“We have a number of good citizens within this community who support our operations,” Chief Curtis Sheets said at the dedication of the plaza. “The fact is, however, nobody has supported us on the level which Gana and Jim Dunlop have done. They have made leadership contributions to both the Wintergreen Fire Department and the Wintergreen Rescue Squad for decades.”
"An important part of any successful community is its emergency services. In Wintergreen's case, we serve the community and we come from the community," Wintergreen Fire and Rescue Chief Curtis Sheets told the audience at the dedication of the plaza to honor those volunteers and employees who have made a significant commitment to the community’s public safety institutions.
“The volunteers of our agencies are what grounds us not only to the Wintergreen community, but to the greater Nelson County community as well,” said Sheets. Wintergreen has “evolved from a resort which had a few residents into a community which happens to have a resort.”
Sheets noted there are “hundreds of people who have kept us in business over the years whose names you won’t find here,” but who have been no less important to the community’s public safety, pointing to Wintergreen Property Owners Associations’ Road Maintenance crews who keep the roads open and the employees in WPOA’s administration who pay the bills, and the many, many effective volunteers who dedicated years of time and talent but never quite achieved “life member” status.
After Wintergreen Fire & Rescue’s Chief spoke, Gana Dunlop cut the ribbons at a early morning dedication ceremony on September 11, 2020.
Micky Graves, who started answering Wintergreen’s 9-1-1 calls and dispatching assistance in July 1983 was one of the initial 65 names placed in the plaza. “He’s still doing it, 37 years later. Dispatchers handle the critical first step in any emergency response,” says Chief Sheets. The names were placed in random order.
The names on the Dunlop Safety Plaza as of September 2020
Sam Alexander - WRS
Michael Arrowood - WRS
Karen Asher - WFD
Tommy Ashley - WFD
Eric Barron - WPD
Ralph Bickley - WFR
Lindsay Birkhead WPD
Nick Brown - WFR
Dennis Casey - WRS
John Claman - WRS
Mike Crandall - WFD
Trey Crawford - WFR
David Croll - WRS
Jack Daly - WRS
Joe Davis - WPD
Ron Duddleston - WRS
Barry Eastep - WFR
John Elwood - WPD
Delbert Fish - WFD & WFR
Jeremiah Fish - WFR
Don Fitzgerald - WFD & WFR
Tammy Fore - WFR
Mike Friedlein - WFD & WRS
Richard Gilliland - WRS
Mickey Graves - WPD
Kathy Hachey - WRS
Wayne Hachey - WRS
John Harrington - WFD & WRS
Jeff Harris - WPD
Ross Hasson - WRS
Tom Jackson - WFD & WFR
William Jackson - WPD
Bruce Johnson - WFD
David Jones WPD
Page Kampier - WRS
Jim Kneas - WFD
Jimmy Koschara - WFD
Treacy Landes - WPD & WFR
Greg Lipscomb - WFD
Bill Maki - WPD *
Curtis McIver - WRS
Judy Meincke - WRS
Martha Misker - WRS
Richard Moore - WPD
Michael Morris - WRS
Walt Nichols - WRS
Stanley Olah - WPD
Brian O'Rourke - WRS
David Orphan - WRS
Frank Ott - WFD & WRS
Gary Parks - WPD
Rhonda Proffitt – WPD
Jason Pugh - WFR
Skip Rice - WRS
Mike Riddle - WFR
John Robles - WFD
Curtis Sheets - WFR
Steve Siragusa - WRS
Houston Sorenson - WRS
Steve Southworth - WPD
Joe Steele - WRS
Courtney Truslow - WFD
Jim Truslow - WFD
Ron Turnbull - WRS
Clayton Wade - WPD
RW Woody - WFR
WFD–Wintergreen Volunteer Fire Department.
WRS–Wintergreen Volunteer Rescue Squad.
WPD–Wintergreen Police Department.
WFR-Wintergreen Fire & Rescue Professional Staff.
* Recently added