Byrd grad fights local fires
VINTON– William Byrd High School graduate Patrick English grew up knowing he would be a fireman.
By watching his grandfather fight fires, English realized that was the job for him.
“I grew up around it,” English said. “I’ve been around it my whole life, and always figured I’d wind up doing it.”
English was so sure of his career path that he began volunteering in high school. He began at the Vinton Fire and Rescue Station during his sophomore year, and continued on there until he was hired by Roanoke County in early 2009.
Patrick English, a 2005 William Byrd High School graduate, is now a fire fighter for Roanoke County. He is stationed at the Clearbrook Fire and Rescue Station, located on Route 220. Photo by Kristin Adams
Before he was officially a fire fighter, however, he had to go through the Roanoke Valley Regional Fire-EMS Training Center’s academy, where English was voted class president during the first week.
“That was definitely an experience,” English said about serving as class president.
He explained that as president in the academy, he often became the scapegoat.
“The catch about being class president is that if something goes wrong, it’s your fault,” English said. “It wasn’t a glamour job.”
The academy was worth it, however, because at the end, English was assigned to the Clearbrook Fire and Rescue Station, located on Route 220.
“I got real lucky with my station assignment,” English said.
English is part of the family at the station, with a sense of camaraderie among the other fire fighters there. They tease him about his coffee-making skills, but it is obvious that the veteran firemen are fond of him.
“I really, really, really enjoy having him here at the station,” Clearbrook Fire and Rescue Station’s captain, Eddie Chitwood, said. “He’s a great addition.”
Chitwood praised English’s eagerness to learn, his excitement about the job, and his knowledge about the trade.
“He’s doing excellent since he came to me from the academy,” Chitwood said.
English does have a great expanse of knowledge, as he is a specialist in Heavy Tactical Rescue, saving people who are confined in tight spaces, jammed in machines, or even stuck on the Appalachian Trail.
English found Heavy Tactical Rescue, or HTR, interesting, and decided to pursue the specialty by taking classes in it. English is one class away from a degree in Fire Science from Virginia Western Community College.
He believes he was stationed at Clearbrook Fire and Rescue because of his HTR specialty; Clearbrook is the HTR station for Roanoke County, sending its fire fighters all over the Valley to help people.
English was sent to the Vinton Veterinary Hospital when a truck crashed into the building, and helped stabilize the building afterwards. He has also been to sections of the Appalachian Trail to save hikers who have become stranded by a broken leg, a sprained ankle, or any number of injuries. As a volunteer with Vinton Fire and Rescue, English also rescued residents after a tractor trailer ran into the Washington Manor apartments.
Just because English is an expert in Heavy Tactical Rescue does not mean he has not seen his share of fires, however. He helped Roanoke City with the four-alarm fire at the Dialysis Center on McClanahan Street. He also fought the fire at the Eighth Street apartments, where people were trapped inside.
English has even had a few close calls. At a fire in a farmhouse near Glade Creek, he and his partner went to the attic to do a quick search. His partner was having trouble with equipment, however, and left without telling English. Suddenly, he found himself in the attic alone, and became dangerously hot before he finally made his way outside.
Nevertheless, English has found a home at the Clearbrook Fire and Rescue Station, and as a fireman.
“At times it does get pretty wild. It definitely keeps you on your toes,” English said about his career.
