two sides. The budget approval process requires fire companies to more closely evaluate their needs, while providing critical citizen oversight.

Four members of the board are appointed by the Rappahannock County Board of Supervisors. Each member has one vote. No firefighting or rescue experience is required, though several of the current members are, or have been, volunteers.

Terms have no set duration. Members serve until they either resign their appointments or are otherwise replaced. The Rappahannock Fire and Rescue Association (RFRA) sends a voting representative. One of the county fire chiefs serves on a yearly rotational basis and also has a vote.

In addition, on July 1, the board appointed Washington Fire Chief Roger Roach to serve as nonvoting secretary and expert advisor.

Burke, who, as chief of Sperryville Fire Company 2, represents both the fire chiefs and the RFRA this year, explained that the board is evolving to meet the needs of its constituency.

“The first time around, it was set up as a mirror-image of Culpeper. It was redefined last year” and has been operating

See BOARD, Page A7