Volunteer Spotlight: John Kincanon

Roanoke native, John Kincanon, grew up with Smith Mountain Lake as his family’s weekend getaway destination. He earned his BSEE at Virginia Tech and is a proud Hokie! He and his wife Susan have 2 beautiful daughters and 2 wonderful grandchildren.

Because of his experience SCUBA diving over the years, John decided to volunteer with the Scruggs Volunteer Fire/Rescue/Dive organization and joined up in 2019. He has acquired more diving skills such as Stress & Rescue Diver, Public Safety Diver, and Underwater Criminal Investigator (UCI).

The Scruggs Dive Team responds to public safety incidents on the lake as well as calls to recover items submerged in the lake. The Scruggs Dive Team supports the annual SMLA sub-aquatic vegetation (SAV) survey, which involves shallow dives at numerous locations around the lake to collect various species of vegetation. The results help determine a best approach to mitigate invasive grasses while preserving the health of the lake.

When he isn’t busy with the dive team, you may find him driving the Scruggs ambulance or tinkering on the station’s radio communications system. John enjoys having purpose in the community.