Friday Night Lights

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Dusty Wood supports his community and finds a passion as volunteer fire fighter.

Late on a cold December Friday night, Dustin Wood leans back in a worn-out Lazy-Boy recliner and prepares for what could be a long night. Fluorescent lights illuminate the room and bounce a red hue off the sparkling clean fire engine a few meters away. Even if it is an uneventful evening, Dustin will not get much rest on the recliner. He knows this but would rather be uncomfortable than take one of the beds in the Crozet Volunteer Fire Department. “The older firemen need to sleep more than I do. I have a young back,” Dustin remarks with a youthful smile. Considering that before reporting to duty at the fire station Dustin attended a full day of school and then trained with the baseball team for two and a half hours, this is a particularly kind gesture.

Dustin Wood moved with his family from California to Crozet, Virginia in the summer of 2020–only six weeks into the global pandemic. He is an elite-level baseball player and expected to jump into training with the Miller School of Albemarle team that summer in preparation for the 2020-21 school year. Instead, he found himself in a new town locked away from friends and community. Instead of being discouraged by this, he viewed it as an opportunity to discover a new passion. He reached out to the Crozet Volunteer Fire Department to offer his services. “I had always been interested in working for the fire department, and this gave me a chance to get involved in a civic-minded program built around honor and service,” Dustin remarked. 

Within a few weeks, Dustin was fully engaged with the fire department and training daily to work his way from a trainee to a full-fledged firefighter.

After training, Dustin began responding to calls with his fellow firefighters. One of the first things he learned about being a first responder is the importance of remaining calm in stressful situations. “Oftentimes, we are the first on the scene of car accidents in which everyone is okay but cars are damaged. I find that reminding the people involved that it is okay and that accidents happen every day is helpful. This calms them down and helps give them perspective about the situation.” 

Dustin’s calm demeanor and serious attitude is not limited to the fire station. These same characteristics were felt by his classmates and teammates on the Hill.

In addition to helping his local community, Dustin has helped numerous younger classmates begin their journey to join the Crozet Volunteer Fire Department as trainees. His leadership and mentoring has assisted Tyler and Brandon Galvin to pursue their interests in rescue work. Both regularly volunteer at the station and are working their way through training. 

Currently, Dustin is enrolled in Purdue Global’s Fire Science degree program. Looking ahead, Dustin is considering a career as a full-time firefighter. His volunteer work at the Crozet fire station while a student at MSA has shined a bright light on the value of serving one’s community.