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Board honors longtime fire chief Jerome Cook and recognition for Devin Taylor’s disaster housing work
Summary
The Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors adopted a resolution recognizing Jerome Cook for 64 years of volunteer fire service and presented a certificate of excellence to Devin Taylor for his leadership with Cabins for Christ and CampusCare, which helped build emergency shelters for hurricane victims.
The Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors adopted a resolution at its March 18 meeting recognizing Jerome Cook’s more than six decades of volunteer fire service and presented a certificate of excellence to Devin Taylor for disaster housing work.
The board adopted Resolution 2025-0302 honoring Jerome Cook. The resolution says Cook has served in the fire service since age 19, played a role in establishing Mount Hermon Volunteer Fire Department, and served in leadership roles including lieutenant, captain, assistant chief and 22 years as chief from 1984 to February 2005. The resolution notes Cook’s 64 years of service in suppression, rescue, leadership, training and community outreach and commends him for continued participation as a lifetime member of his department’s board of directors.
Jerome Cook accepted the recognition and thanked the board, the county and his wife for support. "I appreciate this honor… they’ve given us more and more to be able to fight fires," Cook said.
The board also recognized Devin Taylor and his organization, Cabins for Christ (and CampusCare). The certificate of excellence presented to Taylor says his leadership helped the group build 75 cabins to shelter families displaced by hurricanes, including work in Buncombe County and Swannanoa/Asheville. Taylor described local volunteers and businesses that supported construction and said the Old Dominion Agricultural Center (ODAC) has offered space at the former Shorter Brothers garage for continued cabin construction for future disasters.
Why it matters: The recognitions highlight long-term local volunteer public safety service and community-led disaster relief work. The board’s actions were formal acknowledgments recorded in meeting remarks; no additional board action was required.
Details from the meeting: The resolution honoring Jerome Cook was read by a supervisor and listed the resolution number (2025-0302) and the dates of service noted in the text. Devin Taylor described the volunteer effort and thanked local business people, volunteers and ODAC for providing a workspace and assistance. The presentations included photos and invited family and department members to the front of the chamber.
Both recognitions were acknowledged by the board and framed as examples of local civic service.
