EDITOR’S NOTE: The Gazette-Journal is taking a look at some of the people that make Abingdon Volunteer Fire and Rescue such a vital service to the residents and businesses of lower Gloucester County. This week, we spoke to Blake Fleming.
Abingdon Volunteer firefighter Blake Fleming has spent the past dozen years volunteering his time with fire departments and plans to continue serving for the foreseeable future.
Abingdon Volunteer Fire and Rescue member Blake Fleming has been a volunteer with the department for the past four years. As both a volunteer firefighter and active duty Coast Guard member, he has dedicated his life to helping others.
Fleming volunteer firefighting started out 12 years ago in Isle of Wight County with the Smithfield Volunteer Fire Department. With his career, Fleming and his family ended up moving to Juneau, Alaska, where he volunteered with Capital City Fire and Rescue, before moving back to Virginia.
“I enjoy running calls, being able to go and help people; respond to emergencies—the service,” said Fleming. “There’s certainly a team spirit—a community that’s around volunteering and being in the community.”
He is responsible for the maritime operations, running drills, training, and qualifications for boat operators. “I have fun doing it all,” he said. “I still do all the fire stuff, I like to run fire calls, I like to help out doing all that stuff, but as far as the training side, primarily I do a lot of the maritime training.”
Fleming is a Captain and Deputy Public Information Officer. “I do a lot of the engaging, primarily on the social media side, and a lot of that is just trying to let the community know what we do and how many hours that the volunteers are out contributing.”
He explained that a significant number of hours go into running an organization like AVFR, between running calls, monthly meetings for the board of directors, line officers, and membership, as well as administrative work. “It takes an entire team to get the calls answered on the emergency scene; I’m thankful for having a full team of dedicated individuals.”
As for the department, his hope is to continue bringing in new, energetic people who are willing to put in time. “Training comes with joining the department, free to them, the main thing we ask is just for their time, their commitment; their willingness to participate and learn new things and then progress through the department,” he said.
Fleming thanked the community and his wife and son for all their support. “One of the things I can say as a father in the department is my son absolutely loves being able to come up here and play with the fire trucks and be involved,” he said. “I think that’s one of the really foundational elements about the fire department, is the connectedness to the community and being able to involve your family.”