SPOTSYLVANIA, Va. – Spotsylvania County mourns the loss of Volunteer Fire Chief Norman Brooks, Sr, who passed away Wednesday, February 13, 2019. Chief Brooks dedicated his life to serving and helping others. He remained focused on fulfilling that mission until the end of his life.
Chief Brooks was part of a county team overseeing final inspections and acceptance testing of Tower 1 and Rescue Engine 8 this week in Wisconsin when he suffered a sudden medical emergency. Chief Brooks began his career in Spotsylvania as a deputy sheriff before joining Spotsylvania Volunteer Fire Department in 1972. He was one of four of the county’s first paid firefighters hired in September 1981. Chief
Brooks rose through the ranks over the years and was a Battalion Chief when he retired in November 2014. During his career, the number of paid county firefighters grew from four to 170. Upon his retirement, he continued his service to the community by remaining as a volunteer firefighter until he took over the top post in 2013. Chief Brooks was named Firefighter of the Year in 1989 and 2005.
“The passing of Chief Norman Brooks after his nearly 50 years of dedicated service to the citizens of Spotsylvania County is deeply saddening,” says County Administrator Mark Taylor. “A long-time leader in the volunteer firefighting community, Chief Brooks distinguished himself as a mentor to younger firefighters and as a leader in the cooperative development of Spotsylvania County’s unified volunteer and career Department of Fire, Rescue and Emergency Services. Our thoughts and prayers are with Chief Brooks’s family and with his FREM family in this time of loss.”
“Our department is heartbroken over the loss of Chief Brooks, but we will honor his memory by continuing to serve our community to the greatest extent possible,” says Fire Chief Jay Cullinan. “Chief Brooks was an outstanding fire service leader, known and respected by multitudes across the Commonwealth and our nation. He faithfully and unselfishly served our community for 47 years, mentoring uncountable numbers of leaders in our department and community today. His passion for helping others, and for caring for those he served alongside is a model we will strive to emulate as our career and volunteer members continue to answer calls for service, fulfilling our mission to help others. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family during this difficult time.”
