Dear members of the Southwest Virginia Firefighters Association,
I would like to thank the membership of the association for the honor to serve as president, and Dublin Volunteer Fire Department for their support and commitment to the association.
We all owe appreciation and gratitude to past president Mark Smith, the members of Blacksburg Volunteer Fire Department, the convention committee, and our wonderful vendors, and sponsors, which made the 76th Annual Southwest Virginia Firefighters Association Convention an enormous success!
The Southwest Virginia Firefighters Association is the unified voice for all the fire departments in Southwest Virginia. It is our responsibility to ensure that all the departments know and understand what it is the association does for them, and to encourage them to become involved in the association. For we are all stronger together than separate.
Fire departments across the region and around the country are dealing with declines in membership. The younger generations seem to be missing the values instilled in past generations for service to community. It is up to us to find a way to instill the desire and passion that we all share for the fire service with the next generations. The youth are our future!
The association’s annual convention is an amazing opportunity to connect with other members of the fire service community. This is a perfect time to build lifelong relationships, share ideas, goals and experiences. By hearing firsthand the successes and struggles of other departments along with training and other resources will make each of us better stewards of the craft.
I hope to see everyone at the 77th Annual Southwest Virginia Firefighters Association Convention, held at the Meadowview Conference Center and Resort in Kingsport TN, June 16th – 18th, 2023.
If you have any questions or concerns, or would like to share any ideas or suggestions, please feel free to contact me via email at: rwall@swvafirefighters.com
Sincerely,
Roy Wall, President
Southwest Virginia Firefighters Association