At an event at Town Hall on Monday, October 16 at 5:00pm, First Selectman Fred Camillo will honor Volunteer District Chief, Richard Strain, Jr. with an official proclamation honoring Chief Strain’s 40 years of service as Volunteer District Chief and 50 years as a volunteer at Round Hill Volunteer Fire Company.
Chief Strain joined the volunteers of Round Hill only months out of high school in 1973 and has continued to serve as an extraordinarily active volunteer for 50 years.
Of those 50 years, Chief Strain led Round Hill valiantly and honorably as Volunteer District Chief for 40 years, stretching from 1983 to 2023. Chief Strain’s tenure is likely the longest in the state of Connecticut, New England, and perhaps the country. During those 40 years as Chief, Round Hill’s volunteers responded to 13,917 emergency calls – nearly one call per day, every day of the year, for 40 years. Chief Strain stepped down to Assistant District Chief earlier this summer.
Chief Strain comes from a firefighting family, including his great-grandfather, grandfather, father, and uncle and others, and has extended the family tradition and commitment to the Town of Greenwich with his wife, Linda, a 45-year Round Hill volunteer, their son, Will, a career firefighter in Greenwich, and their daughter, Sharon, the new Volunteer District Chief at Round Hill.
In his proclamation, First Selectman Fred Camillo states “the Town of Greenwich owes a tremendous debt of gratitude to Rick Strain for his 50 years of selfless service and commitment to the Town of Greenwich, and for his 40 years of leadership of Round Hill Volunteer Fire Company, the only all-volunteer fire company in Greenwich.”
Expected to join First Selectman Camillo in honoring Chief Strain, are the members of Round Hill Volunteer Fire Company, representatives of Greenwich Fire Department administration, and all of the Town’s Volunteer District Chiefs.
Chief Strain will also be presented with a Certificate of Appreciation from the National Volunteer Fire Council for his “40 years of service and dedication to your community and to America’s volunteer fire service as Chief of Round Hill Volunteer Fire Company.”
Celebrating 75 Years Serving the Greenwich Backcountry in 2023
Round Hill Volunteer Fire Company (“RHVFC”) was founded in 1948 by a group of estate and farm owners and workers who lived in backcountry of Greenwich and wanted to reduce the extended response times of downtown fire units.
For the last 75 years, the volunteer firefighters of RHVFC have provided first response emergency services, protecting life and property, to the Greenwich backcountry. In that time, our members have responded to more than 10,000 incidents, ranging from traffic accidents and downed power lines to hazardous material spills and fully-involved structure fires. Round Hill Volunteer Fire Company is the only all-volunteer fire company in Greenwich.
Today, RHVFC’s members continue to serve the backcountry, working hand-in-hand with Town career firefighters, not only in the Round Hill fire district, but also throughout greater Greenwich when additional resources or apparatus is needed. RHVFC responds to an average of 300-400 emergency calls per year.
RHVFC is an independent volunteer fire company that is affiliated with, but only partially funded by, the Town of Greenwich. Each year its members must raise more than $50,000 to fund its annual operating expenses, and also must raise $2MM to fund the firehouse renovation and future purchase of new apparatus and equipment. Round Hill’s volunteers rely on the community’s support so they can better serve you, your family, and your neighbors.
