Putting the 'Friendship Back In Friendship Fire Company'

The Friendship Volunteer Fire Company has a new chief. James Musselman, an eight-year veteran of the company was named chief, taking over for Nick Ritchey, who held the post for the past two years.

When Musselman joined the Roaring Spring fire company eight years ago, he wasn't sure what he was getting himself into but wanted to serve his new community in some way.

Born in Claysburg and raised in Martinsburg, it was a move to Roaring Spring that fueled a desire to get involved in the community and the fire service seemed like a good place to start. At the time, Musselman was in a band and was looking for something new that would enable him to spend more time with his family.

"I was in a band since I was 12 years old, but I wanted to move into something more family oriented," Musselman said.

When Musselman joined, he didn't go alone. His wife Shaina, who is the current fire company president, joined with him followed by his children.

"My whole family got involved and it has been a great experience for us all," he said. "It makes it a lot easier to put the time in when you not only have family support, but they are right alongside you doing the work."

Since joining Friendship, Musselman has taken a proactive role in seeking out new ways to help the fire company maintain its standards for readiness.

A couple of years ago he spearheaded efforts to bring sensory kits into the company's arsenal. The kits are designed to help autistic children cope better during a stressful situation.

"We recognized that someone with autism may not react well during an emergency so I wanted to have something to help us, and them, during a trying time," he said.

Musselman said he has always tried to "look down the road" to keep the department not only equipped but trained in new things.

"I try to see if what is out there that maybe could help us do our jobs better," he said. "We always want to have whatever we can for every situation so I keep looking at things we may need, or training we should have to help us in situations that may not even come up. But I want to be prepared if they do."

Musselman said the fire service is constantly changing and that it is important to keep up with those changes.

"Just in terms of training, it is a lot more involved and a lot more time than it used to be," he said. "We take all of