Vinton First Aid Crew member Greg Meinel honored at 2024 Virginia Fallen Fire and EMS memorial

By Debbie Adams

Paramedic Greg Meinel, who served as an Active Life Member of the Vinton First Aid Crew,
was honored at the 2024 Virginia Fallen Firefighters and EMS Memorial Service on June 1 in
Richmond.

For more than 20 years, on the first Saturday in June, firefighters and EMS
personnel who have died in the line of duty or have been recognized by the Virginia
Line of Duty Act in the previous year for their bravery and dedication to the
Commonwealth are memorialized at service.

Seventeen of Virginia’s firefighters, emergency medical services personnel, and forestry
personnel who lost their lives protecting the citizens of the Commonwealth were recognized in
2024.

Several members of Meinel’s family and the Vinton First Aid Crew, and nine current and retired
members of Roanoke County Fire & Rescue, attended the service. Several of those served as
Honor Guard participants, chaplain, and family escorts.

The service began with a procession of bagpipes, the Presentation of Colors, the Pledge of
Allegiance, the national anthem, and the invocation by the Rev. Brian Clingenpeel, Chaplain and
Community Outreach Coordinator for Roanoke County Fire & Rescue.

A special video presentation followed, highlighting the lasting legacy of each hero honoree. The
tribute to Greg Meinel said:

“Greg had a long and storied career in the health care industry. He was introduced to the field
first by running rescue with the Vinton Rescue Squad. Greg proudly served in officer positions
while on the squad several times. He served as Captain – Membership and First Lieutenant –
Training. He went on to earn his Paramedic Certification and eventually, through many, many
years of service became a Lifetime Member of the squad. Running calls was a passion he had his
entire life.

“Greg’s first ‘official’ job was as a medical assistant in the Community Hospital Emergency
Room. He worked nights there and he loved it. He would regale us endlessly with stories of all
the crazy things he would see on any given night. Greg decided to take his career a step further
and obtained his Associate Degree in Health Sciences from Virginia Western Community
College, then attended Jefferson College of Heath Sciences to do a Paramedic to RN upgrade.
Greg was so proud when he obtained his Registered Nursing License.

“Greg spent the majority of his career as an ICU nurse at Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital.
He loved his job and helped countless patients and their families and would often receive letters
of thanks for the care he provided. Greg also served as an instructor for Carilion, teaching Staff
Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support and Pediatric Advanced Life Support. He would often
travel to other Carilion hospitals to teach. Greg decided a couple of years ago to step away from
his Carilion position and try out travel nursing. He loved his family too much to go too far,
though. He had assignments in Northern Virginia, Farmville, and Lynchburg hospitals.

“Greg was a proud member of the Masons, raised to 3rd Master Mason on September 26, 2007.
“Greg will be dearly missed by his family and friends. He leaves behind two sons, Joseph
Conner Meinel and Ian Zachary Wood; and a grandson, Frankie Brookes Meinel. He also leaves
a sister, Dawn Meinel Layne and her husband David; a niece, Brittney Lynne Layne; a great-
nephew, Kyler David Layne; and niece, Laura Christine Gilmore.”

Keynote speaker Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin thanked the “17 brave heroes for putting others’
interests ahead of your own. You ran toward danger when others were running away. Every day
you made the choice to lay down your lives for others – as one brotherhood and sisterhood
standing together in service. It’s the way they lived that we celebrate; their names are etched in
our hearts forever.”

The governor thanked the families for their commitment as well.

The poem, “A Hero’s Welcome” was read:

“Time to come home, dear brother, your tour of duty through. You’ve given as much as anyone
could be expected to do. Just a few steps further the smoke will start to clear. Others here will
guide you; you have no need of fear. You have not failed your brothers; you clearly gave it all,
and through your selfless actions, others will hear the call. So, take your place of honor among
those who have gone before and know you will be remembered for now and evermore.”
Youngkin presented state flags which had flown above the Virginia State Capitol to each family,
kneeling to make extended individual remarks to each.

The memorial ceremony concluded with the “5-5-5 Tolling of the Bell” and the playing of
“Taps.”

The tolling tradition began before there were telephones and radios. Fire departments would use
special codes by telegraph. When a firefighter was killed in the line of duty, the fire alarm would
tap out a special signal of five measured dashes, then a pause, five more dashes and a pause, and five final dashes. This signal would be broadcast over telegraph to all fire station houses in the
vicinity. Now the 5-5-5 Tolling is performed using a bell.

Meinel passed away on February 17, 2023, at the age of 51. He served with the Vinton First Aid
Crew for over 31 years, recruited by the organization just out of high school at William Byrd
where he was a member of the Class of 1990.

The Rev. Clingenpeel has participated in the memorial service for the past several years, along
with members of the Roanoke County Fire & Rescue Department Honor Guard. He said of those
being memorialized, “I think all those names on that list are deserving of honor each and every
year. I am humbled by their stories. This year, Botetourt, Vinton, and Abingdon all had people
honored. So, the service hit a little closer to home. I knew people who were being honored and I
knew people who were close to people being honored. It’s not the first time I have known people
being memorialized and I am sure it will not be the last.

“It also makes me want to make sure that departments across the Commonwealth are taking
prevention seriously. Two young people on that list died in crashes of emergency vehicles.
Several on that list of 17 were related to cancer or other health related issues. Yes, we serve in
dangerous ways, but we also need to make sure we are doing all that we can to prevent these
deaths from happening.”

Meinel’s sister, Dawn Layne, said, “It was a beautiful and touching ceremony, and I was
honored to be a part of it. I thought the governor’s speech was heartfelt and I appreciated that he
took personal time with each family. I am so incredibly proud of my brother and the sacrifices he
and the other 16 honorees made to lovingly serve their communities. Greg was an amazing man,
and the void of his loss is great.”