Sterling Volunteer Fire Company

On November 17th members of the Sterling Volunteer Fire Company, in addition to staffing their regular units and protecting Sterling, helped staff Rescue Engine 510 in Dale City. The Dale City Volunteers were celebrating their 40th anniversary at their annual installation banquet. Lt Jason Carlo, Technician Rich Mann, and Firefighter Brett Cunningham volunteered to help a neighboring community and answered several calls including multiple EMS calls, an inside gas leak, an outside fire, and a chimney fire.

At approximately 0300, Crew 2 was dispatched as second due units in response to a reported house fire on Cornish Lane in Ashburn. E11, E18, and TL11 arrived on scene and worked to support the operations of E6, RE23, and RS13. A6-1 and BC602 were also on-scene. Fire had spread through the kitchen of a three-story townhouse. The occupants had already gotten out of the house after being awakened by their smoke detector. Heat on the second floor was so intense that it caused water pipes to burst, partially extinguishing the fire. Engine 11 vented the kitchen by opening up doors and windows and then began hooking ceiling and wall in order to expose the fire. E6 had a line in place to wash down hotspots. TL11′s crew conducted a primary search and evacuated residents from neighboring structures. E11, E18, and TL11 then regrouped on the second floor to continue overhaul. Efforts were made to salvage furniture and other personal items belonging to the homeowner by deploying tarps and cleaning up areas affected by water and fire damage. All units promptly returned to service after completing their assignments.

Aftermath of the kitchen fire.

The area near the ceiling was hot enough to melt the smoke detector.

Same crew on a different engine for a different fire.

Photos courtesy of Jonathan Hickman.

Just after 9pm on Tuesday Engine 618, Engine 611, and Truck 611, were alerted along with units from Ashburn, Leesburg, and Loudoun County Fire & Rescue for an apartment fire on Ashlar Terrace in Ashburn. Captain 18 and Chief 11 also responded from Sterling. Responding units were advised that the resident reported smoke in the apartment. Arriving units found a haze and burning odor in the apartment, and eventually found a small fire in the wall. The fire was quickly contained. Units continued to investigate and make sure that there was no further hazard. Sterling units returned to service shortly after arrival.

At approximately 21:30 hrs on Saturday, November 3rd, units from Sterling Volunteer Fire Company and neighboring companies (Ashburn, Fairfax, Dulles Airport, Loudoun County Fire & Rescue, and Sterling Volunteer Rescue Squad) were alerted for a structure fire on Waterloo Station Square. While responding, dispatch advised responding units that they were receiving multiple calls about a house on fire. TowerLadder 611 arrived first on scene to find a middle of the row, two level townhouse with a walk out basement – smoke coming from the attic in the front and heavy fire along the height of the rear exterior wall and proceeding into the attic. Engine 611 and Engine 618 quickly placed two hose lines in service for an interior attack with the attack line on the first floor and a second line in the attic holding the fire to the house of origin. Primary searches proved negative with TL611 venting along the way. Once the fire was contained by the interior units, a quick wash down on the exterior was conducted to prevent any further fire spread. The fire was declared under control in under 20 minutes. After extensive salvage and overhaul, crews marked in service and were back in quarters shortly after 01:00 hrs – so much for that extra hour of sleep!

(Text by DC David Short and LT Jason Carlo)

Engines 611 and 618 (AC Bischoff)

The rear of the structure (AC Bischoff)

Engine 618 crew after the fire (Bev Taylor)

As the time change approaches on Sunday, November 4, the Loudoun County Department of Fire, Rescue and Emergency Management, and the Sterling Volunteer Fire Company, wants to remind residents to make another change that could save their lives — changing the batteries in their smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors.

On the first Sunday in November, November 4th in 2007, clocks are set back one hour at 2:00 a.m. local daylight time, which becomes 1:00 a.m. local standard time.

Visit this page to view a press release from the Loudoun County Department of Fire, Rescue and Emergency Management.