FARMVILLE – The Farmville Fire Department Auxiliary is sponsoring its first annual Stop, Drop, N' Roll 5K Run and 1-Mile Family Fun Run/Walk.

Appropriately, the event will be held around a large body of water, the number one tool used by firefighters to save lives and preserve property.

Proceeds from the run and walk will help to provide members of the Farmville Fire Department with rehabilitation during fire calls.

The March 23 10 a.m. run and walk will circle Wilck's Lake, runners twice lapping the Sarah Terry Trail. The runners will be timed and scored, with medals awarded to the top three female and top three male runners.

The Mile Walk, meanwhile, will also follow a course around the lake via the Sarah Terry Trail.

Registration on the day of the run and walk is $25 and will begin at 8 a.m.

The first 100 participants are guaranteed a T-shirt.

The early registration entry fee for the 5K run is $20, and $15 for children up to age 16. The 1-Mile Fun Run/Walk carries a $15 registration fee for a family of up to six, while an individual can register for $10. Early registration ends this Friday, March 8.

Race forms are available at the Farmville Fire Department, the Southside YMCA and online at: www.Farmvillefire.net.

The Farmville Fire Department is a firefighting team consisting of 45 dedicated volunteer members who provide fire suppression, education and prevention services to nearly 10,000 people in the area. The department's Special Operations Unit, the only one of its kind in nearly a 50-mike radius, provides response and mitigation of incidents involving hazardous materials, suspected terrorist or criminal activity and when specialized services are requested by other agencies, according to the department's website.

In fact, the unit most recently responded to a pesticide truck leaking a chemical from a damaged tank in January.

The department's substantial coverage area includes the Town of Farmville and the surrounding area in portions of Prince Edward, Buckingham and Cumberland.

The department was formed in 1870.

During its recent awards banquet firefighter Andrew Ribeiro received the department's Firefighter of the Year Award and Lieutenant Robert Hammock was presented with the award for Most Dedicated Firefighter.

The same ceremony saw the Department's Auxiliary donate a unique Cool Draft Misting Fan to be used to combat heat-related illness among firefighters, a timely gift which produces a cooling fog rather than an actual mist, so firefighters are provided crucial heat relief without the hampering discomfort of getting wet.