The Roanoke Virginia Firemen Federal Credit Union (RVFFCU) is moving out of Station 8 this weekend. The RVFFCU has kept a home inside a firehouse ever since its inception in 1935.
The RVFFCU has kind of been taboo for me to talk about on RoanokeFire.com because of two things. Firstly, that I work here part time and secondly that it is in a firehouse and I didn’t want to draw attention to that fact.
The Credit Union wasn’t always at Station 8, I believe that it was actually located wherever the person in charge of it was stationed. In the beginning, the ledger WAS the Credit Union. Nowadays, we have computers, servers, and file cabinets among many other facets of being a Federal Credit Union. The Credit Union has come a long way since its inception.
The RVFFCU, as it has always been named, charter # is 183. The Charter members were Ralph R. Daniel, Page M. Huff, Leroy Light, Chas. J. Via, W. B. Barker, E. F. Mullins, E.H. Klinger, R. O. Adkins, D.H. Mills, and M. D. Woodford.
The RVFFCU Charter was approved on March 1, 1935, the organization meeting of the Credit Union was held on March 25, 1935, and the Credit Union originally began business on March 27, 1935.
In the beginning we had 9 members of the Board of Directors, 3 members of the Credit Committee, 3 members of the Supervisory Committee, a President, a Vice President, a Clerk, and a Treasurer.
In 1966, the Credit Union was located at Station 1 downtown.
And so it goes, just as the case with so many other things surrounding Roanoke’s Bravest, that the RVFFCU will move out and find its home with two other Credit Unions. The new home will be inside Telco’s Credit Union building near Taco Bell on Hershberger Road. The CU will open for business at the new location at 9am on Monday May 18th.
We will close for business for the last time at 5pm today.
Big things are in the works for Station 8, or as they are calling it now “The Ocho”. As the story is unravelling, the details are slowly seeping out. Everyone knows that Medic 8 was supposed to go in service in July after the 6 positions are moved back within City limits from Clearbrook (County #7). What was unforseen was the quick scramble to get the medic truck in service by next Tuesday. It is unclear exactly why we didn’t requisition a new medic unit and furnish it with new equipment. Instead, medic 8 will be using Reserve 904 with a full supply of extra equipment. The only thing I have heard is that Roanoke City Manager Burcham wants it in service by Tuesday.
It is interesting how we have such a push to put new apparatus in service only weeks after announcing we were unfunding 6 positions within the City, two weeks after Roanoke City getting word that 11 firefighters were retiring this year, among a hiring and promotion freeze until next year. All this after two successful years of losing positions in Public Safety.
Doing more with less. That is the Nation wide trend in Public Safety.
I digress.
Medic 8 is going in service. Overtime has been approved if necessary. The Ocho will be full swing in a matter of 6 days.
Oh…and the Credit Union is out. After almost 75 years of being run in within the confines of a Roanoke City Fire Station (not always station 8 I believe), the CU will be on the move. The new home for the Roanoke Virginia Firemen Federal Credit Union will be at the Southwestern Telco Federal Credit Union on Hershberger Road. I know many of you have wondered what the heck is going on and when, why, how, and where the CU was moving. I have wondered the same. I found out today that sometime around the 1st of May the CU will move to Telco.
And so a new chapter begins at Station 8…the Ocho…enjoy some pics from the guys down at #8 I snapped today.
