Ashburn Volunteer Fire-Rescue Department
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The Ashburn Volunteer Fire-Rescue Department, or AVFRD is a volunteer fire department that provides fire protection and Emergency Medical services to Ashburn, Virginia. The Ashburn Volunteer Fire-Rescue Department is a volunteer organization supplemented with County provided career staffing, as are most fire and rescue companies in Loudoun County. Loudoun County Fire & Rescue (LCFR) career personnel staff both stations between 6am and 6pm, and volunteers staff both stations between 6pm and 6am. LCFR provides ALS/Medic unit staffing 24 hours a day at Station 6.
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[edit] History
The Ashburn Volunteer Fire Department was founded in 1944. Originally, as with many volunteer companies, the sole engine was kept at the Chief's house, and when an emergency call came in, the volunteers would be called and would meet the fire engine at the scene. Initially, the AVFD was supplemented by the Sterling Volunteer Rescue Squad for EMS services. Over time, as call volume increased in both Sterling and Ashburn, the time came for AVFD to acquire an ambulance and provide EMS services of its own to the residents of Ashburn.
[edit] Call Area
Ashburn VFRD currently has two stations, 6 and 23 with a proposed Station 22 in the area of the Xerox Training Center, and also has two first-due areas (one for each station). The entire call area extends east to west from Route 28 in the east to Goose Creek in the west, and south to north from just south of the Dulles Greenway to the Potomac River to the north. It is estimated this area covers over 73,000 residents.
[edit] Mutual Aid
The Ashburn Volunteer Fire-Rescue Department responds to neighboring areas in Loudoun County, including Sterling, Leesburg, and Arcola. The department also has mutual aid agreements the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, so response areas include Washington Dulles International Airport.
[edit] Membership
AVFRD has three kinds of memebership.
[edit] Operational Members
Operational members are those members who server in an active firefighting and/or EMS role.
Members are assigned to a duty crew that runs an assigned night. Each duty crew works the same night each week, and one out of every five Saturday evenings. The Friday and Sunday night crews share a single Saturday shift.
Each year, during the company meeting held on the first Monday of December, elections are held for all ranks of Lieutenant and above. Sergeants are appointed by the Chief thereafter.
[edit] Operational Ranks
| Rank | Abbreviation | Helmet color | Duties | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chief | CH | White | ||
| Assistant Chief | AC | White | ||
| Deputy Chief | DC | White | ||
| Captain | CAP | White | ||
| Lieutenant | LT | White | ||
| Sergeant | SG | White | ||
| Driver-Operator | DO | Yellow/Black | ||
| Emergency Medical Technician | EMT-E | CT | Blue | An EMT-Enhanced (Cardiac Trauma) level can provide ALS care. A CT and an EMT-B (or higher) together create a Medic unit |
| EMT-I | ST | Blue | An EMT-Intermediate (Shock Trauma) level can provide more advanced care. An ST and an EMT-B (or higher) together create a Trauma unit | |
| EMT-B | Blue | An EMT-Basic level can provide basic emergency care. An EMT-B and driver create an Ambulance unit | ||
| Firefighter | FF | Yellow/Black | ||
| Recruit Firefighter ("Red hat") | RFF/RH | Red | ||
[edit] Administrative Members
Administrative members serve in an administrative capacity and do tremendous work behind the scenes to support the operations of the department.
[edit] Lifetime Members
Lifetime members may also be Operational or Administrative members, but they may also be former members who are no longer able to perform operational and/or administrative duties for whatever reason. To be considered for Lifetime membership you must have served in an operational and/or administrative position for at least 15 years, and then voted in to the position by the current membership.
[edit] Apparatus
| Apparatus | Abbreviation | Model | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
[edit] Station 6 |
|||
| Engine 6 | E6 | ||
| Reserve Engine 6 | RE6 | ||
| Wagon 6 | W6 | ||
| Tower 6 | TL6 | ||
| Rescue Engine 6 | ER6 | ||
| Ambulance 6 | A6-x | AVFRD maintains three ALS-capable Ambulances at Station 6, numbered A6-1, A6-3, and A6-4 | |
| Brush 6 | BU6 | ||
| Command 6 | |||
| Utility 6 | UT6 | ||
[edit] Station 23 |
|||
| Engine 23 | E23 | ||
| Reserve Engine 23 | RE23 | ||
| Mobile Air Unit 23 | MAU23 | ||
| Ambulance 23 | A23-x | AVFRD maintains two ALS-capable Ambulances at Station 23, numbered A23-1 and A23-2 | |
| Utility 23 | UT23 | ||
| Car 6-5 | Car 6-5 is abbreviated with the number of the ALS provider | ||
