A Brief History Lesson
The first unit to be purchased for our beloved station was a 1939 Chevrolet Pumper. This truck had no roof on it, and this proves more the dedication these individuals had to protect their community to be willing to drive a convertible fire engine, in unfavorable conditions at times, to wherever the emergency may be.
At that time, there was not a 911 system like we have in existence today. If a fire emergency occurred where you were, you would have to call one of three firemen whose names and phone numbers were in the phone book. From there the firemen, or their wives and family, would call other members of the department to notify them of the fire. The first arriving member to the Station would then sound off a loud siren, which would help to notify any other members in earshot of the emergency.
Radio Communication
Today, we carry state-of-the-art digital radios in our units. In addition to this, we also carry portable "walkie-talkie" style radios and pagers that we can keep with us all the time. Now, when there is a fire or medical emergency, you call 911 and they contact the appropriate units using these state-of-the-art radios.
A New Type Of Response
In the 1990s, it was noticed that the citizens of Pittsylvania County were not receiving the rapid emergency medical response that was needed. At that time, the only EMS agencies in our beautiful county were Gretna Rescue Squad, Chatham Rescue Squad, and the Danville Life Saving Crew. The delay in an adequate EMS response was not the fault of these agencies, however. The wait was due to the distance the ambulances would have to drive to the call, which sadly caused many people to suffer.
The local fire stations, including the dedicated members of our department, heard the cry for help from the people of Pittsylvania County and began purchasing EMS response vehicles and Advanced Life Support Ambulances. This evolution in EMS, which is still currently taking place, has resulted in Mount Cross becoming equipped with an Advanced Life Support EMS Response Vehicle, which can rapidly respond and provide immediate life-saving care to our citizens. The ambulance services that now serve our community are Tunstall Volunteer Fire Department, Mount Hermon Volunteer Fire Department, Bachelor's Hall Volunteer Fire Department, and the Danville Life Saving and First Aid Crew.
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