Several members of the Christiansburg Fire Department stand ready beside Ladder Truck No. 2 including Chief Billy Hanks (l), former chief and longest-serving member Mike Dickerson, Lt. Mike Moore, Engineer/Career firefighter Jacob Wal-ters, and Deputy Fire Marshal Curtis Whitt, who is also assistant chief of the Dub-lin, Va., unit.
2025 Fire Prevention Week is this week, Oct. 5 -11, 2025
Larry Hypes
Contributing Writer
CHRISTIANSBURG – Billy Hanks says being the fire chief is much better when the folks he works with are not only skilled workers but good people – and they’re all in it together.
For more than half his life, Billy Hanks, chief of both the Christiansburg Fire Department and Christiansburg Rescue Squad, has been dedicating much of his time to making sure that local citizens have a better chance of enjoying theirs.
As the 2025 Fire Prevention Week kicks off with a motto of “Charge into Fire Safety: Lithium-Ion Batteries in Your Home” from Oct. 5—11, departments across the county, state and nation are promoting careful use of such batteries by educating the public about how to buy, charge and dispose of them safely. This effort is coordinated by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) with more information available at www.nfpa.org. Hanks and his team, as well as all units in Montgomery County, are involved in a variety of activities to help share the message.
Key points of the program include buying only listed products, charging them safely, responsibly disposing of and recycling these products. For more than 100 years, the NFPA has worked to provide public information about fire safety such as having at least two entries/exits in each dwelling, routinely checking batteries in smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors, checking fire extinguishers, and having an evacuation plan in case of emergency.
C-Burg career firefighter and engineer Jacob Walters, who is also listed as assistant chief in nearby Floyd County Station 3, says, “Everybody has a purpose. Firefighters, like all first responders, care about people. During fire prevention week, especially, we like to remind people to be careful. For example, almost half of home fires start in the kitchen. it is very important to be alert in that situation. With winter coming, we remind citizens to be careful with stand-alone heaters, wood stoves and similar devices.”
Hanks, a 44-year veteran of public service, including the last 17 as CFD leader, says, “public service, working for your neighbors and community, is an honor. These individuals, both in our department and across Montgomery County, give selflessly and provide many hours of their time not only here but sometimes in other departments and in so many ways across our communities.”
The Montgomery County Fire and EMS (Emergency Medical Services) agencies include: Blacksburg Volunteer Fire Department (Drew Smith, chief), Blacksburg Rescue Squad (Chief, Dave English), Christiansburg Rescue (Deputy chief, Josh Settiage), Elliston Volunteer Fire Department (Chief, Austin Howery), Riner Volunteer Fire Department (Mikey King), Riner Volunteer Rescue Squad (Chief, Jason Roop), Longshop McCoy Volunteer Fire Department (Chief, Keith Williams), Longshop McCoy Volunteer Rescue Squad (Chief, Steve Shelor), and Virginia Tech Rescue Squad (Chief, Katie Lynch). The Montgomery County Fire and EMS (Chief, Michael Geary) services the Elliston detachment 24/7.
Firefighters often race into battle with more than 70 pounds of equipment, alternately using specially equipped helmets, bunker pants and boots, Nomex hoods for ears and neck, air pieces to connect with helmets which can utilize breathing apparatus, protective gloves, etc., and special tools. From highway accidents to home emergencies, with massive fire trucks, long ladders, powerful water pumps and specially-designed equipment to deal with various types of flame, firefighting is a job requiring good physical and mental preparation, rigorous training and the ability to leap into action at any time day or night as the needs arise.
Hanks, who in his time, has seen many changes, adds, “I am so proud of our departments in the county. We in Christiansburg are fortunate to have great support from the city and county. We support our local leadership for their help to allow us to provide an irreplaceable service. Locally, we have a 98 percent volunteer rate but across America, it is becoming much harder to find volunteers and many small departments in our state and country are closing. Our goal is to remain strong and ready for our communities.”