BOTETOURT, Va. (WFXR) — On Sunday, February 12th, WFXR hosted ‘The Devils Backbone Next Level Chili Bowl Kickoff’. Four local fire departments competed to win the top prize of $2,500. One of the local departments in this year’s competition is Botetourt Fire and EMS.
Botetourt Fire and EMS were on the scene and said they always look forward to Super Bowl Sunday and are ready for any competition that comes their way. They said ‘The Devils Backbone Next Level Chili Bowl Kickoff’ was a good opportunity for their staff to get out, partake in a competition, and a great time to relieve stress.
“Working this job is highly stressful so doing anything to get your mind off of that stuff is very helpful,” said Brendan Majors a Firefighter EMT at Botetourt Fire and EMS.
The department responds to everything from structure fires to car crashes, but not every call is a matter of life or death. They say they’re also there to take care of the community.
“We’ve got some of the people in this organization career and volunteer men and women that work together, risk their lives, that really have a heart for service and commitment to the community they live in,” says Jeff Powell the Deputy Chief of Botetourt Fire and EMS.
Powell added they have a proud history in Botetourt with volunteer stations throughout the community. Career staff started helping with EMS calls about twenty years ago and they have continued to grow.
Firehouse meals are something that has always brought the station together, so they were looking forward to Sunday’s event.
“We know there’s going to be some strong competition and we are just looking forward to the fellowship of it all,” says Powell.
Winning the money would help them buy new equipment and give them the resources they need for faster response times.
Powell says the crews spend one-third of their lives at the station.
“We’ve got some of the best career and volunteer members in the valley, we’re mighty proud of them and we like to do anything we can to help take care of them,” says Powell.
