West Virginia's longest continuously serving fire chief received a final salute Wednesday.
Two years after joining the Paden City Volunteer Fire Department at 18, James Richmond was named chief, and led the department for 71 years.
A 1936 rig was among the apparatus escort procession for the chief, WTOV reported.
Communications dispatchers announced that Richmond, 91, had answered his final alarm.
"Jim was the backbone of our department and we will forever have a void in our station from him," Paden City fire officials wrote on the department's Facebook page.
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Susan Nicol
News Editor
Susan Nicol is the news editor for Firehouse.com. She is a life member and active with the Brunswick Volunteer Ambulance & Rescue Company, Oxford Fire Company and Brunswick Vol. Fire Co. Susie has been an EMT in Maryland since 1976. Susie is vice-president of the Frederick County Fire/Rescue Museum. She is on the executive committee of Frederick County Volunteer Fire and Rescue Association. She also is part of the Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services Systems (MIEMSS) Region II EMS Council. Susie is a board member of the American Trauma Society, Maryland Division. Prior to joining the Firehouse team, she was a staff writer for The Frederick News-Post, covering fire, law enforcement, court and legislative issues.