On July 31st, 2008, Fuddruckers Restaurant in Ashburn, Virginia hosted a benefit to support the John Earley Relief Fund. No one went and asked them to do this; the owners contacted us and asked how they could help. And help they did!
The restaurant agreed to donate 10 percent of their sales for a 4 hour period on the 31st...all we had to do was supply the patrons. With the help of the Ashburn Volunteer Fire and Rescue Department and our own members, the word got out far and wide. According to the restaurant owners, they've never been busier, not even at their grand opening. Loudoun County's volunteer and career fire and rescue workers showed up in droves. Even more gratifying was the support shown from other counties and cities.
In addition to receiving a portion of the night's sales, volunteers from Company 1 and Company 6 helped man boots outside the restaurant for donations and sold "Livestrong-style" bracelets to help the cause. The final surprise was the restaurant owner's decision to add their own contribution to the fund. Needless to say, it was a great night of fellowship and support that resulted in a sizable donation to a worthy cause.
As most of you know, John Earley was released from the hospital shortly after the benefit, and continues to recover at home. Your generous support and donations continue to assist him and his family with the healing process.
Thank you to everyone who has helped thus far. Special thanks to Co. 1 FF Andrew Durham for coordinating this event.
At last night's (8/4/08) monthly meeting, Treasurer 1 surprised everyone by announcing that a limited number of jumpsuits had been purchased for members. Specifically, 25 of the coveted coveralls had been purchased and were handed out to active members who were present at the meeting. Who knows if we'll be able to afford more, but for now, Lt. Fazekas is definitely happy as he modeled his new fire-retardant Nomex jumpsuit for all to see.
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August 1st was a great day for fire and rescue
in Loudoun County. More than two months
after being hospitalized for burns sustained while fighting a house fire in Leesburg,
LCFR Lieutenant and LVFC Master FF John "Bones" Earley returned to the county. He
made the final leg of his journey back to Ashburn's Station 6 aboard Tower 6, the unit
to which he was assigned on the day of the fire.
For everyone in the county, it was great to hear John's voice on the radio announcing that Tower 6 was in quarters. The ECC responded with an appropriate "Welcome home, Lt. John Earley." (Click here for the audio.) This marks a very significant step in John's continued journey to recovery.
Welcome home Bones!
The benefit night at the Ashburn
Fuddruckers on July 31st was a huge success. With lines out the door and around the building,
patrons were very patient as they waited to place their orders. Between donations directly into
the boots and the 10% of sales donated by Fuddruckers, the John Earley Relief Fund will be seeing
a big increase. Thanks to everyone who helped out with the event. Check back in the next day or
so and we'll provide a total donation amount.
Well, it happened...the new Truck 1 is now in service! Our 2007 Seagrave
Marauder II tillered ladder went into service unceremoniously on June 23rd
at about 1830 hours. It was on its way to the fuel pumps when a call for a cardiac
arrest was dispatched. Not exactly prime ladder truck material, but that was its first
call. After clearing that, it responded to its next run, yet another EMS assist for a
choking patient. Once clear of that one, it was off to a residential lockout for
a mother who'd accidentally locked herself out of her house with the kids inside and
the stove still in operation. She was able to gain access before the truck reached the
scene, so the crew was finally able to return to the fuel pumps.
Keep an eye out for our new truck, coming soon to an emergency near you!
Update... Want to see video from the polo event?
Click here to watch the CW Network's coverage of the event. (If you look closely, you might catch a glimpse of Jeep 1! HINT: Check 8:40 and 17:52 into the video.)
For the second year in a row, Company 1 was on site at Morven Park for the America's Cup of Polo to provide fire suppression services. Asst. Chief George Delalian was the suppression branch supervisor for the duration of the event. Fortunately, the event was not marred by any unplanned fire emergencies, so the Company 1 crews were not called to provide any active service. Reserve Tanker 1 and Jeep 1 were on active standby during the fireworks, and were held for a little while afterwards as the fire marshal's ensured that any "duds" were properly handled.
Overnight rain the night before the event left the area quite damp and muddy, so the risk of outside fires was quite low. Wagon 1, Reserve Tanker 1, and Jeep 1 were on hand, along with various members of the fire company throughout the day. Personnel on hand were treated well this year, with plenty of food and hydration on hand. For a few pictures from the event, please click here. (Photos courtesy of Chief 1.)
On the morning of Saturday, April 12th, the Leesburg Volunteer Fire Company assisted the Leesburg Girls Softball league with their opening day ceremony, held at Freedom Park in Leesburg. "New" Truck 1 was used to display the American flag over the outfield fence while the ceremony took place.
On hand from Co. 1 were:
Truck 1 set up in the parking lot behind the fields to display the American flag
An 8' pike pole tied to the end of the ladder made displaying the flag a cinch.
This is a view from the 3rd base dugout.
Four members of the "Mighty Mustangs" came to visit Truck 1's crew. From left to right are Cheryl Anne, Haley, Megan, and Mable. Good luck this season girls!
Joe, Jeff and Steve try to look like they're not having their picture taken.
The ladder makes a great spot for photographing the ceremony. We offered to let a reporter from the Loudoun Times Mirror climb up for a better vantage point, but she politely declined.
Since you know Chief 1 would never let anyone take his new camera to the end of a ladder, this can only mean one thing....he actually climbed the ladder himself!
Nice view of the remote controlled nozzle pinned in the rescue position on the 100' ladder.
Thanks for inviting us to participate in your opening day! Best of luck for a fun and safe season!
Photos courtesy of Chief 1.
Spring 2008 brought many changes to the career staff assigned to Station 20. March 19th was the last day in Leesburg for Lt. Mike Johnson, Technician (now Lt.) Brian Fluharty, and FF/EMT Gordon Mackison.
Lt. Johnson has been transferred to the Training Center, where he'll be teaching career recruit classes. Newly-promoted Lt. Fluharty has been sent west to Hamilton (Co. 5), and FF Mackison is now on a 24-hour shift in downtown Aldie (Co. 7). We wish all three of these gentlemen the best in their new assignments and thank them for the service they provided to the citizens of Leesburg during their time with us at Company 1.
Taking their slots (can they truly be replaced?) are Lt. Jimmy Gray, who is coming from Station 5, Technician Brian Beaulieu, most recently at Station 12, and FF/EMT Nicholas Riese from Station 7. Another addition to the staff at Station 20 is FF/EMT James Shelton.
Company 1 welcomes our new career staff personnel. We hope you enjoy your stay with us!
On Saturday, January 12th at 1800 hours, Company 1 placed two new Seagrave engines in service. Designated Wagon 601 and Engine 601, these two units will be our first-out engines from both Stations 20 and 1. (To hear the Loudoun ECC special announcement for these units, click here. Thanks to Jeff Brown of the Sterling Volunteer Fire Department for providing the audio.)
Among the many features of these Marauder II twins, one of the most special is the dedications they carry on their decorative bells and the cloverleaf decals. Wagon 601 is dedicated to Hubert Welch, a life-member of the fire company who passed away in October, 2006. As part of the housing ceremony for Wagon 601, many of Hubert's family members and friends were on hand to "push" this pumper into Station 20. Engine 601 carries a dedication as well. It is dedicated to all our members, past, present and future, who have and will continue to serve the Leesburg community.
It took a great deal of work to get to the point of putting these new vehicles into service. First and foremost, our apparatus committee deserves a lot of credit for the number of hours they put into designing, spec'ing, inspecting, and equipping these engines. The committee members were:
Also deserving of thanks are all the members of the fire company and our career staff who helped rack hose and place equipment onto the vehicles.
Wagon 601 sits behind Station 20, waiting for final equipment installation and a cleaning.
The new Wagon is dedicated to Hubert Welch, life-member of the LVFC.
Company 1 members prepare for the big push!
And they're off! Engine 601 on the left and Wagon 601 on the right.
The Wagon is in the house, thanks to the efforts of Hubert's family and friends.
The Engine was guided by the main architect of these engines, Paul Earley.
Here's the apparatus committee. Thanks for your hard work!!!
Looks like this place is becoming a Seagrave house....again.
December 21st marked the last day of service to the Leesburg Volunteer Fire Company for Wagon 1. This morning, MFF Steve Earley and Chief Paul Earley met three members of the Westmoreland Volunteer Fire Company and took Wagon 1 out for a final pump test before turning her over to her new owners. As always, Wagon 1 was reliable, passing the pump test with flying colors.
Back in Leesburg, "old" Wagon 1 was photographed next to "new" Wagon 601 in front of Station 1. Once she was fueled and loaded with gear, she made the last trip up Loudoun Street and turned onto South King, then on the road to Montross, Virginia. Her new owners hope to place our former Wagon in service in January, 2008, where she'll be running first out as Wagon or Engine 5.
We all truly hope that our beloved 1988 Pierce provides years of good and faithful service in her new home.
For pictures from today's activities, courtesy of Chief Earley, please click here.
12/3/07
Company 1's annual elections were held this evening, with all operational and administrative positions up for grabs.
Those elected will assume office on January 1st, 2008. The results of the election are as follows:
Operations:
Administration:
Congratulations to all!
At the November 5, 2007 Company Meeting, Master Firefighter and
past Lieutenant Ricky Obaugh was made a life member of the Leesburg Volunteer Fire Company. This honor represents a
tremendous amount of work and dedication to Company 1. Ricky has more than 18 years of service and several years
at Company 4 prior to becoming a member with us. During his Company 1 career, Ricky spent many years as a line officer,
both at the Sergeant and Lieutenant level. He may be best known, however, for his skills behind the wheel. Perhaps that
explains his love for NASCAR!
Although Ricky won't be running actively anymore, we hope he'll visit us often. He'll always be welcome.
11/5/07
At our monthly company meeting, the Leesburg Volunteer Fire Company welcomed 2 new members.
The new members who were voted in are:
Welcome to our new members!
Additionally, we held a special election to fill the position of Secretary on the Board of Directors. FF Alan Battershell won the election and was immediately placed in the hot seat next to Vice President J. B. Anderson. Congratulations Alan! (The position of Secretary was open due to the resignation from the position by Kathleen Duddy.)
Our annual open house was quite a success this year. Perfect weather and a nice mix of events seemed to bring out our citizens in record numbers. Thanks to FF Roy Dunseith for organizing the event and thanks to the many organizations that helped make our open house a success. For a few pictures of the event, click here. Thanks to PFF Jennifer Swain for the photos!
10/1/07
At our monthly company meeting, the Leesburg Volunteer Fire Company welcomed 7 new members.
The new members who were voted in are:
Welcome to all our new members!
As promised, here are a few pictures from the wine festival. Thanks to everyone who helped out. While not everyone got photographed hard at work, we know you were there and appreciate your willingness to help.
If you want to see the panoramic shot from the VIP / Bus gate, click here.
Last night, Leesburg's Board of Architectural Review held their monthly meeting, with consideration of a new Loudoun Street fire station design on their agenda. Company 1's patience and perseverance were rewarded when the 7 members of the board voted 4 to 3 in favor of the design that incorporates approximately 28,000 square feet of revenue-generating office space. Clearing this latest hurdle lets our project move further along the review and approval process.
Captain Pete Comanduras and his building team deserve a huge pat on the back for a job well done in securing this approval. There is much work left to be done, but the road ahead should be a bit smoother. Thanks also to the members of the fire company who attended the BAR meeting to show their support for our project. The biggest thanks of all go to the members of the public who attended this and previous meetings to voice their support for retaining a fire station in the historic district of Leesburg.
On Friday, August 17th at around 1415 hours, the America's 9/11 Ride procession passed through Leesburg. To see
a few pictures from the event, click here.
9/4/07
At our monthly company meeting, a special election was held to fill a board of director position
vacated by John Kurtin, who is currently inactive. FF A. J. Durham was elected to the open
board position. Congratulations, AJ! We wish you the best of luck in your new role.
A new member was voted in last night as well. Marc Forrester was voted in as a senior probationary member. He was assigned to Duty Crew 6 with Lt. Kraatz. Welcome Marc!
6/4/07
At our monthly company meeting, the Leesburg Volunteer Fire Company welcomed 3 new members.
The new members who were voted in are:
Welcome to all our new members!
5/14/07
With our new tillered ladder truck a bit behind schedule at Seagrave and our existing truck
experiencing repeated mechanical failures, Company 1 was lucky enough to receive a loaner
ladder truck. This truck was placed in service on May 14th after a team of our members and
our career staff pitched in to build storage compartments and mount equipment on the loaner.
We appreciate Seagrave's willingness to let us borrow this truck. It is a 2004 Concorde chassis with a 100' steel ladder, rated at 250 lbs. when fully extended, 90 degrees from the truck and at 0 degrees elevation. It does not have a pre-piped water way, so our existing hose and pipe were moved over from our Emergency One truck.
If you'd like to see a .pdf drawing of the truck, click here.
The photo below comes to us courtesy of Mike Sanders from Co. 6.
Temporary Truck 1 basking in the spring sun.
5/7/07
At our monthly company meeting, the Leesburg Volunteer Fire Company welcomed 5 new members and said goodbye
to a veteran. FF John Kobus, who has served with Company 1 for 17 years is leaving us and is moving west - to
Missouri! We'll miss you John, and thank you for your service to the company. Good luck in your new home!
The new members who were voted in are:
Welcome to all our new members!
4/7/07
(continued from here) During the Home Depot visit, Company 1 members
were also accepting donations and it seems home improvement shoppers are quite generous! Several
hundred dollars were collected and this money will be put directly towards providing the finest
fire and rescue services available in Loudoun County. Thanks to everyone who donated!
Thanks are also due to our members who took time out of their Easter weekend to support this event. As it turned out, since the career-staffed engine was transferred to Luckett's for most of the day, the crew at Home Depot was able to provide in-town staffing for the engine and brush truck. As luck would have it, there were no calls dispatched while they were at Home Depot. Members of the fire company in attendance:
Pictures courtesy of Lt. Jim Cook, Co. 1.
Firefighter David Robertson seems to really be enjoying himself. Must be the close proximity to Jeep 1!
Inside the store, kids and their parents work on projects provided by Home Depot.
Scorpion, "The Wolfe" and "Mr. Ohio" in an animated discussion.
FF's Robertson, Nosseir, and Dunseith brave the unusual April cold.
PFf Kappauf shows off one of our Scott Thermal Imaging Cameras (TIC).
PFFs Harvey, Hensley, and Digerlando at the t-shirt table.
4/2/07
At April's monthly membership meeting, a special election to fill a vacant Lieutenant's postion was held. Congratulations to
our newest officer, Lt. Jeff Kraatz! Jeff will be moving over to Duty Crew 6.
Also at the meeting, two members were moved from Junior Member to Senior Member and were voted off probation. Congratulations to FF Brian Timbrook and PFF Stephanie Digerlando.
Finally, we also voted in a few new members. On the operations side, we welcome Joe Morris and Matt Burgess. Joe has been assigned to Duty Crew 2 and Matt to Crew 1. On the associate member side, we welcome Ronnie Bates as new member of Company 1. Let's make all our new members feel welcome!!!
All right, it's time to make Chief Earley happy by providing some information on the future of fire apparatus for Company 1. As some of you may already know, 2007 will mark the return of a tractor drawn aerial to Leesburg. What you might not know is that soon after the arrival of the new tiller will come two new engines as well. And where will all this apparatus be coming from you might ask? Well, Wisconsin of course! (You don't seriously think we'd buy anything from Florida do you?)
Before we get to the new stuff, let's go back in time....back.....back....back to 1988. The Iran-Iraq war was ending, 'perestroika' was beginning in Russia, NASA returned to space after the Challenger disaster, and Richmond, Virginia took delivery of a Seagrave JT 100' tiller from Seagrave. This truck served as Truck 2 in Richmond for several years until the "total quint concept" took over.
With Richmond selling ladder trucks at yard sales and Washington D.C. interested in anything that would run, a deal was made and Truck 2 headed north, where it served as a first-out truck and then a reserve piece in our Nation's Capital. Once it got too old even for D.C., it was sold to a private individual outside the area.
Around this time, Company 1 voted to buy a new tractor drawn aerial as well as to try to find an older truck of similar design to purchase as a trainer. Eventually, this 1988 Seagrave was located in Georgia. A few of our members travelled south to inspect it and made a recommendation to purchase it for use as a training truck. It was towed from Georgia to Leesburg and work began putting it back into shape. The red paint was compounded and polished, the main and tiller cabs received a coat of black on top, and lettering and striping were added. Mechanical work was performed to ensure safety, and the ladder was repaired and certified.
In December 2006, Reserve Truck 1 was pressed into service as Santa's sleigh, taking him throughout Company 1's primary service area. It's been logging many miles on the road as crews continue to practice driving techniques with a truck that bends in the middle. All this is in preparation for the arrival of our new truck later this year.
By now, you're probably looking for few details of our new purchases...well, sorry, but we're going to keep you in suspense a little longer. Look for the next episode of "Tiller Time" in the near future.
Stephanie Digerlando, a senior at Heritage High School, has been selected as Student Volunteer of the Month by Loudoun Volunteer Services (LVS).
Andy Johnston, a member of the LVS Board of Directors, presented Stephanie with a Certificate of Appreciation on January 22, 2007. The small
ceremony took place at the Leesburg Volunteer Fire Company, where she was surprised by her colleagues, family and friends.
"Stephanie's ability to perform well in school, while giving back to her community in a big way, typifies the very best of our youth," said Johnston. "Student volunteers like Stephanie encourage all of us to take a look at how we are giving back to the community as well."
Stephanie has been a volunteer at the Leesburg Volunteer Fire Company since April 2006, and in September assumed the role of "junior probationary firefighter." From April to September she completed training and received several certifications, including CPR, EMS 1st Responder, and Hazardous Materials Operations. She recently completed her certification as a Firefighter I, according to standards set by the Commonwealth of Virginia.
"Stephanie's accomplishments are great," said Jim Cook, of the Leesburg Volunteer Fire Company, who nominated her. "It takes a tremendous amount of training hours to receive these certifications, and to give up her summer and to maintain her grades while in school is remarkable."
A local nonprofit organization of Stephanie's choice will receive a $100 contribution in her honor. This is a continuing effort made by Loudoun Volunteer Services, which plans to make a monthly contribution to each Student Volunteer of the Month’s local nonprofit organization of choice.
The Loudoun Volunteer Service Board is honored to recognize Stephanie and continues to look for other Loudoun students who give back to the community through volunteerism. If you wish to nominate deserving students, please visit http://www.loudoun.gov/pio/volunteer.htm for the process and criteria or call 703-777-0113.
12/4/06
Company 1's annual elections were held this evening, with all operational and administrative positions up for grabs. Just prior to the
elections, a by-law change was voted on and passed to allow the addition of three more line officers, 1 a captain and 2 more
lieutenants. Those elected will assume office on January 1st, 2007. The results of the election are as follows:
Operations:
Administration:
Congratulations to all!
by Ian Buchanan
On Saturday, November 18th, 2006, six members of Co. 1 headed off to Prince William County to provide a fill-in engine crew at Station 20. This
station is one of four operated by the Dale City Volunteer Fire Department, the department with which I started my volunteer career back in
1981. The idea to have a Leesburg crew fill a Dale City station began last year at Dale City's banquet when I found out how hard it had been
for them to find fill-in crews in their own county. I'd been invited to that banquet to witness my brother David being made a life member.
After having an excellent meal and seeing many of the people I'd run with during my 18 years in Dale City, I spoke to Chief Chris Hool and
told him that if he needed fill-in crews next year, Company 1 would provide him one.
In October of this year, arrangements were finalized and a crew was selected. On Saturday, the six of us headed off to the land of
white and green fire engines and lots of EMS calls! We were met at Station 20 by Lt. Sherman and his crew. They gave us the tour of
Engine 520, got us familiar with MSA airpacks, and showed us how to use the MDC in the engine. A system similar to this is supposed to
start showing up in Loudoun County soon, and it will definitely be nice to have. When it works correctly, there is almost no need to
talk on the radio.
Our orientation had only been over for a couple of minutes when our first call was dispatched -- an EMS call at the Olive Garden on Gideon Drive, just outside Potomac Mills Mall. Surprisingly enough, we managed to find our way there! After assisting Medic 552 with patient loading, we cleared and went back to the station. We took a tour of the building, both inside and out. It's quite an impressive station, with lots of space. It has many special features, including a full maintenance bay with every tool imaginable. There's a full exercise room with plenty of cardio and strength training equipment, a nice training room, and plenty of room for administrative and operations staff.
The most special part of the station for me is outside. On the front of the building, there's a sign that shows the address of the station and the station number, and it also has the name of my oldest brother, George. The station was named for him in honor of all his hard work during his long career with Dale City. While he was active, he held just about every position possible, from being one of the first Cardiac Technicians in Prince William County, to becoming Rescue Chief, then moving up the ranks on the fire side and eventually serving as Fire Chief. He then tackled the administrative side, eventually becoming president.
The most tangible parts of his legacy are the buildings he helped remodel and build. He worked on projects to improve Station 10, then on the team that built Station 18, and finally, managed the process to build Station 20. Dale City's stations are some of the finest in the county, and I know Dale City's members are thankful to have such nice facilities. It was truly an honor when the department chose to honor George by naming Station 20 for him. I had the privilege of attending the ceremony dedicating the station and I know he was stunned and gratified to have been honored in this way.
On a more personal note, I have to recognize my brothers as my inspiration for getting involved in fire and rescue when I was much younger. As a kid, I remember the squeal of George's Plectron in the bedroom below mine, then watching as he sped away from our house down to Station 13 to answer the latest emergency. Later, I was down at Station 10 with David when the engine got a call and watched as they all piled onto one of the newer Hahn's and took off down Dale Boulevard. I was definitely hooked!
Anyway, back to the station fill! After our tour, (and a small station alteration...) we decided we'd better get more familiar with Potomac Mills
Mall, just in case we had to return. We spent about 45 minutes driving around, looking at all the alleys, the sprinkler connections, and studying
the lengthy pre-plan. Our work paid off. Our next two calls were for EMS calls at the mall and we found the correct entrance on both. We even
beat the ambulances!
Between these calls, we were invited to Station 13's banquet hall for dinner. Dale City has used the same caterer for the last 2 or 3 years, and judging by the meal we were served, they should never switch! A wide selection of meats, sides, salad, and desserts made sure we couldn't possibly go hungry. Aside from some of the other fill-in crews stealing our seats, dinner was great! We left before the ceremonies began and chose to have our dessert elsewhere, as FF Andrew Hilton was dying for ice cream from the Silver Diner.
At around 2200 hours, we headed off to the diner and ingested a few thousand calories, just to make sure we didn't waste away to nothing. The biggest surprise was the bill, when we found out we had been given a 50 percent discount! Thanks, Silver Diner! With our appetites sated, we returned to the station and waited for the big fire call that we'd been promised. It didn't come. Instead, at around 0400 hours, we were dispatched, along with Engine 510 and Truck 513 for a commercial fire alarm at a strip mall along Prince William Parkway. On this call, I was actually forced to talk on the radio, breaking my streak of radio silence. After a quick investigation, finding no hazards and having no key holders responding, we returned in service with alarms sounding in multiple units of the complex. Gotta love fire alarms! That was the end of our excitement We left the station at around 0930 hours on Sunday.
We'd certainly be happy to come back next year if Dale City will have us. We're suckers for a free meal, no matter how far we have to drive. Thanks to Dale City for their hospitality. We hope you all had a great party and that you have a busy and safe year in 2007. Give us a call next October!
For pictures from our big adventure, click here.
The Leesburg Volunteer Fire Company is sad to announce the death of one of our most colorful and influential life members,
Mr. Hubert Welch. He passed away on Thursday, October 26th.
Hubert originally joined Company 1 in the 1950's as a volunteer. Later, he began a career with Fairfax County, first as as firefighter, then as a mechanic in their apparatus shop. When he retired from Fairfax, Hubert was the head mechanic. During his career with Fairfax, Hubert continued his involvement with Leesburg. He provided mechanical services for us, making sure our apparatus was always ready to meet any challenge we faced.
After his retirement in the 1980's, Hubert continued as our mechanic
and as our daytime driver. In 1999, Hubert
retired from active duty with the fire company, but he was certainly not inactive. As a life member, he continued to assist
our engineers with maintenance and repairs, and was always willing to share a story or two with our newer members.
Hubert Welch will be sorely missed by all who knew him. Please keep his family in your thoughts and prayers.
The Leesburg Volunteer Fire Company was proud to participate in America's 9/11 Ride, organized by America's 9/11 Foundation, Inc. Our involvement went a bit further this year; we were asked to lead the ride with one of our engines. Wagon 1 made the trip from Pennsylvania to the Pentagon, then up to New York City. Master Firefighter Jimmy Csizmadia was Co. 1's coordinator, working closely with the foundation to provide all possible support for this important event.
Also on the ride was Utility 1, providing a somewhat more comfortable ride for other members of the LVFC delegation. Co. 1 members on the trip included:
Over the weekend of August 17-20th, the 9/11 Ride traveled from Somerset, Pennsylvania, past the Flight 93 crash site, then on to Leesburg, Virginia via Hagerstown, Maryland. From Leesburg, the riders headed to Crystal City, Virginia for an overnight stay, then visited the Pentagon in the morning. After that, they headed north to New York City, where they spent the night. On the last day, they visited Ground Zero and then returned home.
The Leesburg Volunteer Fire Company is proud to have participated in this memorial event that pays tribute to our brothers and sisters who were lost on that tragic day in September, 2001. We have not forgotten.
For more information on the event and the organizing foundation, please visit America's 9/11 Foundation, Inc.
Wagon 1 passes by the honor guard at the Flight 93 crash site.
Truck 1 and Reserve Truck 1 wait near Ida Lee Park for the riders to arrive.
Police escort begins to pass under the flag...
...followed by Wagon 1 and over 1,000 motorcycles.
Wagon 1 in New York City.
On July 8th, 2006, instead of attending the fire company's picnic, a few dedicated souls headed north. Their
destination was the annual Pennsylvania Pump Primers Muster at Riverfront Park in Harrisburg. As in past years,
Leesburg's 1929 Seagrave and 1973 Seagrave pumpers made a good showing, though this year was extraordinary.
Besting last years results, our units were honored to receive a total of 4 trophies.
Winning these awards is not easy. There are many beautiful trucks at this muster, so the competition is very strong. The hard work of Chief Engineer Stever Earley, Master Firefighter John Earley and Firefighter Kay Ann Yahnke clearly paid off with the results they achieved at the muster. Thanks to these three all their efforts to represent Company 1 at this event!
For pictures from the muster, click here. All photos courtesy of MFF John Earley, Co. 1.
(August 7, 2006)
At the monthly membership meeting, 5 new members were voted into the company:
Congratulations to our new members!
On July 27th, Company 1 members headed south to Brandy Station, Virginia with our
antique Seagrave engine and Jeep 1. The occasion was the Brandy Station Volunteer Fire Department's annual firemen's parade
and carnival. Due to a registration snafu, we ended up almost at the end of the line, followed only by Little Fork's attack
piece. But that's okay, we know they were saving the best for last!! The parade began at around 1845 hours and slowly
snaked its way along a two lane road, past the cornfields and a large pond, finally reaching the judging stand.
Company 1 made it to the end at around 2045! (Good thing that Jeep has air conditioning!!!)
Once the procession was finished, units parked in a large field and enjoyed the sights and sounds of the carnival. Good food was plentiful and so were the door prizes provided by the parade organizers. After sating our appetites and thirsts, we headed over to the trophy presentation. Company 1 was honored to receive 2nd place for Fire Company-owned Antique Fire Apparatus. After the trophy presentations were complete, we met Miss Virginia, Adrianna Sgarlata. She graciously accepted our request to pose for a picture or two with our antique. (Apparently, Deputy Chief Buchanan was mistaken for an antique, as she also posed for a picture with him and Jeep 1!)
We had a great time at the parade and wish to thank the Brandy Station Volunteer Fire Department for having us. If you'd like to see a few pictures from the event, please click here. (You'll need Flash installed to view.) Also, thanks to the following Co. 1 members for attending the event:
On Saturday, June 24th, Company 1 held a training burn to allow line officers to evaluate candidates for blackhat status. Five members were eligible for promotion, and surprisingly enough, all five made it!! Promotions on that day were announced, pending successful completion of the Firefighter 1 tests that ended on June 29th. Again, all Company 1 members taking the test passed.
Additionally, Andrew Hilton challenged the Firefighter 1 test to earn his Virginia certificate, based on his experience and certifications in Maine. He passed the tests as well. So, without further ado, here are the promotees:
Congratulations to all of you!! You've put in a tremendous amount of work and sacrificed time with your families to get to this point. We're looking forward to seeing you responding from home in the middle of the night!!
Also, a huge thank you to all the Co. 1 personnel who helped these six gents with homework, drills in the station, etc.; your help is noticed and appreciated!!!
At the June 5, 2006 Company Meeting, Fire Chief Wayne Whetsell was
made a life member of the Leesburg Volunteer Fire Company. This honor represents a tremendous amount of work and
dedication to Company 1. Wayne has now been a member for over 20 years! (Doesn't look that old, does he?)
During his career with Leesburg, Wayne has held every line position and has been elected chief 6 times. Congratulations, Wayne, on your outstanding contributions to Co. 1!!! We look forward to your 50th anniversary with us!
Once again, Leesburg's 1929 Seagrave was in attendance at the Apple Blossom Parade, held in Winchester, Virginia on
May 5, 2006. Two of the Leesburg Volunteer Fire Company's biggest fans were there to make sure everything was ship-shape
before the parade began. In the picture from left to right are Luke Ferraro, Trey Ferraro, and Hubert Welch, a life member
of the fire company. You'll notice Luke and Trey are wearing miniature Leesburg Fire Co. uniforms, complete with an embroidered
fire company patch on each sleeve, as well as a badge on the front. (Picture courtesy of the Ferraro family, neighbors of D/C 1)
L to R, Master FF Jasen Dodson, Co. 1, Master FF Tina Earley, Co. 1
Probationary FF Christoff Botha, ABC 7's Alison Starling, FF Justin Holmberg, Co. 1, LPD Officer Nick Martin (also a Co. 1 Master FF), FF Jamie Arnold, Co. 1, Asst. Chief Paul Earley, Co. 1, and Technician John Myers, LCFR.
The annual Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce Valor Awards were presented today (4/18) to members of public safety agencies and citizens of the county. Members of the Leesburg Volunteer Fire Company, as well as members of other public safety agencies who are assigned to Company 1's stations were recipients of these awards. The incidents for which these individuals were recognized are listed below, in the order they occurred.
On February 6, 2005, a working apartment fire was dispatched at The Remington on Stanford Square. it was on the 3rd floor of a five story, lightweight construction garden apartment complex. Off-duty Technician John Myers (LCFR) was approaching Dulles Town Center Mall and noticed the smoke. The fire was primarily on the balcony and rapidly extending up the siding to the 4th floor. Myers forced the door open, alerted the resident, who was in the shower, and began extinguishing the fire with a trash can and water from the kitchen.
In October, 2005, Master Firefighter Jasen Dodson (Co. 1) was driving with his family and came upon an accident at the intersection of Cardinal Park Drive and Market Street in Leesburg. A motorcycle had collided with an automobile at a high rate of speed. MFF Dodson was able to quickly assess the young woman and hold her airway open using manual traction. Dodson also relayed information to the Loudoun ECC via a cell phone that a bystander held up to him as he cared for his patient. The woman made a full recovery.
Leesburg firefighters Paul Earley (A/C 1) Justin Holmberg, Jamie Arnold, Tina Earley, and Christoff Botha, as well as Leesburg Police Department officers Travis Lotz, Joey Marsten and Robert Hall were dispatched to The Glen apartment complex on Heritage Way, Leesburg on November 16, 2005.
As FF Jamie Arnold went to work extinguishing the fire, A/C Earley and FF Holmberg forced entry into a second floor apartment, finding their first resident a few feet inside the structure asleep. Four additional residents were found and awakened, then helped down the ladder to safety. The apartment below was then forced open, awakening the resident and safely removing her and her three cats. MFF Tina Earley and Probationary FF Christoff Botha were busy establishing a water supply and getting ladders across a metal security fence.
LPD officers rescued a child from a second floor balcony on the A-side of the structure by forming a human chain.
All members of the Leesburg Volunteer Fire Company are very proud of the actions these individuals took during the past year. These are extraordinary examples of the service we all strive to provide to the community on a daily basis. Congratulations to you all!
(3/25/06) This morning, the Leesburg Volunteer Fire Company took
delivery of a 2006 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon Unlimited from Dulles Motorcars on Catoctin Circle. This vehicle will become the new
Jeep-1, replacing a 1977 CJ which was retired late last year. Current plans are to have some accessories mounted on the vehicle
over the next 7 days, then it will be driven to Madison, Indiana to be outfitted with it's tank, pump, lights etc.
(3/27/06) Today, some of the major accessories arrived in Leesburg and
were installed. The Smittybilt bumper and Warn winch arrived and were quickly installed by Master Firefighter John Earley. Prior
to this work being done, the vehicle's ride height was measured so when it returns fully equipped, it can be restored to its original
height with new springs.
The next step will be having the Line-X applied to the interior. This should happen Friday, then it's off to Indiana! Stay tuned for more updates.
(4/1/06) The Jeep has been delivered to Indiana! The relatively uneventful trip started on 3/31 at around 1800 hours. Two hours later, after dealing with Route 15's traffic and a busload of tourists at a Frederick, MD Arby's, we were only 60 miles from home! Not a great start. The further west we got, the worse the weather became. With mountains to climb and a stiff headwind to fight, the gas gauge in the Jeep was dropping fast. The first tank of fuel only took us 200 miles, at a rate of 12.0 miles per gallon. At 0123 on 4/1/06, we arrived at our hotel, just east of Columbus, Ohio.
The next morning at 0900, we were on the road again, heading into
stormy headwinds on Ohio's Interstate 271. The white dome on the hood of the Jeep is from
Wireless Matrix (shameless plug for D/C 1's employer). It provided
AVL functionality for the trip, allowing "Big Brother" to see how fast we drove.
At least Saturday's drive was in daylight. While the landscape wasn't that
interesting, there is always something unusual to be found. Somewhere on US Rt. 50 in Indiana, we passed this Mack dealership. That's
a giant Bulldog on the roof of the round building. Earlier, we passed a Seagram's distillery, but thought it best that we not stop
for free samples.
Finally, at about 1230 on 4/1, we arrived in Madison, Indiana. According to Keith Olsen from RKO, Madison is the oldest town
in Indiana and it has the oldest fire department in the state. We didn't get to do any touring, as we had
many decisions to make about the Jeep. Madison's downtown looked interesting, so
maybe when we go back to pick up the completed product, we'll get to look around.
RKO's shop sits within throwing range of the Ohio River. When we return
to take delivery, maybe we'll take the Jeep down to the river and test out its drafting capabilities. Could make for some interesting
photographic opportunities.
After spending about 4 hours with Keith, it was time to head off to the
airport in Lousville, Kentucky for our short flight back to Baltimore, MD. Amazing how quickly a jet can make the trip (1.5 hours
vs. 10.5 driving). Our red Rubicon was left in the capable hands of the RKO craftsmen for conversion to a new brush unit. We can't
wait to see the results! Of course, we'll share all the gory deatails here. (Thanks to Master Firefighter John Earley for accompanying
me on the trip, and doing most of the driving!!)
At April's monthly meeting, the Leesburg Volunteer Fire Company was please to vote in three new members. They are:
On Sunday, March 26th, Kathleen Duddy was promoted to Blackhat status within Company 1. This means she can now be counted as part of minimum staffing on an engine or truck crew and can serve as the lead firefighter on a crew. Congratulations to Kathleen!!!
2005 marked a milestone in Company 1's history -- in this year, we broke the 2,000 call barrier for the first time. This represents an almost 13% jump in call volume over 2004. With the additional call volume, we were concerned that our performance may have suffered. With all of our records for the year now completed, we were able to analyze our performance.
It turned out that the news is very good. Loudoun County response standards look at three times: turnout time, transit time, and overall response times, which are the aggregate of the first two. In 2005, our average turnout time was 1.7 minutes. This means that, on average, the first unit dispatched from Company 1 was on the way to the call 1.7 minutes after the dispatcher began the process of alerting units.
The next component, transit time, is very hard for us to control. With a primary service area covering more than fifty square miles and assist areas covering hundreds more, we can do little to improve the time it takes us to get to the scene. On average in 2005, it took us 4.6 minutes of driving time to get to the scene of a call. With the wide expansion of Truck 1's service area, it should be no surprise that we had 26 calls with transit times exceeding 20 minutes!! (It takes a while to get to Middleburg or Lovettsville from Leesburg, even in the best of traffic conditions.)
Taking turnout and transit times together, our overall response time average works out to 6.3 minutes from the start of the alerting process to our first unit arriving on the scene. This falls well within the standards set by Loudoun County for responses. We are very proud of our continued excellent performance on these important metrics. We continue to work to improve all areas of the service we provide you, the members of our community.
Once we know how well we perform in our responses, we next want to know what types of calls we handled. Contrary to popular belief, we don't spend our days fighting fires. Due to improvements in fire safety education and the widespread use of smoke detectors, fires have been cut dramatically over the years. In 2005, out of 2,030 calls, only 80 of them involved actual fire and only 22 of the 80 involved structures. The graph below shows the breakdown of fires for 2005:
So, if we weren't responsding to fires, where are we going? Similar to most jurisdictions, our units respond to more EMS calls than anything else. In 2005, we responded to 446 calls classified as EMS. These range from assisting an ambulance with an ALS patient, to auto accidents, cardiac arrests, and helicopter flyouts of injured persons. Right behind EMS calls are false alarms. In 2005, we ran 330 calls for false alarms. The third category includes 547 calls, but they cover a wide range of circumstances, like smoke scares, water problems, lock outs, etc. This is kind of a "catch all" category that covers the public service or good intent type calls we run.
We also ran 72 mutual aid calls, where we provided assistance to other fire deparments, 83 hazardous materials calls, like oil leaks, etc., and 127 calls for hazardous conditions like wires arcing. The graph below shows a breakdown of our non-fire calls.
As mentioned above, we ran 330 false alarm calls in 2005. As is the case in most counties, false alarm calls have risen sharply with
the advent of automatic alarm systems. These sensitive devices can be fooled by dust, electrical fluctuations, as well as
substantial changes in water pressure.
Unfortunately, many of these alarms could be prevented by proper maintenance and by alarm owners knowing proper procedures for notifying monitoring companies of false alarms. As has been done in other counties, we hope that Loudoun County will enact legislation to begin charging for repeat false alarm calls. The graph below shows the breakdown of false alarms we ran in 2005:
Ok, so we teased you a bit with our tiller pictures. What you were really seeing was our 1989 Seagrave tiller that was purchased to facilitate driver training. And why did we need driver training with a tiller???
Hmmm...could it be that Company 1 is buying a tillered ladder truck? Looks that way!!
At February 6th's company meeting, our membership voted to purchase a new ladder truck that bends in the middle. "Who will the
manufacturer?," you ask? Well, as long as you can keep a secret, we'll clue you in....
Here are the important details:
More details will be released as they become available. Thanks to A/C Paul Earley for his leadership of the specification committee that has worked for months to reach this point. Other members of his team include:
Great job and thanks for all the hard work! Get your membership applications in early if you want to be a part of the only fire company in Loudoun County with a tiller!
The real news of the night wasn't the ladder truck, though. Oh no! I mean ladder trucks are nice and all, but
what really gets people's jaws dropping are brush Jeeps!! As some may already know, Company 1 recently sold our
1977 Jeep in anticipation of buying a replacement. Once again, the company came through and voted to approve the purchase
of a new Jeep.
Specs on the new vehicle are as follows:
The Jeep will be outfitted by RKO Enterprises in Madison, Indiana. Look for delivery of the new Jeep sometime in late Spring....
Members of the Jeep specification committee are:
(February 6, 2006)
At the monthly membership meeting, 2 new members were voted into the company:
Congratulations to our new members!
The Leesburg Volunteer Fire Company was recently the recipient of a timely donation. Potomac Station Community Association
President David Tocki and Board of Director Gretchen Luebbe are shown presenting a $5,000.00 check to Deputy Chief
Ian Buchanan.
Mr. Tocki stated "We wanted to make sure that with all the growth in Loudoun County and Leesburg that the same level of service and stellar response provided by the dedicated volunteer and career firefighters in Leesburg would continue."
Another check for an additional $5000.00 will be coming in the spring to add to the Fire Company efforts to purchase additional equipment and new apparatus in the coming year. Mr. Tocki stated that the 1400 members of the Potomac Station community Association pay about $3.50/yr to the association dues to support the Fire Company.
"That's not much more than the cost of a cup of coffee and a donut!" said Mr. Tocki. But it is certainly peace of mind!
(February 8, 2006)
It's that time again...changes are occurring in the personnel assigned to Station 20 by the Loudoun County Department of Fire and Rescue -- no more Lt. Mini-me no more Ray Ray and no more Pisauro. Effective 2/9/06, Lt. Micah Kiger has been transferred to the training center, Technician Ray Muth, Jr. has been transferred to Station 16 (Neersville) as part of their conversion to 24-hour staffing and newly-promoted Lt. Mike Pisauro will be going to Station 5 (Hamilton).
Lt. Kiger has been with us on a couple of occasions, first, as part of the ALS-3 crew that ran an ALS chase buggy from Station 1, and more recently as the Engine OIC for B-Shift at Station 20. He has always been a great resource to work with and has done many things for Company 1 while assigned at our stations. We'll miss him when he moves to training, but at least we'll have a contact to get us into those popular classes that fill up so fast!! Thanks for all you've done for us Micah, you'll always be welcome to come back!!
Technician Muth has also been a tremendous member of the career team at #20. We're convinced that no one in Loudoun County knows more about fire apparatus (or how to clean it!) than Ray. He's also quite the chef, so we're pretty sure that A-shift is going to be starving once Ray moves to Station 16. Technician Muth was also an active participant in our new ladder truck specification team. Hopefully, he'll be able to come back some day and drive the truck he helped design.
Lt. Pisauro has been with us the shortest amount of time, but his thorough checkout and maintenance of our apparatus and equipment have always been appreciated. He's also been known to tell a joke or two to keep people smiling. Congratulations to Lt. Pisauro on your promotion -- we know you'll do very well! (And you can come back anytime too!!)
Replacing the three departing members of our career staff will be Lt. Mike Johnson from Station 19 (South Riding), Technician Mark Wynkoop from Co. 5, and Blake Bullard from recruit training. We look forward to welcoming these three to the Leesburg family and hope they enjoy their stay with us.
(December 5, 2005)
Annual elections for Company 1 were held this evening and were completed in record-setting time. There were rumblings of a set-up for
the top 3 line positions, but no official comments were forthcoming...
The most interesting nomination of the night goes to Nick Martin, who nominated Marty Mantell for treasurer. Marty was not present to accept or decline the nomination, so he was not added to the ballot...lucky break for Marty!!!
So, without further delay, here are the results:
Most importantly on this night, we also brought voted in two new members. Welcome to Brian Gillingham and Jim Kubisch who were voted in after the completion of elections. Additionally, two of our Cadet members were voted up to Junior status -- Brian Delalian and Tim Goss are now Juniors. Congratulations to you both!
(November 7, 2005)
At the monthly membership meeting, 1 new member was voted into the company:
Congratulations Tom!
The members of the Leesburg Volunteer Fire Company express our deepest sympathies to the family of Josh Lee, whose untimely passing on
November 3rd, 2005 has taken from us all a bright, compassionate, and giving young man. Josh had only been a member of the fire company for
two years, but he made quite an impact in that time. He spent countless hours attending training classes, drilling with volunteer and career
personnel, and could always be counted on to lend a hand, no matter what the task. His efforts earned him the distinction of being named
LVFC Junior Member of the Year in 2004.
Josh had also made an impact in other parts of the community. He was a member of the Civil Air Patrol, and the Loudoun Border Guards Fife and Drum Corps. Josh was named "2005 Outstanding Youth Volunteer" by the Loudoun Volunteer Services organization, and in May of 2005, was named "Student Volunteer of the Month" by the same organization. Josh graduated from Loudoun Valley High School in 2005, and was attending Bridgewater College.
Josh will be sorely missed by the members of the Leesburg Volunteer Fire Company. Please keep the Lee family in your thoughts and prayers.
Once in a while, he even got to run a call! Probably not enough fire, but certainly his share of interesting incidents, including exploding houses, gas leaks with fires, an interesting auto accident here and there, all carefully scheduled around the countless fire alarms that seem to be our most common call these days. We hope Randy enjoyed his time at Company 1 as much as we enjoyed having him. All the members of the Leesburg Volunteer Fire Company wish him well and thank him for his tireless efforts to make our stations the best in Loudoun County.
Taking over for Randy at Station 20 is Captain Dannie Wilson. This is not Capt. Wilson's first tour at 20. He was part of the first group of career firefighters stationed in Leesburg under the supervision of then-Captain Richardson. (Seems to be a theme here...Captain Richardson was promoted to Battalion Chief as well!!) We're happy to have Captain Wilson at Station 20 and wish him the best of luck!
The same night, Christopher Patton was voted into the company as a senior probationary member. Welcome, Chris!! (Mr. Patton has been assigned to Duty Crew 6.)
Effective August 24th, 2005, Marty Mantell resigned as Chief of the Leesburg Volunteer Fire Company. His last official act was to name Assistant Chief Paul Earley "Acting Chief". In the twelve years Marty has been with Company 1, he's held every line position, served as Treasurer for several years and worked diligently with the finance committee to ensure we remained "in the black". Marty was also responsible for the fire company receiving substantial federal grants two years in a row. He worked closely with the Town of Leesburg to show them how much our organization gives to the community and in return, secured enhanced funding.
Marty and his family will be relocating to the hurricane capital of the world. His move will likely be more expensive than normal, given the large truckload of plywood he'll be taking with him "just in case". On top of the plywood, we'll have to make sure to load the shrink-wrapped copy machine that he's been waiting to deliver to one of his friends in New Jersey. There's also been a rumor that Billy Fiske and Marty will be co-captaining the I-HOP Shuffleboard Team of Northern Florida. It's either that or they'll be meeting at the local Wal-Mart for bingo games.
Whatever the case may be, we'll all miss you, Marty! Thanks for all your hard work and dedication.
A unanimous vote, preceded by a motion from Life Member and Past Chief Billy Fiske, seconded by Life Member Roy Ott, brought Deputy Chief Tom Goss into the ranks of Life Member of the Leesburg Volunteer Fire Company. After serving for 25 years as a volunteer firefighter in Loudoun County, Mr. Goss has made the difficult decision to step back from the fire company and focus a bit more on his family and professional lives. Tom has held many positions in our organization, including the position of chief. His energy and integrity have been great assets to Company 1, and we hope Tom continues to offer his wisdom and guidance in whatever capacity he can.
Tom also announced he would be stepping down from his current position as Deputy Chief, effective September 1st. We thank him for his service in that position this year, and we wish him the best in whatever role he plays in the future of the Leesburg Volunteer Fire Company.
Thanks, Tom, for everything you've done for us!
Company 1 owns two pieces of fire apparatus that can be classified as antiques -- our 1929 Seagrave and our 1973 Seagrave. While the '29 was retired many years ago, the 1973 is still in service and continues to answer calls. There's another side to these pieces, however; they are beautiful examples of the rich history and traditions of fire apparatus. Luckily, the fire company is always willing to share our treasures with the rest of the world.
So it was no surprise that both the '29 and the '73 made the trip to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania on July 9th, 2005, for the annual Pennsylvania Pump Primers Muster. In preparation for the trip, a great deal of polishing and cleaning was required. The following people and crews helped:
What was a pleasant surprise was how well our antiques were received in Harrisburg. Both Seagraves brought home first place awards in their age groups for fire department owned apparatus. Additionally, the research Mr. Earley and Ms. Yahnke performed also paid off, as the historical display they put together won 1st place.
Members who made the trip to Harrisburg were John Earley, Kay Ann Yahnke, Chief Engineer Steve Earley and Josh Lee. Thanks to everyone involved in this event for your hard work and for representing Company 1 in Harrisburg.
Pictures courtesy of MFF John Earley.
|
| Quite an amazing site to see a 76 year old pumper drafting water and flowing a 2 1/2" attack line! |
|
| The 1973 Seagrave has always been happy to pull a draft. Here, she flows her deck gun into the river. |
(July 11, 2005)
At the monthly membership meeting, 2 new members were voted into the company:
Congratulations to our new members!
(June 13, 2005)
As part of the training burn held this evening, the line officers of the company
were evaluating the performance of some of our members for the possibility of promoting them to Blackhats. We are pleased to announce
that three of them were successful:
Congratulations!
(June 6, 2005)
At the monthly membership meeting, 3 new members were voted into the company:
Congratulations to our new members!
At the annual Fire and Rescue Services Awards Dinner, held May 19th, the following members of the Leesburg Volunteer Fire Company received service awards:
Reaching this extraordinary milestone was Terry Frye, past Chief and past President of the fire company. Terry continues
to serve the fire company in a number of roles. His knowledge and experience are important assets to our organization and we
appreciate Terry's contributions.
Rodney Frye
Mike Thacker
Jimmy Csizmadia
Paul Earley
John Kobus
Ricky Obaugh
John Earley
Marty Mantell
Jimmy Bradley
Ian Buchanan
Brian Dequittner
Anthony Jackson
Andy Shadwick
Linda Speacht
James Spurlock, Jr.
Congratulations to all our recipients!
(May 2, 2005)
At the monthly membership meeting, 3 new members were voted into the company:
Congratulations to our new members!
(May 1, 2005)
On this day, Co. 1 held a training burn, providing an opportunity for
some of our newer members to obtain experience, as well as a chance to move up in their qualifications within the fire company.
We're pleased to announce that three of our members successfully moved to the next level in the company. They are:
(April 4, 2005)
The Leesburg Volunteer Fire Company is pleased to welcome
a new members to our organization. Keith Cross was voted into the company at this evening's
monthly meeting. Welcome aboard, Keith; we look forward to having you with us for many years!
(April 4, 2005)
The Leesburg Volunteer Fire Company is pleased to announce the certification of 4 new Driver / Operators (pumper). These members are: John Kurtin, Brian DeQuittner, Mike McMurrer and Anthony Jackson.
Congratulations, and drive safely!!!
(April 1, 2005)
Five members of the The Leesburg Volunteer Fire Company recently completed
the Virginia First Responder EMS certification program. Alan Battershell, Ian Buchanan, Jim Cook, and Ray Mereish
completed the program on 3/24/05 by passing the state test. Congratulations to you all!
L to R, Lt. Micah Kiger LCFR, Techician Ray Muth, Jr. LCFR,
FF Tom McLain Co. 1, FF/EMT Aaron Jacobs LCFR, Lt. Joe Neiberger Co. 1, Lt. Chris Krueger Co.1, FF James Fazekas Co. 1, FF Ray Mereish Co. 1
(not pictured)Captain Randy Shank LCFR, Master FF Ricky Obaugh, Master FF Rick Di Zerega Co. 1, FF Andy Shadwick Co. 1, Master FF John Earley Co. 1, FF John Kurtin Co.1
The annual Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce Valor Awards were presented today (3/29) to members of public safety agencies and citizens of the county. The Leesburg Volunteer Fire Company was well represented at these awards, with our members receiving citations from three different incidents that occurred in 2004.
The first incident cited for Co. 1 was an auto accident involving a box truck and a snowplow that occurred on Rt. 7 near Belmont Ridge Road on January 27, 2004. 5 members of the fire company received awards for their actions related to the very involved extrication that was required. The members recognized were:
The next incident involved the successful resuscitation of a heart attack victim. It just so happened that the victim was actually a member of the fire company! Recognized on this call for the assistance provided to the medic unit were both members of the career staff assigned to Station 20 and volunteer members of Co. 1. The individuals recognized were:
The final incident occurred on December 12, 2004. On a cold winter night, a 16 year old contemplated suicide by climbing on top of the roof of a retail store near the outlet mall. Once the Leesburg Police Department convinced the individual not to jump, it was up to Truck 1 to effect a rescue. Individuals cited on this call:
All members of the Leesburg Volunteer Fire Company are very proud of the actions these individuals took during the past year. These are extraordinary examples of the service we all strive to provide to the community on a daily basis. Congratulations to you all!
(March 7, 2005)
The Leesburg Volunteer Fire Company is pleased to welcome
two new members to our organization. Matt Price and Mark Arend were both voted into the company at this evening's
monthly meeting. Welcome aboard, Matt and Mark; we look forward to having you with us for many years!
(February 16, 2005)
Mary Louise Rusk, Associate Member, passed away last weekend after a
long illness. Mary Louise worked many a Bingo with us and often
assisted at other events. Services will be held at Colonial Funeral Home on Friday, February 18, 2005. Family, friends
and guests will be received between 10:00 and 11:00 am. Services at 11:00, reception following at the Flame Room, Fire Station
1.
Please keep Mary Louise and her family in your thoughts.
(December 27, 2004)
Once again, changes have occurred in the career staff assigned to Station 20. Brent Harne was transferred to Station 2 (Purcellville) to
be part of the first county crew assigned to that fire station. With the implementation of the NOVA dispatch protocols however, Brent
shouldn't be a stranger to Leesburg, as Tower 2 will likely be making the trip up Route 7 for any box alarms in the area. Brent will
be sorely missed at Station 20. We all wish him well in his new assignment.
Replacing Brent at Station 20 is Nick Hildebrand, a graduate of the most recent Loudoun County fire academy class. We welcome Nick to Leesburg and wish him the best as he embarks on his career in Fire and Rescue with Loudoun County.
(December 8, 2004)
In the last few months, Company 1 has promoted 1 probationary firefighter to firefighter and welcomed
6 new members into the company. At company elections (12/6/04), Wendy Harvell was presented with her yellow helmet to replace her
red "rookie" helmet. Congratulations Wendy!
We've also been fortunate to attract new members to the fire company. Our new members and the months they became members are as follows:
(December 7, 2004)
Company 1 held annual elections for administrative and operational offices last night . Those elected take office effective
January 1, 2005. Election results are as follows:
Congratulations to our newly elected leaders!
(July 17, 2004)
After training and qualification burns held this day, the following members have been promoted:
Congratulations to these four men on their accomplishments.
More changes are ahead for our career staff. Wednesday, July 14th marks Lt. Charlie Brown's last day at Station
20. Apparently, the 24 / 72 schedule was too appealing to pass up, so Lt. Brown will be transferring to Loudoun County
Volunteer Rescue Squad's Station 13. We tried to reason with him, but you know how it goes, the bananas always look
yellower on the other side of the fence.
Charlie will be sorely missed at Station 20. He has been a great resource for all of the members of the Leesburg Volunteer Fire Company, whether for training, station and apparatus maintenance, or any of the other ways Charlie helped us over the years. We truly wish him well and hope that one day he'll be back at our station.
Charlie's replacement will be Lt. Micah Kiger, who will be transferring from Station 13 where he's been for most of his career with Loudoun County. We know Lt. Kiger will be a great asset at Station 20, though he will have big shoes to fill. Welcome, Micah!!
(July 3, 2004)
After several years without a 4th of July Parade, the tradition returned to Leesburg this year, albeit on July 3rd. Company 1
and the surrounding fire and rescue departments were well represented. Take a look at the pictures by clicking the link below.
Independence Day Parade Pictures
(June 15, 2004)
After only about 8 months assigned to Station 20, FF/EMT Tracy Lane
is moving on to further her career in the EMS field. She'll be taking part in the upcoming EMT-Intermediate
class to enhance her skills in Advanced Life Support (ALS). We wish Tracy the best of luck in her upcoming
training and in her career as she moves forward.
As would be expected, her co-workers at Station 20 made sure her last day at the Station was a memorable one. In the picture to the right, members of her crew give her a very special send-off after her last shift in the station. You can always count on your friends, right!?
At the annual Clark Deener Awards Banquet, held in May, 2004, several members of the Leesburg Volunteer Fire Company received recognition and awards for their service to Loudoun County. This year's recipients were:
These dedicated volunteers deserve our gratitude and congratulations for giving so much of their time to the Leesburg community. We truly appreciate their efforts!
(April 25, 2003)
After many months of discussion about the need for a web site for the fire company, it
has finally happened. The official launch will be May 1, 2003, but already there are many
exciting developments and plenty of information available.