Firefighter bridges time

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Amanda Codispoti wrote a great article in today’s paper on the book. The article is linked below. Thank you Amanda for the well written article and the awesome publicity. The book signing was today, and the book was very well received. I will have more on it later, I am waiting on some pictures.

Firefighter bridges time
A new book follows the evolution of services in Roanoke from an all-volunteer group in 1882 to the Fire-EMS department in 1995.

Amanda Codispoti

During the first few decades of firefighting services in Roanoke, firefighters such as Howard Dowdy drove and washed the horses that pulled fire wagons.

More than a century later, Dowdy’s grandson, Bev Mitchell, would drive and wash the gray, and later red, fire engines.

“I imagine we respond a whole lot quicker now than we did then,” Mitchell said, chuckling.

The evolution of the department, from an all-volunteer organization in 1882 to the Fire-EMS department in 1995, is documented in a new book, “Firefighting in Roanoke.”

The book, compiled by Roanoke firefighter Lt. Rhett Fleitz, includes more than 200 pictures that illustrate the changes in Roanoke’s firefighting services, which began almost 125 years ago. (Read More)

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