Traveling on I64 in Virginia, just prior to crossing the state line into West Virginia you hit Covington, Virginia in Alleghany County.
I made what I thought was a quick stop to get a bite to eat and get back on the road. Since I was there, I thought I would find the Covington FD and see what they have. I stopped for directions at the local auto parts store. What a surprise - one of the workers is a member and had me follow him to the station. While there, he called the Chief who left his work and came to the station to take me to Covington's substation and then back to the main station for photos of all of the apparatus. My short stop turned out to be about 2 1/1 hours and had me arriving late to my hotel in West Virginia - no complaints here, just another example of the awesome hospitality I have received from these Southwest Virginia FD's.
Covington runs from their main station in the downtown area as well as a small substation on the outside limits. Like many southwest Virgina stations, the stations are older and a bit challenging for photographs.
Since the Chief took me to the substation, I will start there. This two bay facility houses an engine from the fire department and a ambulance from the rescue squad. Fire and Rescue are seperate organizations but share the same facilities.
Engine 23 runs from the substation and is a 1994 Spartan Gladiator/Quality top mount 1250/750/50. Serial number M-891.
After Station 2, we headed back to Station 1 which has a variety of different apparatus. The Chief owns a business very near to the fire station. He asked that we first go to Station 2 and then back to Station 1 so that if the business received a lot of customers, he could get back to help quickly.
I will post the apparatus at Station 1 in the order in which I photographed them.
Emergency Services 1 is a truck that is operated by a variety of agencies in Covington - Fire, EMS, and Police. It basically carries a variety of different equipment. From a fire department standpoint, it is used as a "safety" vehicle for auto accidents because of the chevron stripes to the rear.
ES 1 is a former ambulance with the Covington Rescue Squad.
Engine 26 at Covington is a 1999 Ford F550 which was completed by M&W during 2000. It has a 500 gpm pump, 220 gallons of water, and 30 gallons of foam.
You might notice the word "Unit" on the apparatus. Southwest Virginia has a long tradition of calling their aparatus "Unit" instead of engine, squad, etc. Covington is slowing getting away from "Unit" and going towards the more common radio designations (i.e. engine, truck, etc.). Although their apparatus is still marked "Unit", the radio ID is engine, truck, etc.
Utility 20 at Covington is one of the more larger utility trucks I have seen at a fire department. It carries a variety of miscellaneous equipment, including an air cascade system.
"Hezekiah" was indeed a treat. There are only a few members at Covington who can drive Hezekiah and the Chief called one of those members to come down and fire it up. This engine is a beast to drive and very, very loud.
Engine 22 from Station 1 is a 1991 Spartan Gladiator/1992 American Fire 1500/750. It has serial number 14827. For its engines, Covington prefers top mount pump panels.
At one time, ladder truck duties at Covington were handled by a 1949 American LaFrance 100' midship. In 1988, a new American LaFrance cab was placed on this truck. I was hoping to find the ALF still in service, however I learned that the ALF is now serving in Hot Springs, Virginia which is about 35 miles away from Covington. The Covington FD made the decision to donate the ALF to Hot Springs when the FD received their new ladder truck. Part of the agreement with Hot Springs is that when Covington's current ladder is out of service, the ALF returns to Covington to fill in. Hopefully one day I can make it to Hot Springs.
Performing the current ladder truck duties at Covington is Truck 24, a 2005 Sutphen 95' with a 2000/500. I questioned the water tank size since I felt it was a bit uncommon for a Sutphen. It carries Sutphen serial number HS-4010. Does anyone have a Sutphen database which might confirm the water tank size on Truck 24?
This was a neat find at Covington and is stored in a seperate part of the station. When I thought I had photographed the last truck at Covington, the Chief asked me if I was interested in seeing their Jeep brush truck. Ok, twist my arm.
In 1967, Covington obtained a surplus military Jeep. They needed a small fire truck that could respond over a bridge to the Idlewilde and Indian Valley area of Covington. At that time, the brige could not support regular size fire trucks. So Covington equipped the Jeep as a first response unit for this area as well as handle brush fire duties.
The Jeep was sold in 1977 when the FD purchased a minipumper (no longer at the station). The Jeep was sold to a local business man who used it to water his garden. When the FD celebrated their 100th anniversary, the Jeep was brought back for display. When the businsess man died in 2002, the FD purchased the truck back and had it restored.
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