When Jack Whitmore joined Abingdon Volunteer Fire and Rescue almost 41 years ago, the department only had three bay doors; today it has 21. Whitmore likes to remind the younger volunteers of this fact when he wants to point out how much AVFR has grown.

Whitmore has been a member of AVFR since 1979 and has worked on both the fire and rescue crews. For the last four years, he’s held the title of vice president for the company.

He said that when he joined, the volunteers didn’t have enough turnout gear for everyone to have their own equipment. He said guys would get blisters from the shared old boots that were often too large for some.

When Whitmore was a kid, his father was a volunteer firefighter in York County, and would take Whitmore to the station. It was something he was always around. He said that when he moved to Gloucester, it was down the road from the old Station 5. He joined right when that station was opening.

Although he no longer responds to calls, he handles t...