Farm Bureau presents RTV to Southampton Fire and Rescue
Published 6:15 pm Wednesday, November 20, 2024
Celebrating the donation of a rugged terrain vehicle to Southampton County first responders Wednesday, Nov. 20, at the county Farm Bureau office in Courtland are, from left, Southampton County Fire and Rescue President Greg Vick, Southampton County Farm Bureau President Gary Cross, Southampton County Women’s Leadership Committee representative Jeannette Everett and TowneBank representatives JoAnne Joyner, Ashley Fisher and Thomas Woodward. (Photo by Titus Mohler)
The items being donated to Southampton County Fire and Rescue included a Kubota rugged terrain vehicle, a stokes basket stretcher, a medic slide and a trailer to transport it all in. (Photo by Titus Mohler)
The items being donated to Southampton County Fire and Rescue included a Kubota rugged terrain vehicle, a stokes basket stretcher, a medic slide and a trailer to transport it all in. (Photo by Titus Mohler)
This photo offers an interior look at the trailer that will transport the rugged terrain vehicle around Southampton County to be deployed as needed. (Photo by Titus Mohler)
Southampton County Farm Bureau President Gary Cross and representatives of the Southampton County Women's Leadership Committee gather for a photo with the equipment being donated to county fire and rescue personnel. (Photo by Titus Mohler)
Southampton County first responders gather with Southampton County Farm Bureau and Southampton County Women's Leadership Committee representatives for a photo with the equipment being donated to county fire and rescue personnel. (Photo by Titus Mohler)
Leaders of the Southampton Agriculture & Forestry Advancement Foundation gather for a photo with the equipment being donated to county fire and rescue personnel. (Photo by Titus Mohler)
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Southampton County Farm Bureau hosted a ceremony at its office in Courtland on Wednesday, Nov. 20, to announce the donation of a rugged terrain vehicle (RTV) to Southampton County Fire and Rescue.
The Kubota RTV will grant first responders access to rural areas of the county that are inaccessible to other emergency vehicles, enhancing the capabilities of area fire and rescue personnel to help those in need in Southampton County.
The complete donation, representing an estimated $35,000, includes the RTV equipped with a stokes basket stretcher and a medic slide, along with a trailer in which to house and transport it all.
To a crowd including a variety of area first responders and officials on Wednesday, Southampton County Farm Bureau President Gary Cross said, “This project represents what Farm Bureau stands for and what Farm Bureau tries to do and that’s give back to the community and protect the rural way of life and make our way of living more normal, if you could.”
He described the fundraising for and donation of the RTV and accompanying items as a Farm Bureau project that started with the county Farm Bureau’s affiliated Southampton County Women’s Leadership Committee.
Jeannette Everett, a member of that committee, indicated that she has been working to provide RTVs to county first responders for about four-and-a-half years.
“Thank you to everyone that had a part in making this possible; it’s been a long time coming,” she said. “It has finally come to fruition, and I am just ecstatic. I’m teary because of it.
“Working on a farm and being around and knowing accidents that can happen that maybe fire and rescue cannot get to quickly, we wanted to have this (RTV) available,” she added. “It is hunting season now. There are accidents that can happen. I hope it’s never used, but it is here if we need it.”
She later noted that she has not given up on her original dream for county fire and rescue personnel to have two such RTVs, one for the northern end and one for the southern end of Southampton, a county that is nearly 600 square miles in size.
What helped make the donation on Wednesday possible was the founding of the Southampton Agriculture & Forestry Advancement Foundation a couple years ago and the funds it has since received from various donors.
“It’s funny how when you start doing something, it spurs other things,” Cross said. “As we started asking for donations, we found out that we needed a 501(c)(3) to take in donations.”
He noted that county Farm Bureau leaders had already been talking about forming a foundation to offer scholarships, and the RTV project hastened its creation.
Cross is chairman of the foundation, and its leadership includes other representatives from the local Farm Bureau, Women’s Leadership Committee and some people from outside the Farm Bureau organization.
Among those donating money to allow for the purchase of the RTV and accompanying equipment are TowneBank, Three Creek Sand LLC, International Paper, Hunter Darden III, Bronco Federal Credit Union, Sandy Ridge Farms, Jerry Rose, Mid Atlantic Gin, Commonwealth Gin, Chip Transit, Gurganus Peanut, Gurganus Farms, Ricky and Dora Gurganus, Courtland Farmer’s Market, Rock Spring Forestry, Nicholson Auto Parts, Pine View Forestry, Nottoway House, Good Earth Peanut Company, One Roof at a Time, Colonial Farm Credit, Plank Road Farm LLC, Penn Riggs, John M. Drewry, and Everett Farms Inc. in memory of Ann Jervey and James Kello.
Cross read off the above list during the ceremony Wednesday, and he noted that the trailer will eventually have lettering that says “Southampton County Fire and Rescue,” and it will also bear the names of the aforementioned donors.
He took a moment to highlight the contributions of TowneBank.
“Without TowneBank, we would still be beating the bushes and trying to finish up this project,” he said. “TowneBank moved into our community and has really overtextended itself to help not only the agricultural community but the whole community with their services, and I can only see them growing in the future. … We really do appreciate what TowneBank has stepped up and done for us and this project.”
TowneBank Senior Vice President and Branch Manager JoAnne Joyner spoke briefly during the ceremony, indicating that TowneBank’s culture is focused around enriching lives and serving others.
“That is what we do here at TowneBank,” she said. “TowneBank does a lot for the community, and they’ve just been very supportive of events like this, and it’s just a privilege for us to be able to do this and serve the county, a county in which I live.”
To the first responders present Wednesday, she said, “We thank you all very much for everything that fire and rescue does for our residents and the citizens of the county.”
Southampton County Fire and Rescue President Greg Vick also spoke briefly, describing the ceremony as a monumental occasion.
“First of all, I just again want to say thanks to Southampton County Farm Bureau, the ladies committee, Jeannette, all of your diligent work for so many years now to bring this project to completion,” he said. “This is a type of resource that is brand new to Southampton County.”
He noted that with the county being populated by rural communities, its fire and rescue personnel respond to a large number of incidents where a fire engine or a medic vehicle or even a brush truck have not been able to access a patient or a scene that needed their attention.
“The donation of this (RTV) and the trailer to haul it and the equipment that is provided is going to allow our first responders in Southampton County to be much more efficiently equipped to respond to those types of emergencies,” he said.
He echoed Everett’s comments about how the RTV was a long time coming.
“It’s no secret to anyone that working a budget for public safety in these times is difficult, and the line item has just not appeared for us to have funded a piece of equipment that was this expensive,” he said.
He stated that all of the county’s first responders and citizens are extremely grateful for and deeply indebted to those who made the donation possible.
Vick noted that Southampton County Fire and Rescue represents 10 fire departments and five EMS agencies across the county, as well as the city of Franklin.
Southampton County Sheriff Josh A. Wyche Sr. was also present for the ceremony and praised the donation.
“Working together we can accomplish much,” he said. “By doing this, we are accomplishing much.”
Cross also put a spotlight on Hoober Inc., an equipment company out of Wakefield, for its role in bringing the RTV to Southampton.
“They went out of their way to work with Kubota to secure this vehicle,” Cross said.
