WVVA Hometown Hero: Volunteer Fire Chief fighting cancer while continuing to serve
BERWIND, W.Va. (WVVA) - The volunteer fire department in Berwind came together following a deadly fire nearly 40 years ago. Chief Billy Adams was among those who came together to bring fire service to the in the Mcdowell County coalfield community after two young lives were lost in that deadly blaze. Adam’s daughter Linda Adams Brigham says she knew the victims. “...I remember the fire, those were my friends that were killed in that fire. I was over there while they were still recovering and I remember not having a fire department,” said Brigham. Her father’s involvement with starting the volunteer fire department lead her to join the fledgling department. She witnessed her dad’s contribution to their community. “...Being with my dad on those fires, and seeing how capable he was, and how strong he was. He was always my hero,” Brigham said with pride as she talked about nominating Adams for the WVVA Hometown Hero recognition.
Chief Adams record of volunteering did not start with playing a role in bringing fire service to Berwind, the 75-year-old volunteered for the U.S. Army right out of high school in 1965, where he served as a mechanic. It’s a skill set that served him well in his decades of service with the fire department, keeping the trucks and equipment running. Adams says he feels an obligation to do what he can for his neighbors, “Everybody needs help sometimes you know? They just need to get out and do it you know, in my opinion. And then you’ve got, a lot of people that are getting sick like me, you know, getting old, and sick and they just need somebody to replace them,” Adams said. Adams is working to fill the dwindling ranks at the fire station he helped start. All the while Adams is fighting stage 4 colon cancer, “But nobody wanna listen to you,” Adams said with a chuckle. adding, “They don’t want, I guess they don’t want the responsibility or whatever, and the young people. We don’t have young people. We’ve got one on the fire department,” said Adams. He’s hoping for more to step up and continue the vital service he helped start and now they have a new fire station, which was completed more than a year ago.
The Vietnam-Era veteran is a man of faith, serving for years as a deacon with the Cane Branch Freewill Baptist Church. A long-serving volunteer with BVFD says his faith shines through with his interaction with the members and the community. Mary Gayness has served the fire station in Berwind for more than 30 years and says Adams doesn’t just work hard at the fire scenes, he works just as hard behind-the-scenes, “We do bake sales and when we do bake sales, Bill is here to help us. He sells dinners. He fixes dinners, whatever we have to do, Bill is there to help us. He’s right there with us fixing dinners and packing them up, and telling them where they go, Bill’s there to help us.” Gayness said of her fire chief.
Adam’s grim prognosis forces one of the most sobering considerations in the human condition: Legacy. Chief Adams says he wants people to, “Remember that I try to help them, you know, people. Whoever who needed it.” Adams said. When Adams is no longer physically in the fire station for the Berwind Volunteer Fire Department, his legacy will live on as a man who went the extra mile to help others. It’s what makes Fire Chief Billy Adams a WVVA Hometown Hero.
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