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RVFD History
The Rapidan Volunteer Fire Department formally organized June 2 1978 in response to a tragic October 26th 1977 house fire in the village of Rapidan. After months of fund raising, the land was purchased and ground broken for building of a firehouse in July of 1979. Lewis Pannill of Pannill Construction Company and department volunteers worked on the project for the next year and a half moving in on December of 1980. More training and fundraising went on to purchase a working fire truck. On the evening of February 14th 1981 the equipment necessary to equip the truck for a training session after church the next day was finally acquired. Tragedy struck in the early morning hours as fireman responded to a working house fire in the village. Though the house was lost the volunteers of RVFD were able to save an adjoining house from the fire as mutual aid companies responded to the call. In the years after, the firehouse was expanded in 1982 with the addition of a second story and in 1995 two additional bays were added as well as another second story addition. This latter addition was completed just prior to the "flood of 1995", probably the most challenging call in company history to date. Madison County Rescue Squad Captain H. Ross Shifflette approached the company with the idea of establishing a first responder medical program in 1989. The company accepted the offer and training was provided along with an ambulance. Certification was completed in 1990. Eight years later the medical program was upgraded to a Basic/Advanced Life Support transporting ambulance service. This provided another transporting unit to the counties of Culpeper, Madison, and Orange area and dramatically increased the call load in a very short time to 7-8 times the prior level. This load on the aging ambulance prompted RVFD to apply for grant monies for a new ambulance that was approved and placed in service in September of 2001. The year of 2003 put RVFD in the middle of hurricane Isabel. The storm brought along with it power outages, flooding, high winds, and downed trees during September 18th through the 22nd of 2003. 2003 finished with the department logging over 1000 calls for the year. A company first. On September 17th of 2004 the area saw a strong cold front collide with the remains of tropical storm Frances spill heavy rains and engage tornados in the area. Including an F-1 tornado that struck near the Carpenter Seed Cleaning plant at Mitchell's Virginia. The storm damaged numerous homes in the area.
The current challenge faced by Rapidan VFD and all of the other volunteer companies in the area is an ever increasing call load as the area becomes more urban and recruitment of members falls short to meet these demands.
The history of the Rapidan Volunteer Fire Department is one of men and women from near and afar that have come together for the single purpose of providing to the community of Rapidan and the adjoining counties of Culpeper, Madison, and Orange their very best in fire and emergency medical services.
Chiefs
| Luther Hardy: |
1978 - 1985 |
| Brad Wade: |
1986 - 1988 |
| Dewey Hearl: |
1989 |
| Brad Wade: |
1990 |
| Ernest Landes: |
1991 - 1992 |
| Dewey Hearl: |
1993 |
| Ernest Landes: |
1993 - 2003 |
| Lee Wilson: |
2003 - Present |
Presidents
| Max Ware: |
1978 - 1979 |
| Don Polifka: |
1980 - 1984 |
| Donald Hearl: |
1985 - 1989 |
| Brad Wade: |
1989 |
| Eston Holladay: |
1990 - 1992 |
| Bonnie Hearl: |
1993 |
| Dewey Hearl: |
1993 - 1995 |
| John Grotenhuis: |
1996 - 1998 |
| Lee Wilson: |
1999 - 2003 |
| Thomas Snow: |
2004 - 2005 |
| Mike Smith: |
2006 - Present |
Rapidan VFD Life Members
| Eston Holladay: |
1993 |
| Earl Dodson: |
1994 |
| Gary Jones: |
1996 |
| Billy Strong: |
1997 |
| Ida Strong: |
1997 |
| Ernest Landes: |
1999 |
| John Leary Sr.: |
2000 |
| Gertie Marks: |
2003 |
| Jean Busick: |
2003 |
| Dot Davis: |
2003 |
| Alan Knewstep: |
2004 |
| Lee Wilson: |
2006 |
Lewis M. Pannill Award
| Eston Holladay: |
1986 |
| Luther Hardy: |
1987 |
| Brad Wade: |
1988 |
| Donald Hearl: |
1989 |
| Ernest Landes: |
1990 |
| Don Polifka: |
1990 |
| Gary Jones: |
1991 |
| John Leary: |
1992 |
| Earl Dodson: |
1993 |
| Dewey Hearl: |
1994 |
| Max Ware: |
1995 |
| Bonnie Hearl: |
1996 |
| Mike Smith: |
1997 |
| Brenda Landes: |
1998 |
| Ernest Landes: |
1999 |
| Lee Wilson: |
2000 |
| FDNY Company 10: |
2001 |
| John Grotenhuis: |
2002 |
| Alan Knewstep: |
2003 |
| Ida Strong: |
2004 |
| N/A: |
2005 |
| Jason Stanley: |
2006 |
| Lindsey Knewstep: |
2007 |
Rapidan VFD Deceased Members
| Dean B. Carroll: |
9/20/1983 |
| Lewis M. Pannill: |
1/29/1986 |
| Luther Hardy Jr.: |
8/17/1991 |
| R. Clay Pannill |
11/2/2001 |
| Russell Barbee: |
2/4/2002 |
| Eston Holladay: |
2/20/2004 |
| Graeme Duncan: |
4/10/2006 |
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