Country United States County Fairfax Annual calls 91,308 (FY 2014) | State Virginia Established 1949 | |
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Employees 1,340 - Uniformed
167 - Civilian
355 - Volunteer | ||
The Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department is a combination career and volunteer organization that provides fire sup pression, emergency medical, technical rescue, hazardous materials, water rescue, life safety education, fire prevention and arson investigation services to Fairfax County, Virginia. Emergency medical services include advanced life support response by ALS (Advanced Life Support) capable engines and transport units.
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Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments
As part of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, Fairfax County Fire and Rescue is labeled number 4 in the 800 MHz trunked radio system. All FCFR units begin with 4 followed by the station number. For example, the engine from station 4 is Engine 404, and the tower-ladder from station 36 is Tower 436. During an emergency that would require a response from multiple agencies, dispatchers are quickly able to identify what county a particular piece of apparatus came from.
Overview
FCFRD consists of 42 fire stations spread out across the county's 407 square miles (1,050 km2), serving a population of 1.15 million residents. With over 1,300 uniformed staff, 300 civilian employees, and 300 operational volunteers, the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department is the largest fire department in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
The Fairfax County Volunteer Fire and Rescue Association (FCVFRA) partners with the FCFRD to combine 12 volunteer fire and rescue departments in Fairfax County. Volunteers in these 12 departments are full partners with the career staff of the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department, providing emergency services in and around Fairfax County. These volunteers are trained to the same standards as career personnel and are involved in all aspects of the fire and rescue services from staffing ambulances and fire suppression vehicles to participating in domestic and international urban search and rescue. As independent, nonprofit organizations, the volunteer departments own and/or operate in 15 of the 37 fire stations in Fairfax County (see below for the stations) and contribute nearly 300 personnel.
USAR Task Force
Fairfax County Fire and Rescue also sponsors one of the nation's Urban Search and Rescue response teams. Named 'Virginia Task Force 1,' the team is composed of approximately 200 specially trained career and volunteer fire and rescue personnel, with expertise in the rescue of victims from collapsed structures, following a natural or man-made catastrophic event. The team is composed of emergency managers and planners, physicians and paramedics and includes specialists in the fields of structural engineering, heavy rigging, collapse rescue, logistics, hazardous materials, communications, canine operations, and technical search. Virginia Task Force 1 has partnerships with the Department of Homeland Security/Federal Emergency Management Agency for domestic response and the United States Agency for International Development/Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance during international missions. As a part of the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department, the task force maintains constant operational readiness as a local resource for residents of Fairfax County and surrounding jurisdictions.
Stations & Apparatus
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