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| Call Totals: | ||||||||||
| 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000 | 1999 |
| 500 as of 3/31 | 2,083 | 2,099 | 2,083 | 2,030 | 1,801 | 1,812 | 1,630 | 1,594 | 1,505 | 1,521 |
(continued from here) An ambulance from Co. 13 arrived first and gave an excellent size-up, advising light smoke showing from the front door. Engine 601 and Truck 601 arrived next. The engine crew pulled a 1 3/4 crosslay and made entry through Side Alpha. They found a small fire in the kitchen that had been mostly extinguished by the homeowner. Due to the materials burning however, a tremendous amount of smoke had been generated and significant ventilation was required. The call was held with Company 1 and Engine 610, which was not dispatched but was in the area because they were enroute to the training center.
The fire was ruled accidental by the Loudoun County Fire Marshal's office. Damage was minimal and was mostly caused by the smoke. No injuries were reported. Units remained on the scene for less than an hour.
Photos courtesy of Photo 601, Steve Kusterer.
Crews masking up on Side A.
Charged hoseline at the ready.
Ventilation underway on the 2nd floor. Not a single pane of glass was broken -- great job!!!
Getting more ventilation going via positive pressure.
Nice to have a red truck on the call!!
Getting Engine 601 back into service.
Just before 1930 hours on Thursday, May 21st, a Loudoun County Sheriff's Deputy called into
his dispatch center to advise them to notify "fire control" that the car wash next to Station 13 in
Leesburg was on fire. Shortly afterwards, a box alarm was sounded, starting the first alarm assignment
consisting of engine companies 1, 6, 5, and 10, Reserve Truck 601, Truck 606, Tower 602, Battalion
602, and Medic 613.
LCFR Lt. Kenny Fox, assigned to Medic 613 for the night, gave the first on-scene report, advising heavy smoke from all four sides of the large commercial building. He checked conditions on Side Charlie and advised Loudoun's ECC of the situation just as Chief 601 (Buchanan) arrived on the scene and established "Catoctin Command". Meanwhile, Battalion 602 (LCFR - Wright) had marked responding a few minutes earlier and based on the reports and the building type, requested a second alarm assignment be started.
Company 1 was running Tower Ladder 606 as Reserve Truck 601 for the night (it's a long story...) Crews at the
station were familiarizing themselves with this vehicle as the tones began to sound. Reserve Truck 601 and Engine 601
arrived on the scene at the same time as Chief 601. The truck took a position on Side Alpha and Engine 601 laid a supply
line from a hydrant on Catoctin Circle to the scene.
Command quickly decided that this would be a defensive, exterior operation due to the volume of fire involving the very large commercial occupancy. Ladders were raised and water supplies established for the ladder pipe operation that would soon begin. A/C 606 arrived at the command post and was assigned "Division Charlie". Battalion 602 arrived next and he and Lt. Fox established the command channel and began working on accountability and staging of the second alarm units.
Wagon 606 and Truck 606 arrived together and positioned on the apron of Station 13. They hand laid a supply line through the station's bays to a hydrant on Catoctin Circle. They quickly got Truck 606's ladder pipe flowing and began to attack the fire from the Delta side. When Tower 602 arrived, they were positioned on the Alpha side and they, along with Reserve Truck 601, worked to knock down the bulk of the fire. Units that had been operating on Side Charlie had to be evacuated because the fire was impinging on power lines above them.
Deputy Chief 601 (Delalian) and A/C 601 (Earley) arrived on the scene next. D/C 601 was assigned Safety and A/C 601 took
Division Alpha. A/C 601 and Battalion 602 worked together on the tactical planning to enable a safe but effective fire attack.
The fire was largely extinguished in about an hour. Two firefighters sustained non-life-threatening injuries and were transported
to an area hospital.
The Loudoun County Fire Marshal's Office was on the scene to perform an investigation into the cause of the fire. Initial damage estimates put the toll above $2 million. While the main administrative building and detailing area were destroyed, the car wash building escaped any major damage.
For a few pictures of the incident, click here. Photos courtesy of Dale Kidwell who was provided by Company 6 as a driver for their tower while we borrow it in Leesburg. This might explain why only yellow apparatus appears in the pictures!!
Another slideshow from the incident, this one courtesy of Co. 1 FF Stephanie Digerlando.
And yet another slideshow from the incident. These pictures were taken from the parking lot of the Loudoun Funeral Chapel by one of the chapel's owners. At least this set features some of Leesburg's apparatus! Thanks to Jimmy Hill for getting these pictures to us.
Click here for a nice write-up and video from the call.
Just before 1300 hours on Tuesday, April 21st, the Loudoun County ECC dispatched numerous units to a construction accident at the Wegman's store which is under construction on Crosstrail Blvd. Engine 1 and Reserve Truck 1, staffed by LCFR personnel assigned to Station 20, responded quickly and assisted EMS units with patient care. Personnel on the scene requested two helicopters for ALS patients.
Aircare 1 coming in for a landing while Aircare 3 awaits patient loading. Photo courtesy of Lt. Jim Fazekas.
Tanker 1 was dispatched to handle the landing zone for the helicopters. Five volunteers (including four line officers!) responded to Station 20 to handle this part of the operation. Under the command of LCFR Battalion 601 (Colby) who had the "Air Operations Group", Tanker 1 set up a landing zone for the two Aircare helicopters at J. R.'s Festival Lakes off Fort Evans Road. Once the helicopters collected their patients and headed off to a nearby trauma center, Tanker 1 returned in service. A total of 7 patients were treated as a result of the accident.
At approximately 2025 hours on Sunday, April 19th units from Sterling, Ashburn, Fairfax, South Riding and Leesburg were alerted for a structure fire on McPherson Circle in the Countryside area of Sterling. Reserve Truck 1 and Engine 1 were the units requested from Leesburg. Sterling's Deputy Chief 11 (Starling) arrived first and advised heavy fire from Side Charlie and shortly thereafter requested a 2nd alarm.
View of Side C after the fire was knocked down Reserve Truck 1's ladder can be seen over the roof of the house on the left. (Photo courtesy of James Carilli, who chose this night to do a ride along with his brother, Joe.)
Engine 1's crew, led by Lt. Andrew Hilton, located a street that gave them access to the Charlie Side of the structure. They secured a water supply, stretched both 2 1/2 and 3 inch lines and a Blitzfire to the Charlie Division, then assisted Sterling crews with suppression. Meanwhile, Reserve Truck 1, led by A/C Earley, backed into position in front of the Delta exposure and began checking for extension in the exposure building. The crews pulled what siding hadn't already melted off and performed overhaul to ensure the fire didn't spread from the building of origin. All crews involved did an excellent job putting a quick knock on the fire and preventing spread to surrounding single family dwellings.
While the Engine and Reserve Truck from Company 1 were at the fire, Tanker 1 filled in at Station 18 and another LVFC crew moved Wagon 1 over to Station 20 and provided an engine crew and command officer to provide protection to the Leesburg area. Another great turnout from Company 1's volunteers!
At approximately 1911 hours on April 7th, Engine Companies 1, 5, 2, and 10, Reserve Truck 1 and Tower 2, Ambulance 13 and Battalion 2 were dispatched for an "unknown type fire" in the area of Old Waterford Road and Fairview Street in Leesburg. One minute after dispatch, Chief 1 (Buchanan) marked responding and was informed by the ECC that they had reports of a working fire with a person trapped in the house that was on fire. As units rushed toward the scene, additional information was relayed from the ECC by dispatch personnel. Chief 1 arrived first to find a single story residential structure with heavy fire evident from the Charlie side. Further size-up revealed that the resident was still inside, but in a protected area of the structure. Chief 1 established command and ordered Reserve Truck 1 to effect the rescue while the engine crew performed suppression activities. The fire was mainly in the garage area of the structure on the Charlie side.
Engine 1 and personnel from Utility 1, let by Lt. Andrew Hilton, put a rapid knock on the fire with Class A foam, while Reserve Truck 1's crew, led by FF Chip Mullen worked to quickly remove the resident from the structure. Wagon and Engine 5 arrived next and they laid a supply line and assisted Reserve Truck 1 with the rescue. Engine 10 completed the water supply and was designated RIT. Co. 1's Lt. Jim Cook was also on the scene and he took "Division Charlie" to manage the suppression activities. Battalion 2 (Wright - LCFR) assisted command with accountability and resources.
Due to the quick work of all personnel involved, within about 10 minutes from the first unit's arrival, the fire was mostly extinguished and the victim was removed, uninjured, from the structure. Two pets were also located and turned over to the care of animal control. The cause of the fire is under investigation by the Loudoun County Fire Marshal's Office.
After a very quiet Saturday night for Duty Crew 3, the tranquility was shattered at 0143 hours on Sunday morning when a box alarm was struck for a townhouse fire in the area of Fort Evans Road and Meadows Lane. Engine Companies 1, 6, 5, and 10, Truck 1, Rescue 13, Ambulance 13 and Battalion 2 were on the original dispatch. Initial reports were that someone may have been trapped in the basement level, but later reports advised that everyone had escaped the structure.
Wagon 1 arrived on the scene in less than 4 minutes from the time of dispatch. The Wagon's crew, led by Chief 1, found a three level end unit townhouse with fire showing on Side Charlie. Wagon 1's driver established a water supply from a conveniently located hydrant, while FF Brian Delalian stretched an 1 3/4" attack line to the rear. The crew checked with the occupants and confirmed that no one remained in the structure. Truck 1 was ordered to perform a primary search on the structure to confirm the information we'd received. A/C 1 (Earley) arrived and established "Meadows Lane Command".
The fire had advanced up the back of the structure, but was extinguished before it could reach the attic. Vinyl siding on the building melted and burned, but an additional layer of wood fiber siding underneath helped slow the advance of the fire into the structure. Searches of the interior by Truck 1 and Rescue 13 proved negative. The scene was secured to allow for the investigation by the Loudoun County Fire Marshal's office.
Command held Company 1 units on the scene for the overhaul, while the remaining units were returned to service. Wagon 5 remained in Leesburg for the station fill. After the overhaul was complete, units cleared the scene, with all back in service by 0419 hours. No injuries occurred, but a family was displaced.
Photos courtesy of Steve Kusterer, Photo 1.
View of Side C after the fire was knocked down.
Another view shows the burned vinyl siding and the remaining wood siding underneath.
FF Delalian cools hotspots.
A/C 5 Sean Swanson (l) and Chief 1 use a thermal imaging camera to check for hotspots.
Wagon 1 and Truck 1 positioned on Side Alpha as A/C 1 keeps an eye on things.
FF Kappauf pulls siding off the house to ensure no hotspots remain.
Hooks helping in the overhaul process.
On Friday, March 13th, Duty Crew 1 may as well have parked on Gleedsville Road for the night, as that's where most of their time was spent. First, it was a reported brush fire in the 20200 block. Nothing was found. Then, at about 2245 hours, it was the big one. Dispatched as a structure fire in the area of Chevington Lane, off Gleedsville, the dispatch made it sound like this one would be seen for miles.
Engine companies 1, 5, 7, 6, and 2, Truck 1, Rescue Squad 13, Tankers 1, 5, and 7, Battalion 2, and Ambulance 13 were dispatched. Units arrived in the area and began trying to locate the fire. Rescue 13 was flagged down by neighbors. The address was in the 19500 block of Royal Autumn Lane. A/C 1 (Earley) and Chief 1 (Buchanan) arrived on the scene simultaneously. A/C 1 established "Royal Autumn Command", while C-1 took Division Charlie.
Wagon 1's crew, led by Lt. Blaylock, began laying out from a cistern on Chevington. Tanker 1 completed the lay up to the house. Crews investigated and found a chimney fire in a masonry chimney. After checks for extension in the attic and walls were found to be negative, the incident was scaled back, keeping the 6 units on the scene from Co. 1, Wagon 5 and Rescue 13.
Crews quickly removed the chimney cap and found a large amount of debris and buildup burning in the chimney. Dry chemical extinguishers were used to snuff out the fire, then a chimney pole was used to clean off some of the debris. Finally, a chimney bomb or two was dropped down to extinguish debris left on the smoke shelf above the fire box.
In the end, Company 1 had Wagon, Truck, Tanker, Reserve Tanker, A/C and Chief 1 on the scene. No injuries occurred, and the home was turned over to the occupants just after midnight. Company 1 reminds you to have your chimney cleaned and inspected annually!
Photos courtesy of Steve Kusterer, Photo 1.
Delta side view shows the value of a long ladder.
Captain Gillingham and FF Kusterer on the roof.
Either there's a new pope or someone just shot a dry chem extinguisher into the fire box.
Crews get ready to knock burning debris off the interior of the chimney walls.
FF Giza cleans the chimney.
Nice shot from the Alpha side. That's a lot of ladder truck!
One of the coolest shots ever!
On the evening of Friday, January 30th, Engine Company 1 was dispatched for a shed fire on Sycolin Road, past the airport. Wagon 1 arrived on the scene to find a rather large shed (approx. 20 x 50 feet!) fully involved. A tanker was requested to assist, since the property is in a non-hydranted area. Reserve Truck 1 and Reserve Tanker 1 responded with additional personnel to assist crews already on the scene. Class A foam was utilized from Wagon 1 to aid in the quick extinguishment.
No personnel were injured. The Loudoun County Fire Marshal's office is investigating the cause.
Photos courtesy of Steve Kusterer, Photo 1.
Crews operate a 2 1/2 attack line.
Attempts were made to salvage as much as possible from the garage.
The fire is knocked down as crews begin to mop up.
Here's the initial attack line - maybe not quite enough for the volume of fire.
Supply line rests on the icy driveway.
On January 26, 2008 at around 0200 hours, Company 1 units were dispatched along with other units from Companies 6, 13 and Haz-Mat 19 for an Auto Accident with "High Mechanism" on the Dulles Greenway (Rt 267) near the Shreve Mill Rd exit. Supplemental information from dispatch informed responding units that a tractor trailer, hauling diesel fuel, was overturned and leaking.
Lt. Jim Cook arrived on scene first in Command 1. Lt. Cook obtained vital information for the response and directed the approach of responding units as he assumed "Greenway Command". Lt. Cook confirmed that the driver and sole occupant of the truck had already exited the wreckage on his own. Wagon 1, Reserve Truck 1, Utility and Foam Support 1, and Reserve Tanker 1 responded as well. Before the call was completed, units from Dulles Airport and Prince William County were also on scene to assist. Traffic was closed on the Greenway in both directions for the better part of the morning, until around 0800 or 0830 hours, creating significant traffic back ups and delays. Traffic flow was restored as soon as possible. The roads were partially open around 0830 hours and fully cleared and open before 1100 hours.
Wagon 1's crew, led by Lt. Andrew Hilton, got a foam line on the ground. Capt. Nick Martin set up the Foam Support Unit and was prepared to feed foam to the Wagon or operate the Foam Deck Gun fed by the Reserve Tanker, operated by MFF. Mike McMurrer. Upon further investigation by Haz-Mat 19, it was determined that the electrical power from the tractor trailer's batteries needed to be disconnected. Capt. Nick Martin and Lt. Andrew Hilton stepped up to the task, assisted by FF's Brian Duddy and Stephanie DiGerlando with Dry-Chem extinguishers and FF's Andy Shadwick and Matt Kusterer who blanketed the area (including the crew) with a thick foam blanket while the battery cables were disconnected.
After the power was secured, the crews went through decontamination courtesy of Haz-Mat 19's crew. In the 20-something degree weather, it didn't take long for the turnout gear to start freezing up, including the foam left on helmets etc. Crews had to ensure that water was circulating and the hand lines on the ground didn't freeze. In the meantime, crews from other apparatus, including Reserve Truck 1, worked to track and stop the spread of the spilled diesel fuel. It was estimated that around 2,000 gallons of off-road diesel fuel was spilled. Crews working under the supervision of "Bridge Division" built several dikes and under flow dams, controlling the spread of the fuel before it got into any major waterways. The crew from Haz-Mat 19 secured the leak from the trailer and later worked with the Haz-Mat clean up company to drill into and remove the remainder of the fuel from the tanks.
Though the incident had great potential to cause a lot of damage, both to property and the environment, the efforts of all personnel involved brought the incident safely under control. There were a lot of people and apparatus on scene, creating a complex scene to be managed. The incident was resolved smoothly and without injuries to Fire and Rescue personnel.
For pictures from the incident, courtesy of Capt. Nick Martin, click here.
On Sunday, January 4th, Truck 1 was dispatched as part of a chimney fire response in Hamilton because Tower 2 was out of service. Wagon 5 was the first arriving unit and reported smoke from the eaves of the house, meaning the fire had extended beyond the chimney. They requested the ECC to "fill the box", adding additional engines and specialty apparatus for a full structural response.
Truck 1 was the third arriving tactical unit. The truck's crew, led by Lt. Jim Cook, performed a secondary search, performed a great deal of salvage to protect property in the home, as well as considerable overhaul after the fire was extinguished. They also provided "close up" services, attaching plastic sheeting to cover the holes in the roof caused by the fire. Truck 1 was the last unit to leave the scene.
Only a few minutes after Truck 1 headed west to Hamilton, a second box alarm was dispatched in Leesburg. A caller reported smoke coming from an apartment building in the 100 block of Clubhouse Drive. Wagon 1, Reserve Truck 1, and Engine responded on this call from Company 1, once again demonstrating the flexibility and depth of coverage provided by Leesburg Volunteers. It turned out the "smoke" was actually steam from a dryer vent, so units were quickly returned to service.
While waiting for Truck 1 to return from Hamilton, crews stood by in Leesburg to cover the area with our second truck and additional engines.
Photos courtesy of Steve Kusterer, Photo 1.
Lt. Jim Cook confers with a Co. 2 member before going to work.
FF Jeff Alcusky, still wet from his visit to the fish pond, helps with salvage and overhaul.
FF Dwayne_Eddie Kappauf exits the structure to get some additional equipment.
Side Charlie shows the extent of the damage to the roof.
FF Alcusky hits hot spots from his perch.
FF Joe Neville pulls back some roofing material with his hook.
Truck 1 makes a great tool box!!
MFF John Pumphrey at the controls of the ladder. Lights from Truck 1's ladder tip were a great help for units operating on the roof and on Side C.