Founded in 1950, the Charter Company of what was to become the highly respected Volunteer Fire and Rescue Company of The Plains, numbered just one hundred volunteer. Shirley Curtis served as their Chief for a decade. Val Stieglitz was President from the founding until 1955.

Laurens Hamilton of Byrnly Farm and J.W. Slaughter of Slaughter's Coal Yard teamed up to provide the company with its first vehicle: a Jeep, with a front-mounted pump, dragging a 250-gallon water trailer. They kept it at Herby's garage, and mounted a siren on the top of the building to call the company to duty.

Of that very first company, only George Beavers survives. He drove The Plains Company's new Jeep pumper on the crew's first call, to Dennis Skinker's property, on Rt. 245, south of the current Post Office building. A vehicle in Skinker's garage had caught fire, Beavers remembers. Ammunition left in the vehicle was cooking off when the company arrived, thankfully in good time to save Skinker's house. No one was killed or wounded by either kind of fire.

Barney Brittle, who joined the company in 1951, also remembers well the Jeep pumper.

The fire company was fifteen or sixteen years old when the Rescue Company was created. Dr. Robert McConnell taught the Red Cross First Aid Course for the team. Their ambulance? A new Ford station wagon, sent to Chicago for conversion to its new role.

Over the course of now well over half a century of service, the Fire and Rescue Company has responded to 500 or 700 calls per year, ranging from airliner crashes in tough mountain country, to helping with downed wires and trees, to providing stand-by emergency services at events, and much, much more.

Their Junior Program has trained and inspired generations of public-spirited young people. On Saturday, April 17, the Company formally celebrated its 60th anniversary in ceremonies held at the Ruritan Center in Marshall, Virginia.

Holder Trumbo, Fauquier County's Supervisor for the Scott District, spoke.

Distinguished Special Service Award were presented to veterans: George Beavers, Clay ("Barney") Brittle, Blake Gallagher, Fred Wines, Kenneth Embrey, and Tony Corbin.

Distinguished Service Awards for twenty or more years of Service were presented to: David Ball, Joe Beavers, Roger Beavers, Cathy Gallagher, Greta Corbin, John Shamblin, Tom Shamblin, Mike Slack, Bill Snider, Wendell Sutphin, Margaret White, Kevin Whitener, Early Wines, and Tony Wells.

The Outstanding EMS Award was presented to Scott Baron. Stephen Snider was named Outstanding Fire Officer of the Year. Don Beckman was named Outstanding EMS Officer of the Year.

Billy Boylan was recognized as Upcoming Firefighter for 2009-2010 and Rose Popovich, the Company's Treasurer, was recognized for Outstanding Support Services.

Herbie Wadell, Philip Bell, Mark Cease, Doug Coyner, Morgan Oil and Molly Morgan, Kinloch Farm, and The Plains Market also received recognition for their special support of the Company.