Mathews Volunteer Fire Department held its annual banquet and awards ceremony Saturday evening at the Piankatank Ruritan Club, honoring members’ service and giving special recognition to those who have served the longest.
Firefighter Rob Hudgins was named Firefighter of the Year, cited particularly for the extensive community outreach he has provided, and Carmen Chatterton received the Dispatcher Award.
Firefighter Kenny Garrett was recognized for having served the department for 50 years.
Fire Chief Ronnie Lewis delivered the keynote address, speaking off the cuff about the privilege he feels it is to serve with the dedicated men and women of Mathews Volunteer Fire Department. He said it’s an honor to be the person who’s in charge on the scene, and that he’s proud to lead the men and women who are there. He said he often gets compliments on how well the department does and how aggressive its firefighters are.
In terms of operating the department, Lewis said an accountability process means that Mathews operates at a level equivalent to that of the big cities.
“We’re a small department, but we’re good at what we do,” he said.
And, while Mathews is a small town that doesn’t have the resources of larger localities, “our resilience overcomes this,” he said, adding that limited tax dollars put constraints on “the pot of money divvied out,” but “we feel we’ve done a great job providing service.”
Pointing out that volunteer firefighters “don’t get paid a dime” and sometimes “we use our own money for what we do,” Lewis said he’s proud of what he and fellow firefighters do to support the taxpayers of Mathews and to provide mutual aid support for other counties.
“I tell people I’m part of the best group I can be a part of,” he said. “A group where dedication to performance is number one.”
Lewis ended his talk with a challenge for the newest firefighters to “make this year your year to make this department number one.” The department didn’t meet its goal of having 90 members this year, he said, “and I hope our younger members will make this department theirs and help us grow so we’ll continue to have an active volunteer fire department.”
Partner groups that Lewis recognized were the Mathews Volunteer Fire Department Ladies Auxiliary, the Mathews County Sheriff’s Office, the Mathews Rescue Squad, and the Mathews businesses that support the organization.
Additional personnel receiving awards for length of service were:
40 years—Calvin Morgan; 35 years—Ben Haywood Jr., Steve Ray; 30 years—Donnie White, Charlie Crittenden, Charles Buchanan; 25 years—Donnie Lewis, Ronnie Lewis, Robbie Hudgins; 20 years—Daniel Howlett, Don Townsend, Gordon Penick; 15 years—Chris Helbig, Brian Smith, Steve Tomlinson, Chris Buchanan; 5 years—B.J. Armistead, Noah Lewis; 1 year—Kaitlyn James, Matt Ashbaugh, Paul Logan, Haydon Downs, Brian Rowe and Steve Ovide.
Honorary awards went to Steve Shaw, Calvin Morgan, Roger Carmine and Dickie Burroughs.
Finally, awards of appreciation were given to Howard Dooley Café, Richardson’s Café, Seafood Shack, M&M Building Supply, Ramona Wilson, Billy Garrett Photography and the Mathews County Board of Supervisors.
BILLY GARRETT PHOTOGRAPHY
Firefighter Robbie Hudgins, center in photo at left, was named the 2023 Mathews Volunteer Fire Department Firefighter of the Year during the department’s annual awards ceremony Saturday night at the Piankatank Ruritan Club, Hudgins. He is shown with Captain Donnie Lewis, the department’s president, left, and Fire Chief Ronnie Lewis, right. In the background is Lieutenant Neal Hudgins, who organized the ceremony. At right, Kenny Garrett was recognized for “50 years of dedicated service” to Mathews Volunteer Fire Department