By Debbie Adams
Four members of the Mt. Pleasant Volunteer Fire Department have been recognized by the
Roanoke County Board of Supervisors for their long years of dedicated service to the
community. Dean Rorrer, Kent Henson, Patrick Aylor, and David Riddle were honored at the
board meeting on May 14.
with the Mt. Pleasant Volunteer Fire Dept. were recognized by the Board of Supervisors on May
14. Pictured are (from left): front, Board of Supervisors Chair Phil North, Roanoke County
Commissioner of the Revenue and Vinton First Aid Crew volunteer Jason Peters, MPVFD Chief
Eric Stump, volunteers David Riddle, Dean Rorrer, Kent Hudson, and Patrick Aylor, MPVFD
Asst. Chief Lori Campbell, Roanoke County Fire & Rescue Chief Travis Griffith, and Tammy
Shepherd, Vinton representative to the Board of Supervisors; back, Supervisors David Radford,
Martha Hooker, and Paul Mahoney. (photo courtesy of Roanoke County)
“These gentlemen helped mold numerous young members into incredible members today,
including myself,” said Mt. Pleasant Volunteer Fire Dept. (MPVFD) Chief Eric Stump. “It was
an absolute honor to get these men recognized for their years of dedication to our community.
This a huge honor for them and I was happy to see it happen. Thank you to the Board of
Supervisors for doing this.”
Tammy Shepherd, who represents the Vinton Magisterial District on the Board of Supervisors,
introduced the volunteer firefighters, saying the four had served the county “with remarkable
distinction for a remarkable length of time. The four volunteers honored have a total of 137 years
of service to the community.”
The resolutions adopted for each volunteer noted that each one “is a true asset to Roanoke
County and the Mt. Pleasant Volunteer Fire Dept. and has represented his fire department and
community with great character, pride, and honor.”
Patrick Aylor has served the community for 22 years; for 19 of those years, he has been an EMT-
B. He received the award for “Most Calls Run” for four consecutive years from 2003-2006. He
was promoted to lieutenant in 2008, captain in 2012, and assistant chief in 2016. He has been an
active Life Member with the MPVFD for the last year.
According to the resolutions for the volunteers, “To be considered and nominated for a Life
Membership, the member must have performed the duties with such excellence that his finished
work was as easily recognized as his signature. It is with true dedication to his brother
firefighters, his dedication to the fire department and his dedication to the community that he
volunteers to serve in a life-threatening environment constantly without desire of reward. These
sacrifices allow him to stand by himself as a very special person. Those chosen for Life
Membership shall stand even farther apart from others because of their years of dedication and
they shall be looked upon as the guide for others to use to channel their fire careers.”
Kent Henson was recognized for a total of 40 years in Fire and Rescue Service— 20 of those
years in service to the Mt. Pleasant community.
Henson started with the Vinton First Aid Crew in 1984 and served there for approximately 10
years. He joined the Vinton Fire Dept. for a few years and then came to the Mt. Pleasant Fire
Dept. for a while before moving to Blue Ridge and running with their fire department. Henson
returned to the Mt. Pleasant Fire Dept. in November 2004. He was an active member running
numerous significant calls during his tour of duty such as the Flood of 1985 call responses, the
Clearview Manor fire the next night, the MCI at ITT, the Green Ridge fire, along with an untold
number of EMS, fire calls, wrecks, etc. He wrote a training program on LDH manifolds that was
used across the country. He taught in approximately 30 fire academies in Roanoke County,
Elliston, Bedford, and Franklin Counties. Henson was an adjunct instructor with VDFP teaching,
testing, and monitoring other instructors from Danville to Highland County. He held every office
except captain, chaplain, and treasurer at MPVFD and is currently chief emeritus and department
president.
Henson told the board that “it has been an honor to serve all these years.”
David Riddle was recognized by the board for his 22 years of service. During his time as a
firefighter, Riddle also spent eight years as an EMT-B. He was the MPVFD treasurer for 21
years and on the Roanoke County Fire & Rescue Safety Committee for 20 years. He retired from
Catawba Hospital after 28 years of service and spent 26 of those years serving on Roanoke
County and Regional Emergency Planning Councils and coordinating with local fire responders
on hospital emergency drills. He has been an active life member with the Mt. Pleasant Volunteer
Fire Department for the last two years.
Dean Rorrer was recognized for his 53 years of service. He rose to the rank of lieutenant, holding
that position for approximately eight years. After he stopped running calls, he continued to assist
the department as president for approximately 20 years. After Rorrer retired from the position of
president, he was voted on as an Inactive Fireground/Active Social Life Member and has been a
Life Member for over two years and counting.
Board of Supervisors Chair Phil North noted that the Mt. Pleasant Volunteer Fire Dept. has
recruited eight new members in just the past two months.
