(From left) Station 22 Firefighters Sergio Nava, Mark Huehn, Rick Machado, Luis Mata, Bobby Bookwalter, Fire Chief Blake Payne; Greenspring staff members Ken Roland, Executive Director Robin Gliboff, Berwick Drews, resident Bill Campbell, Kimberly Nelson, resident Roy O’Connor, Lynn Keefe, Holly Borrero, Tamika Mitchell, Karen Boyce, Lee Long. Resident Bill Campbell, holding a small medic truck, made the truck at Greenspring’s woodshop and presented it to the Station 22 Firefighters. Photo Contributed
Greenspring retirement community presented a donation of $10,000 to Station 22 of the Greater Springfield Volunteer Fire Department on Oct. 12. The donation, which was presented during National Fire Prevention Week, serves as a way for Greenspring to extend appreciation for the station’s consistent and timely service to the community.
"We are so grateful to have the support of Station 22 at Greenspring," said Robin Gliboff, Greenspring’s executive director. "The station provides first-rate service to our community, and we are delighted to be able to support some of their needs with this contribution."
The donation from Greenspring will be used toward equipment, supplies and station improvements. Improvements will include the repainting of the station’s facade and the addition of garage signage indicating the positions of specific response vehicles. Additionally, the donation will be used to help purchase necessary office supplies. Finally, the majority of the funds will be going toward the purchase of new exercise and fitness equipment for the station. Some of this equipment includes additional lockers, locker room benches, upright fans, kettle balls, a rowing machine, stretching bands, weights and multiple-use machines for strength building.
"This is not the first time Greenspring has helped our department," said Blake Payne, Station 22 Fire Chief. "Our firefighters are able to relax on some nice couches every evening that were given to us by Greenspring approximately five years ago."
"We are there to support the residents of Greenspring 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year," said Payne. "It’s comforting to know that Greenspring is there for us as well."
The Greater Springfield Volunteer Fire Department is a member of the Fairfax County Fire & Rescue Department; about one-third of the County’s fire departments are considered volunteer departments. GSVFD volunteers provide additional staffing to engines, trucks, and medic units, and are also active administratively. Station 22 is just over one-and-a-half miles from Greenspring and provides wide-ranging emergency services and support to the community.