By Jason Dunovant
The Roanoke Times
MONETA, Va. — This year the Smith Mountain Lake Marine Volunteer Fire Department celebrates 50 years of serving the community. Members are marking the milestone Saturday with the opening of their first firehouse and the dedication of their newest fireboat.
Smith Mountain Lake has changed a lot in 50 years and the SML Marine Volunteer Fire Department has changed right along with it. The lake has grown from a sparsely populated weekend retreat into a bustling community and vacation destination. With that growth, the need for additional firefighting capabilities has grown as well.
The SML Marine Volunteer Fire Department started out in 1975, just nine years after the lake reached full pond. Chief Todd Ohlerich said those early members used their own boats fitted with lifesaving equipment to respond to incidents and fires.
“It grew from there,” Ohlerich said.
SML Marine Volunteer Fire Department Chief Todd Ohlerich operates the newest boat in the fleet. The craft has multiple features such as a drop-down gate, fire pump, and multiple electronic devices such as radar and sonar.
In 1988 the department put its first ISO rated fire boat into service for the lake community. The ISO ratings are used by insurance companies to determine insurance premiums.
Creating a completely water-based fire department was seen as unique at the time. Ohlerich said it is still unusual as most fire departments near bodies of water cover both from the land and water.
“We are still the only total marine volunteer fire department in the country,” Ohlerich said.
The SML Marine Volunteer Fire Department is also unusual in that it responds to incidents and fires in the three counties of Franklin, Bedford and Pittsylvania counties. It is considered a Bedford County fire department, but has its new fire station in Franklin County. All three counties provide some funding for the department.
In all, about 20% of the department’s funding comes from the three counties. The remaining 80% comes from the community through fundraisers and other donations.
The SML Marine Volunteer Fire Department’s newest fire boat went into service just a few weeks ago and has already responded to multiple calls.
Ohlerich said it is those community funds that have helped to fund their growing fleet of fire boats over the years. The newest, a boat manufactured by Lake Assault specially designed for fire and rescue, was put into service just a few weeks ago.
The new boat will be the 10th in the department’s fleet. Each of the boats is strategically stationed at marinas around the lake to assure quick response in a fire or other emergency.
Ohlerich said the $550,000 boat will be the first addition to the fleet since 2009. At that time the department added three boats by Boston Whaler that totaled $960,000. He said costs for boats have significantly increased in the past decade.
The new Lake Assault boat has a drop-down gate that allows for easy deployment of fire hose as well as the ability to bring on small vehicles like ATV and provides easier access into and out of the water for divers. It also has multiple devices such as scene lighting, night vision, radar and sonar that will assist firefighters in incidents and water recovery.
The boat is powered by two 300 horsepower Yamaha engines that give the sizable boat a top speed of 48 mph. Another engine powers an on-board water pump that can spray up to 1,500 gallons of lake water a minute from the boat or feed water hoses supplied to firefighters on land.
Similar to the previous three Boston Whaler boats, the new Lake Assault has the same bright yellow color. Ohlerich said the color helps to easily be seen in the water when responding to an emergency.
Work is currently underway to complete a dock at the new fire station to house one of the fire boats. Ohlerich said the $300,000 dock is about one-third complete and work will continue as funding is provided.
The new fire station was completed last year and has already gotten some use from the department. It has storage for equipment and ample meeting space for department members. There is also an office for members of the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources to use while at Smith Mountain Lake.
“The building has been a great use for us,” Ohlerich said. “Now we have a home.”
Previously, department members would meet or train at spaces donated by other fire departments or lake organizations. Members can now gather at a place of their own. Ohlerich once again thanked the community for its support in monetary donations as well as donations of labor and materials to complete the fire station.
To celebrate the SML Marine Volunteer Fire Department’s past 50 years as well as their future with a new fire station and fire boat, they will be hosting an open house for the community this Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the fire station located at 269 Oak Grove Drive in Moneta.
Ohlerich said the event will include a ribbon cutting for the new fire station and a dedication of the new fire boat. There will be tours of the facility as well as demonstrations by the dive team and free hot dogs for attendees.
“We not only want to celebrate our anniversary with the community that has supported us the past 50 years, but also have them be able to see how they’ve supported us with the equipment that we have,” Ohlerich said. “It is more of a thank you for their support.”
© 2025 The Roanoke Times, Va.
Visit www.roanoke.com.
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.