The Rappahannock County Board of Supervisors on Monday unanimously approved allowing the Flint Hill Volunteer Fire Company to temporarily operate under the county’s EMS license until the company can operate independently.
Because the station has been without an EMS license for about 10 months, the company was at risk of losing more than $100,000 in equipment to the state at the end of this week for not being in compliance with EMS agency license stipulations.
Newly-appointed fire chief David Jarrell gave a presentation to the Supervisors, outlining his “revitalization plan” for a fire company that has had a tumultuous relationship with the county since 2015. The ousted leadership who Jarrell was appointed to replace sued the county the same day, alleging an illegal takeover of the department by the new chief and Supervisors.
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David Jarrell addresses the Board of Supervisors at the regular February meeting.
Residents will now see ambulances responding to EMS 9-1-1 dispatch calls out of the Flint Hill company for the first time in almost a year. County Administrator Garrey Curry said this process was offered to the former leadership over many months, but was turned down multiple times until “the eleventh hour.”
Jarrell also requested that the county allow them to relocate an Advanced Life Support (ALS) chase vehicle and paramedic from the Town of Washington to Flint Hill from the hours of 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. and when not on dispatched 9-1-1 calls.
This should have no impact on responsiveness in other areas of the county, he said, citing a conversation with Emergency Services Coordinator Sean Polster. Piedmont Supervisor Christine Smith requested that Polster share data with the Supervisors on where the ambulance is stationed throughout the day in order to monitor response times.
Jarrell outlined three ways they plan to approach these issues to eventually allow the company to run independently:
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Officers at the Flint Hill company will work closely to review what failed causing the agency license to be revoked.
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New and revised standard operating procedures and other mechanisms will be put in place to ensure compliance with EMS and state guidelines.
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Routine training scenarios will be conducted to ensure requirements and awareness, and internal compliance audits will be conducted by EMS officers.
Jarrell said they have received 26 applications from community members willing to volunteer in various roles — a stark change for a company that previously struggled to staff the station. While Jarrell asked existing members to reapply, he told the Supervisors that no one was removed from their position, including life members.
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“We’re in a world where volunteerism has dropped dramatically,” he said in an interview. “But we’re out there beating the pavement, talking to people to encourage them to join.”
New EMTs will be temporarily placed in other jurisdictions around the county as they learn how to run calls. Dr. Hugh Hill, an emergency physician and Johns Hopkins professor, is also a member of the new board of directors, and is expected to work closely with EMTs and paramedics.
A fire-fighting history
As the new year began, Jarrell considered himself retired. He figured he’d be spending most of his time raising an endangered breed of Scottish ducks on his Sperryville farm.
That all changed a few days later following a conversation with Wakefield Supervisor and Chair Debbie Donehey and Polster about the alarming plight of the company. The Flint Hill company’s rescue squad hasn’t been able to respond to calls since last March after its certification with the Virginia Department of Emergency Services was not renewed.
Now, Jarrell will spend 2023 serving as the appointed fire chief at the company, along with four other community members who were asked to serve on a new board of directors created by Donehey, whose Wakefield District includes Flint Hill.
Donehey’s resolution is the most significant action the county has taken in recent years to address ongoing issues at the Flint Hill Volunteer Fire Company. The county’s Public Safety Committee recommended that the Board of Supervisors withdraw its financial support for the company in an effort to address concerns about its ability to meet the terms of its service agreement with the county. Supervisors agreed that dissolving the fire company would be a disservice to the county.
Last month, the body voted 3-2 to appoint the new board, which also includes Dave Bailey, Patrick O’Malley, Tim Bills and Hill.
Smith and Jackson Supervisor Ron Frazier voted against appointing the new five-member board because they were not aware of who the appointees were until the night before the meeting, and said they did not have time to vet the individuals or ask questions.
The other three members of the body, including Donehey, Hampton Supervisor Keir Whitson and Stonewall-Hawthorne Supervisor Van Carney voted in support of Donehey’s resolution, emphasizing the urgency of reforming the Flint Hill company, calling it “life or death.”
Jarrell comes to the position with a long history as a volunteer firefighter. Shortly after moving to Rappahannock in 2018, he joined the Sperryville Volunteer Fire Department and became captain of the company’s ladder truck.
Prior to that, while working for the federal government and living in Prince William County, he was a captain in the Occoquan-Woodbridge-Lorton Volunteer Fire Department.
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He also is particularly familiar with the administrative issues that have plagued the Flint Hill company in recent years. While serving on the county’s Fire Levy Board, Jarrell became aware of what he termed “anomalies” in Flint Hill’s expense reimbursement submissions to the county.
He said he spent close to two months working closely with the company’s officers and reviewing Flint Hill’s books. “I got a lot of visibility on what they were doing on the expenses side of things,” Jarrell said. “It was determined that a significant amount of money was not eligible for reimbursement by the county.”
The fire company is currently being investigated by the Virginia State Police for mismanaging public funds.
Former company President Karen Williams attended a January Board of Supervisors meeting, defending their leadership, saying the company responded to about 90% of calls received in December. She also said the company was open to more help and guidance from the county, despite the company declining the county’s help in the past, and that the individuals responsible for some of the issues cited by the county are no longer with the company.
“A community in need”
Jarrell acknowledged that “revitalizing” the Flint Hill company will be a challenge that likely will take some time. “But there’s a community in need here,” he said. “The need is good, sound leadership that can help this company recover from whatever variables have created this plight and stabilize the membership to the point where we can be responsive to this community.
“Because 10 minutes matters on a bad auto accident or a house fire or trauma to a person here,” he added. “If we can inspire more people to join the company, that’s exactly what we want to be able to do.”
The other members of the new Board of Directors said they joined for similar reasons.
Bailey, a former vehicle fleet manager for the U.S. Navy, is the company’s new president, and he said he stepped up to help because he has a “vested interest” in the Flint Hill community. Bailey currently serves on the board of the educational nonprofit Headwaters Foundation, and his wife previously volunteered at the Flint Hill fire company as an EMS lieutenant and secretary.
“This is our retirement community — this is where we want to age in place,” said Bailey, who moved to Rappahannock County in 2018. “And obviously, having a strong and vibrant EMS and fire support here at the station is important for that … I have 30 years in the Navy, both active and reserves, and I think being drawn to serving the community is something that becomes ingrained in you at some point.”
O’Malley, another new member on the board of directors, began volunteering at the company after he moved to Rappahannock in 2021, saying he didn’t realize it was a troubled company when he joined. He said his background is in financial restructuring, so he decided to step up and help in a larger role.
O’Malley said he was born and raised in Virginia, and moving to Rappahannock County with his wife from Page County two years ago was a “dream come true.”
“My hope is that we’re able to rally the company and our whole community — anybody who is willing to help with their time and their skills around Dave Jarrell’s experience and leadership,” O’Malley said.
For Jarrell, the decision to take on the chief’s role, while daunting, is one that he felt he needed to make.
“I really took a deep look at myself and said, ‘What am I willing to sacrifice for this?’ And I thought about my kids and grandkids and how I want to show them that giving back to the community is a good thing,” he said.
