Sterling Volunteer Fire Company

At 05:52 on Sunday morning Engine 618 and TowerLadder 611 were alerted for a fire alarm at Dulles Town Center mall. Upon arrival the alarm panel showed an activation in a building attached to the mall. The crew from Engine 618 discovered smoke in the structure and asked Loudoun to dispatch a full structure fire assignment, bringing resources from Sterling Fire, Sterling Rescue, Ashburn Fire & Rescue, Leesburg Fire and Loudoun County Fire & Rescue. The crew from the TowerLadder began to search the smoke filled store to locate the fire and make sure that there was nobody in the building. The crew from Engine 618 began to deploy their high-rise pack. The fire was extinguished quickly but arriving units had plenty of work to do as the size and layout of the building made ventilation and smoke removal a big job.

The Loudoun County Fire-Rescue System and the Loudoun Career Fire Fighters Association are pleased to announce their participation in the 61st annual Toys for Tots Campaign, sponsored by the United States Marine Corps Reserve. “The Loudoun County Fire-Rescue System is proud to participate in this wonderful program for the fourth consecutive year,” commented Chief of the Department Joseph E. Pozzo. “Your generosity will help put a smile on the face of a needy or sick child this holiday season.”

The Toys for Tots Campaign began in 1947 when a group of U.S. Marine Reservists collected and distributed 5,000 toys to needy children in the Los Angeles area. Since then, the Marines have distributed over 370 million toys to more than 173 million needy children. In 2007, the fire and rescue departments of the National Capital Region collected 62,000 toys, including over 10,000 in Loudoun County.

>From November 18 through December 19, fire and rescue stations throughout the county will be collecting new, unwrapped toys. Toys that resemble weapons or could be used as a weapon (e.g., toy guns, knives, etc.) will not be accepted. Information about making monetary donations is available online from the Toys for Tots organization at http://toysfortots.org/donate/default.asp.

More information about the campaign is available online at www.toysfortots.org or by contacting the Department of Fire, Rescue, and Emergency Management’s Toys for Tots Coordinator, Lieutenant Nicole Hankin, at 703-737-8011.

The following locations will serve as collection sites from November 18 until December 19:

• Administrative Offices: 803 Sycolin Road, Leesburg
• Training Center: 16600 Courage Court, Leesburg
• Station 2: 200 North Maple Avenue, Purcellville
• Station 3: 910 West Washington Street, Middleburg
• Station 4: 4 Main Street, Round Hill
• Stations 5 & 17: 39077 E. Colonial Highway, Hamilton
• Station 6: 20688 Ashburn Road, Ashburn
• Station 7: 39459 John Mosby Highway, Aldie
• Station 8: 36560 Jeb Stuart Road, Philomont
• Station 9: 24300 Gum Spring Road, Arcola
• Station 10: 42367 Lucketts Road, Lucketts
• Stations 11 & 15: 104 Commerce Street, Sterling
• Station 12: 12837 Berlin Turnpike, Lovettsville
• Station 13: 143 Catoctin Circle, SE, Leesburg
• Station 14: 211 South 20th Street, Purcellville
• Station 16: 11762 Harpers Ferry Road, Hillsboro
• Stations 18 & 25: 46700 Middlefield Drive, Sterling
• Station 19: 43216 Defender Drive, South Riding
• Station 20: 61 Plaza Street, NE, Leesburg
• Station 23: 21730 Red Rum Drive, #117, Ashburn

NOV 16: Here is an image from Crew 2′s start of shift today. This was discovered by a passer-by and reported to the fire station for a check out. The car was found empty and abandoned. It was turned over to the Sheriffs Office.

Photo: David Short

Just before midnight on Thursday, November 6th units from Sterling and Ashburn were alerted for a house fire on West Maple Avenue in Sterling Park. The initial dispatch brought Engines 611 and 618 from Sterling, Engines 606 and 623 from Ashburn, Quint 618 running as Truck 611, TowerLadder 606, Ambulance 15 and a Battalion Chief from Loudoun. Captain 11 responded as a command officer. Rescue 615, Chief 11, and Assistant Chief 18 also responded to the call. Engine and Truck 611 arrived on the scene to find smoke showing from the garage of a single family home. Truck 611 began to search the residence to make sure everybody was out while Engine 611 located and extinguished a small fire in the garage. Units were released quickly while Engines 611 and 618, along with Truck 611, stayed on scene to make sure all the fire was out, to ventilate smoke from the structure, and assist the fire marshal with the investigation.

Firefighters during overhaul

Making sure all the fire is extinguished

Truck 611 providing scene lighting

Photos by: Mark Whittington, SVFC

Just after 5pm on Thursday, October 30th units from Sterling and Ashburn responded to a reported kitchen fire in Cascades. Career staff from Engines 618 and 611 and (Quint 618 running as) Truck 611 responded and found a working kitchen fire. You can read more (and see pictures) here. Sterling volunteers responded with an additional engine, Wagon 611, but quickly returned to service to protect the rest of Sterling, while other units mopped up. Fairfax Engine 439 filled station 18 until a volunteer crew released them.