A firefighter's fire chief

 

L. Franklin Wise, Jr.

 

Goochland goodness was on full display at the Centerville Company 3 fire-rescue station on Saturday March 23. Past and present fire-rescue volunteers, some several generations deep, gathered to dedicate the newly renovated facility to L. Franklin Wise, Jr.

Fire-Rescue Honor Guard

Wise, who joined Company 3 in 1966 and is a life member of the organization, was the county’s last volunteer chief of the department of fire-rescue. During that tenure, he worked tirelessly, 24/7 with his wife Linda by his side—literally, she had a small desk at Frank’s elbow—to craft a standardized operational and administrative framework for Goochland fire-rescue. This step in the evolution of Goochland’s exemplary fire-rescue department paved the way for the county to hire a full-time fire-rescue chief.

He served as Centerville fire captain, the head job in the company, from 1977 to 1992.

Current Centerville Volunteer District Chief Rusty Perkins, one of many in attendance who entered the fire service as a teenaged volunteer, welcomed all.

The gathering was also attended by former Chief of the Department of Fire-Rescue, F. Tommy Carter, Jr., and many current and past fire-rescue officers, volunteers, and friends.

The crucial role that Frank Wise played in the life of the community, recruiting, training, and leading an all-volunteer corps in the serious and vital task of saving lives and protecting property was highlighted by people who worked with him over the years.

Mert Henley and Miles Barrick, life members, longtime friends, and volunteers shared memories of the many ways in which Frank mentored them shaping their character with valuable life lessons, while having a little fun along the way.

Eddie Ferguson, Linda Wise, Frank Wise, Miles Barrick, Mert Henley

Henley recalled the weekly meetings. “On Monday nights we would come to the station and work the trucks over at our meetings. We worked hard so we could play really hard after the meeting was over,” he quipped recalling weekly poker games. “A lot of us called him Uncle Frankie, or Pops. Frank’s leadership skills demonstrated on fire scenes taught us volunteers important character lessons that helped us in many other ways.”

Former Fire Marshal Phil Paquette and Company 5 District Chief Jenna Nelson

Barrick fought back tears. “Today is indeed a special day. In the fire service one of the greatest honors you can have is to have chief before your name. One of Frank’s attributes is mentor ship. I started hanging around here when I was 16, for almost 51 years he’s been my mentor. We had a lot of fun together, a lot of laughs.” Barrick mentioned pranks that evoked laughter. “One of his other traits is compassion. One year, we answered a call on Thanksgiving.  When Frank learned that I would be eating alone, he invited me to dinner.”

Current Chief of the Department, D. E. “Eddie” Ferguson, Jr. whose lifelong commitment to emergency services began at Company 3. “Not only you are a mentor, but you are a leader, someone who practices servant leadership. Your enthusiasm over the many years has been contagious, motivating many people to do the work of the organization, a great quality of a great leader. You’re part of a great team of community spirited people who came together to volunteer and serve the community and help neighbors when they had emergencies. Times were different then. You had to work for everything you had and raise all the money for supplies, equipment, and vehicles. It’s amazing to look back and see the level of service you were able to deliver.”

Ferguson read a long and impressive list of Frank’s professional level fire-rescue training certifications. “He did his best to make sure that Jimmy Mayo, Centerville Rescue leader, had everything he needed to make the rescue squad successful. You knew what it took to get people involved. Whenever we trained burning down old buildings, you made sure we had a memorable meal after for everyone who showed up.”

Wise was responsible for securing better and more up to date equipment as well as mandating ever more stringent safety protocols to protect volunteers from the hazards they encountered. “You always warned us not to breathe in that smoke, wear your breathing apparatus. Now we know how important that is to prevent cancer,” said Ferguson. The current chief read a long list of the many ways that Wise worked to equip and fund volunteers.

He also inspired volunteers to go on to pursue careers in public safety, medical fields, and even a few doctors.

“Thank you for your service to Goochland Fire-Rescue and Centerville Company 3, for all the sacrifices you have made, you too Linda. Thank you for almost 60 years of wisdom and leadership. We are forever indebted to you and the team of volunteer professionals (the only difference between career and volunteer fire-recue providers is a paycheck) to position the department and the company to be able to deal with ever-growing demands. Thank you for a job well done.”

 

Frank, resplendent in his dress uniform bedecked with gold braid and may Maltese cross service markers took the floor. He recalled using quarters for the station payphone to call people in the community to help pay for a $35k truck. “Now you pay at least half a million dollars for a truck but that was a lot of money back then.”

He reminisced about fire supper fund raisers that required many hours of volunteer preparation in addition to training and responding to calls. Those dinners kept Company 3 connected to the community, with about 750 people coming through the line for dinner and an additional 750 meals delivered to people’s homes. “It was a good time up here all those years. “We’ve come a long way,” Frank said. “I would put the crews I had here up against any department in the state.”

Chris Cozzie, past volunteer Centerville District Chief, who is now a career provider with Richmond Fire, said it was good to see the community fill the station recalling when fire suppers and Santa breakfasts were held there. Renovations turned former meeting spaces into bunk rooms to accommodate the 24/7 career providers who work at Company 3.

 

“Frank taught us a lot about leadership and what it meant to serve the community and put them first. Linda has always been a big supporter behind the scenes. I want to thank Linda for keeping this dedication a secret in order to get Frank here,” Cozzie said.

Frank Wise and the volunteers he served with leave a legacy of high standards for community service that endures.