America's Cup of Polo

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.)

Fire? In Leesburg? No Way!

On Sunday, April 27th at approximately 1500 hours, a structure fire was dispatched near the intersection of Battlefield Parkway and East Market Street. Engine Company's 1, 6, 5, 10 and 18, Trucks 1 and 6, Rescue 13, Medic 13, Battalion Chief 1 and 2, EMS 601, and Safety 601 were put on the call. The career staff on Wagon and Truck 1 responded immediately from Station 20. Meanwhile, a volunteer crew out tiller training was just passing Battlefield Parkway when the first page came out. When it was upgraded to a structure fire, the crew looked over to the area of the call and saw a column of smoke. The tiller then became a response vehicle back to Station 20 to staff Reserve Tanker 1.

For more on this fire, please click here.

Head East...

In the midst of significant downturn in call volume, Company 1 tried something new...we sent Wagon 601 east to Fairfax County. At just after 0500 hours on Saturday, April 26th, Co. 1 was dispatched for a station fill to Station 412 in Great Falls. A 2-alarm fire in 412's area sapped Fairfax's resources, so Loudoun County was called upon to provide a little backup. Coincidentally, Station 412 is the same design as Leesburg's Station 1. (Thanks to FF David Robertson for the cell phone photo.)

Outside Fire in a Downpour?

For the story and more pictures, click here.

Town Council Upholds BAR Approval

The Leesburg Town Council voted 6-1 to uphold the Board of Architectural Review's approval of Company 1's design for a new fire station, to be built on the site of the current Station 1. This vote, taken at the March 11th Town Council Meeting, is the latest step in a long process to replace our aging building in the town's historic district with a more modern facility from which to serve residents of the town and surrounding area.

With this approval now affirmed, the fire company can move to the next phase of the project. We'll keep you posted as progress is made.

NIMS Training

As mentioned at our last company meeting, all members of the fire company need to obtain certification in NIMS courses. These courses teach public safety personnel how to use and interact with the National Incident Management System (NIMS). Having all public safety personnel fluent in the language of this plan enhances our own operations, as well as operations that involve other public safety entities.

Please visit this link to register for and take NIMS classes online. There is no cost to public safety personnel. The courses we should take, at a minimum, are:

• IS-100 Introduction to Incident Command System
• IS-200 ICS for Single Resources and Initial Action Incidents
• IS-700 National Incident Management System (NIMS), an Introduction
• IS-800.B National Response Framework, an Introduction

You'll need to register before taking the classes, but it can all be done online. If you experience problems or need more information, please contact your officer or one of the chiefs. When you obtain certifications, please place copies in the secretary's and chief's mailbox.

Supporting the Leesburg Volunteer Fire Co.

Recently, you may have received phone calls from solicitors claiming to be collecting money for Company 1 or "local firefighters" as they like to say. Please be aware that these solicitations are not sanctioned by our organization, and to our knowledge, we've never seen a single penny from any contributions made to them.

That said, please be aware that we do rely heavily on your support and generosity. In 2005, 49 percent of our operating funds came from donations made by individuals, businesses and from our own fundraising efforts. (For details on our finances, please click here.)

"What fundraising efforts do we perform?", you may ask. There are several!

• Raffle
• Photo fund drive
• Direct mail campaign (underway right now!)
• Pancake breakfasts (various dates)

Additionally, you can make a donation using your credit card via PayPal by clicking on the "Make a Donation" button to the right. If you prefer to send a check directly to us, please send it to:

Leesburg Volunteer Fire Company
P.O. Box 70
Leesburg, VA 20178-0070

Your donations are tax-deductible, so please consider giving generously to our organization so that we can continue to provide you the finest fire and rescue services available in Loudoun County! We truly appreciate and value the support we receive from you, the citizens we serve.