The Ashburn Volunteer Fire and Rescue Department is a group of "neighbors helping neighbors" since…read more1944. Yeah, tired old cliche, but it was true then, and it's true now. It never ceases to amaze me how many people who live in Loudoun County have no idea that their tax money doesn't actually pay for career staff 24/7, let alone the equipment and apparatuses needed to save lives. So that's where we step in.
We're your friends, your neighbors, your co-workers, and we're here to serve the community (and drive really fast while doing it)! Chances are, if you call 9-1-1 between 1800 and 0600 hours, the folks who will show up at your door to put our your fire, check for a gas leak, or care for you on your way to the hospital are only getting paid in personal pride for giving back to the community.
Most people know that the fire station is where our shiny yellow engines and ladder trucks are quartered. Many people also know that we're a joint department - so we have ambulances as medics as well. But that's not all! Our primary Station 6 (we have two: Stations 6 and 23) serves as a bastion for the community, hosting open houses, monthly pancake breakfasts, Mother's Day breakfasts, spaghetti dinners, and our Founders Hall is often rented out for private events.
Our volunteer staff go through literally hundreds of hours of book and practical training before being released as firefighters and/or emergency medical technicians. We're constantly brushing up on our skills, and during our duty crew nights you can often find us around town doing practice drills.
Our people come from all walks of life - most of us have full-time day jobs ranging from consultants to construction workers to students, and everything in between. It's often like being part of a great big family. A sometimes dysfunctional one, but a family nonetheless. We mess around with each other, we argue, and we tease, but when the fecal matter hits the rotating air circulation device, we cover each other's backs and get it done, because when it comes down to it, each and every one of us is passionate about protecting our homes and our neighbors.
Come on down and say hi. Ask to do a ride-along. And for the love of all that is good and right with the world, pull over when you see me tearing down the road in an ambulance with my lights and sirens on!