BRIDGEPORT, W.Va (WDTV) – The West Virginia State Fire Marshal’s Office is celebrating its 115th anniversary Monday.
The office was established by the state legislature on July 15, 1909 and was originally staffed by four fire marshals.
Current State Fire Marshal Kenneth Tyree, Jr., wrote a letter commemorating the anniversary.
Tyree said those original four “brave and dedicated people” covered the entire state, traveled many miles by train, car and on horseback and spent a lot of time away from their homes “because they believed in protecting the residents of this state from fire and its dangers.”
“I cannot mark this anniversary without recognizing the many whose shoulders we, as an agency, stand on: our families, the statewide fire service and law enforcement community of colleagues that we have had the pleasure to be associated with through our collaborations, partnership, and service to protect, to keep safe and help limit the risk from fire and other emergencies by our service in fire and explosion investigation, fire code inspections, fire code plans reviews, fire department evaluations, and various regulatory and licensing services,” Tyree said.
Tyree mentioned that Charles Ellison, the very first state fire marshal, was just 27 years old when he took office and set the precedent for all of the marshals to follow.
He also mentioned that the late Walter Smittle III, who passed away on August 25, 2022, was the longest serving marshal to date with 26 years of service from 1974 to 1999.
“He [Smittle] left a legacy and a mark of advancement not only on this State but throughout this Nation as one of the most decorated State Fire Marshals this nation has known,” Tyree said.
Tyree said he is closing in on his 10th year of service within the agency and to West Virginia.
“I am humbled and honored to be the 19th State Fire Marshal in West Virginia’s history in a land and state that I love,” Tyree said.
Copyright 2024 WDTV. All rights reserved.
Today on MetroNews This Morning:
–Federal judges are raising concerns about detained illegal aliens in West Virginia
–Mon Power seeks a permit for a new gas plant to be built for power in Monongalia County
–Sunday marked the one year anniversary of devastating flooding in southern West Virginia
–In Sports, a loss by the Mountaineer women puts them out of the Big XII lead
Listen to “MetroNews This Morning 2-16-26” on Spreaker.
A woman and a man from West Virginia were arrested after the woman pulled a handgun during a child custody exchange in Tarentum on Friday night, according to court records.
Tarentum police arrested Alexis Sage Simpkins, 22, of Morgantown, W.Va., and Joseph Erickson, 24, of Fairmont, W.Va., after responding shortly after 9 p.m. to a report that two people with handguns were outside a home in the 300 block of West 11th Avenue and threatening the people there, according to their criminal complaints.
As an officer approached the home, a car with West Virginia plates was backing out of the driveway. The officer used his vehicle to prevent it from leaving, the complaints state.
Numerous people near the porch of the home pointed at the car yelling, “That’s them.”
Simpkins, the driver, and Erickson, the passenger, were both detained. According to the complaints, Simpkins admitted to having two handguns and gave the officer permission to retrieve them from the car.
A Ruger .380 in the center console was not loaded. A 9mm Ruger on the passenger side floor was loaded with a live round in the chamber, the complaints say.
Neither Simpkins or Erickson have a concealed weapons permit in Pennsylvania or any state, police found.
Police said they learned from the people at the house that a child custody exchange was taking place there. They said Erickson became aggressive and a fight took place between him and a man at the house, during which Simpkins retrieved one of the guns from her vehicle, loaded the chamber by moving the slide back, and pointed it at four others, the complaints state.
The Tarentum officer arrived shortly after that moment. The officer reported that the man from the house had a large abrasion and a “goose egg” on his forehead, according to the complaints.
Simpkins and Erickson were each charged with a misdemeanor count of carrying a firearm without a license. Simpkins was also charged with misdemeanor counts of simple assault and recklessly endangering another person; Erickson was charged with disorderly conduct.
They were arraigned Saturday and released on their own recognizance, according to court records. Their preliminary hearings are scheduled for 1:15 p.m. March 4 before District Judge Carolyn S. Bengel.
West Virginia moved to 16-9 (7-5) on the season following a 74-67 win over the UCF Knights on Saturday night. Shortly after, WVU head coach Ross Hodge met with the media to discuss what he saw in this one.
“It was we’re going to have to play with a lot more urgency on the defensive end of the floor. This group’s been in these positions before, and typically, we do a good job of not panicking. It was just hey, we don’t have to panic on offense, but our level of urgency and desperation on the defensive end of the floor is going to have to pick up and pick up right this second. I thought the level of urgency, desperation, and physicality on both ends of the floor…we started making some plays around the rim. Up until that point, I thought we were fairly soft.”
“It’s a resilient group. Unfortunately and fortunately, I guess we’ve found ourself in this situation quite often. I think in our seven league wins, we’ve trailed in the second half of every game that we’ve won. They’re a mature group and don’t have a lot of panic. They are bought in and believe that we can find ways to win the game in different ways.”
“I thought it started when Lorient made some tough, physical plays around the basket. We were able to get some stops and then Honor (Huff) on the four-point play, and then he kind of starts getting going a little bit, and then you’re mirroring it with we’re getting stops and getting baskets and we’re giving them one shot only.”
“We need Honor to play good and if you’re going to come on the road and beat an NCAA Tournament team, your best players got to play well. He puts a lot of pressure on himself, so to see him come through like he’s done so many times for us in a big moment, on the road, it was awesome to see.”
“It was incredible. I am biased because I’m the head coach here, but it really is one of the best fanbases in the country. Tony Caridi is our radio guy, and he always says it. He’s like, ‘Hey man, we show up.’ It’s always nice when you can reward your fanbase for showing up like they do. It was 70/30 probably, 65/35 UCF to West Virginia, but on the road it was awesome.”
West Virginia Appears on NCAA Tournament Bubble for First Time This Season
Sunday Morning Thoughts: The Horsepower May Not Be There for Hodge, But the Signs Are
West Virginia Sweeps Georgia Southern in Season Opening Series
Stock Up, Stock Down: Tournament Resume, Clutch Veteran, Perimeter Shooting + More
Initial Thoughts Following West Virginia’s Come-From-Behind Win Over UCF
Geneva’s Kiera Howell, 16, auditions for ‘American Idol’ season 24
2026 IHSA Illinois Wrestling State Finals Schedule And Brackets – FloWrestling
Apple might let you use ChatGPT from CarPlay
Try This Quiz on Passionate Lines From Popular Literature
Hate them or not, Patriots fans want the glory back in Super Bowl LX
We found 20 Verge-approved gifts on sale ahead of Valentine’s Day
Virginia Dems take tax hikes into overtime, target fantasy football leagues
West Virginia worked with ICE — 650 arrests later, officials say Minnesota-style ‘chaos’ is a choice
