Matt has been with WPVFD for eleven years. He’s a pretty busy guy! Not only is he our Assistant Chief but he’s a firefighter/medic as well. When we asked what drew him to our department he said he had the desire to continue his fire service education and wanted to serve the community he lives in all while making lifelong friends and family. ‘I was a firefighter prior to enlisting in the USCG and wanted to continue that profession once I got out. I found WPVFD to be a place with a lot of experienced people and felt right at home.’

He indicated he enjoys ‘working with members from all over the region that works for other fire departments, being able to network and see different perspectives of the job from them and share mine as well.’ Matt also says he enjoys the back-and-forth banter between our members and the home-away-from-home atmosphere.

Never far from firefighting, Matts’s full-time job is with James City County Fire Department where he is Captain of Rescue 2.
He tells us his father inspired him to become a firefighter from the time he was a child. ‘He still inspires me to continue to better myself and my career and just be a better firefighter altogether.’

Matt’s advice for someone wanting to enter the fire service or EMS? ‘Do not take it lightly. It is a challenging career but it is rewarding. Put in the effort and study and train because it will benefit you in the long run and someday your life or someone else may depend on it.’

Fun facts about Matt? He says not many know that he was a diesel mechanic in the USCG. He’s a camping enthusiast and prefers the beach at Rodanthe NC and the mountains in the Charlottesville area. The last book he read was entitled The Last Men Out: Life on the Edge at Rescue 2 Firehouse

We hope you’ve enjoyed getting to know a bit about our Assistant Chief and our previous members this year! There’ll be more to come and we look forward to introducing them to you. We thank you all for your continued support…

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