GOOCHLAND COUNTY, Va. -- One man's dedication and passion are helping preserve more than 100 years of firefighting history in Goochland County.
St. Christopher’s School biology teacher Billy McGuire has spent more than three decades teaching, but his commitment extends far beyond the classroom.
At 58 years old, McGuire is a fixture at Station 1 in Goochland County, where he has responded to emergencies and saved lives for 35 years as a volunteer firefighter.
“Here at Manakin, I’ve done a little bit of everything,” McGuire said. “I feel myself lucky that I can come here and help out in any way I can.”
McGuire emphasizes the importance of service.
“Absolutely when we leave home you don’t know if you’re coming back," he said. "You know the fact that you can give of yourself is the reward in itself. Ultimately, I think that there’s a much richer life to be led in service to one’s fellow man.”
In the fire service, technology and equipment are constantly evolving. However, he enjoys embracing the past, particularly when it comes to firefighting history.
McGuire has taken on the restoration of a 1920 firetruck, which he found abandoned in a field.
“I’m absolutely obsessed about this truck,” he said. “The tires are rotten, half the wood was rotten. Wherever there was wood in the truck, there were parts that needed re-fabrication.”
This truck is particularly significant; it was Goochland’s first firetruck, purchased from the City of Richmond Fire Department in 1951.
McGuire has meticulously researched and rebuilt the 104-year-old vehicle piece by piece.
“This is a picture that I got from the Old Dominion Fire Historical Society of this actual truck fighting a fire on West Broad Street in Richmond,” he said, referencing a photo from 1929 that guided his restoration efforts.
Fire Chief Eddie Ferguson commended McGuire's dedication.
“Billy’s heart is huge. It is off the scale. Off the chart. It is amazing the amount of detail, precision, and how meticulous that job was," Chief Ferguson said. "That’s Billy McGuire—very skilled, talented, and meticulous.”
McGuire began working on the truck in December 2019.
“With a blue tarp on top of it, it really had fallen to pieces in a way that just made me and Eddie want to cry. How could we let part of our history just go to pieces in the field?” he recalled. “At that point, I’m like I’m not gonna let this happen on my watch.”
Now, five years later, McGuire's labor of love pays homage to the WWII veterans who founded the Goochland Fire Department.
“If you don’t know your past, then you don’t know where you’re going,” he said. “We need to know where we came from in order to know where we’re going, with a good road map.”
Whether responding to emergencies, sharing knowledge in the classroom, or resurrecting a piece of history, Billy McGuire embodies the spirit of service.
“Billy McGuire is full of energy and determination, and he absolutely gets the job done. This fire engine is a great example of that,” Chief Ferguson remarked.
Residents will have the opportunity to see McGuire’s restored firetruck at the 2024 Fire-Rescue Show at Goochland High School on Saturday, October 12, from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Admission is free.
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