Botetourt County Fire & EMS Chief Jeff Beckner died Friday morning at the age of 57.
Beckner worked in fire and EMS for more than 30 years, and he was known for his strong leadership and hands-on style. He worked in Roanoke before becoming chief in Botetourt County in September 2014.
“He’s the kind of fire chief that doesn’t come around very often,” Roanoke Fire-EMS Chief David Hoback said.
Hoback and Beckner worked alongside one another for years in Roanoke. When Hoback became chief in 2007, he named Beckner his deputy chief of operations, overseeing 255 uniformed personnel.
After Beckner became Botetourt County’s first chief of fire and EMS, he oversaw and coordinated a combined system of seven volunteer fire departments, six volunteer rescue squads and a county department of more than 50 full- and part-time staff.
Hoback said Beckner never shied away from doing physical work or talking to people to seek input on issues.