MONTGOMERY CO. – Billy Hanks, Chief of Christiansburg Fire and Rescue and the Chair of the Fire and Rescue Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) Committee presented their recommendations for fiscal year 2026 to Montgomery County Supervisors during the board’s April 14 meeting.
According to Hanks, the committee recommendations are a result of a combined effort to determine improvement needs throughout Montgomery County including the towns of Blacksburg and Christiansburg.
A schedule for replacing equipment and vehicles used by fire and rescue teams plays a big part in the committee’s agenda. Some of the necessary equipment like ambulances, brush trucks, response vehicles and crash trucks have varying years or mileage before the fire and rescue division would retire them. Engines, tankers and pumpers, for example, are some of the most expensive pieces of equipment, estimated at $1.5 million on average every 20 years.
“Crash rescue trucks are big trucks that we haul all the equipment on when we do vehicle extrication and scene stabilization on anything that we do. They’re on a 20-year replacement cycle also, and they are about a million two [$1.2 million] right now,” Hanks said.
The board of supervisors allocates approximately $1.8 million dollars to the county’s fire and rescue, of which they are projecting to utilize all but $47,290, which will be kept for reserve. Some of the projected costs in the 2026 fiscal year are earmarked to replace vehicles well outside of their average cycle of replacement, according to Hanks.
Elliston Fire Department’s Engine 23, a critical replacement need at this time due to steering issues, along with Longshop McCoy’s 2012 Ford F-250, and a 2008 Ford F-450 at Riner Fire Department are among the list of replacements determined by the committee.
Additionally, Hanks pointed out that once a determination has been made to purchase a new vehicle or new equipment, the timeline has increased drastically on its delivery since Covid happened.
“We used to could get an ambulance in about 12 months, now we’re looking at three to four years to purchase an ambulance once we submit the order,” Hanks said. “Brush trucks we can have now in about a year to two years, we used to get those in about six to nine months.”
County Administrator Angie Hill clarified that a new truck acquired for the Elliston Emergency Services Department will be available for service to both career and volunteer rescue crew members.
Supervisor Todd King, a rescue member in the county said, “I think we need to set up some kind of system where the paid side and the volunteer side has different equipment money, because we’re just putting in, what is it, $1.8 million for nine agencies, it’s ten if we count the paid side, and if you’ve seen how long it takes to get these vehicles.”
Hill said, “If that is the will of the board, we can look into getting that.”
Supervisor Steve Fijalkowski expressed appreciation for the work of the committee in strategically planning this most important need for appropriately outfitted rescue and fire equipment.
“Everyone works well together for a common cause,” Hanks said.
Montgomery County has needs for volunteer service in fire and rescue in many regions across the New River Valley. Interested volunteers can visit www.montva.com to complete the Volunteer Interest Form.
Lori Graham Contributing writer
