Sean Swanson has being arrested for DUI in a reserve fire engine. Swanson was a volunteer with the Hamilton VFD and the engine belonged to the Hamilton VFD where Swanson volunteered. Swanson resigned as well as two of the other four volunteers in the fire engine at the time. All of the occupants were volunteer firefighters in Loudoun County.

According to news sources, the passengers were a 19 y.o. female volunteer firefighter, two other volunteers in Loudoun County, and a Leesburg Police Officer who was also a volunteer.

Dave Statter has more on the news surrounding this incident

Sean Richard Swanson, 27, was charged with driving under the influence and unauthorized use of a vehicle. (Courtesy Loudoun County Sheriff's Department)

More coverage:

• Washington Post
• Ashburn.Patch.com
• LoudounTimes.com

Below is the press release from the Loudoun County Fire-Rescue Department

VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTER ARRESTED FOR DRIVING FIRE ENGINE WHILE UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF ALCOHOL

Early Saturday morning, a deputy with the Loudoun Sheriff’s Office witnessed a retired fire engine owned by the Hamilton Volunteer Fire Company operating in a dangerous manner.   Upon learning that there were no active fire incidents in the Hamilton area, the deputy stopped the engine.  After a subsequent investigation, it was determined that all five off-duty volunteer firefighters in the engine were intoxicated.  The driver, a volunteer with the Hamilton Fire Company, was arrested for Driving Under the Influence (DUI) and Unauthorized Use of Vehicle. The other four occupants of the truck were released to an officer of the fire company. The Sheriff’s Office investigation of this incident continues and additional charges may result.

The volunteer members of the Hamilton Volunteer Fire Company involved in this incident have resigned.  Two volunteers from other companies who were riding in the truck have been suspended while the internal investigation of this matter continues.

The County’s Fire and Rescue Commission, the Department of Fire, Rescue, and Emergency Management, and the Hamilton Volunteer Fire Company are grateful for the prompt action of the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office. The behavior of these individuals does not represent the values of Loudoun’s fire and rescue service and will not be tolerated by any of our volunteer companies or the Department. This incident involved off-duty personnel and a retired fire engine, so fire and rescue readiness was not jeopardized.

Additional inquires should be addressed to Vincent DiBenedetto, Public Information Officer of the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office  or Mary Maguire, Public Information Officer for the Department of Fire, Rescue, and Emergency Management.

Loudoun County Fire-Rescue Chief W. Keith Brower, Jr. and Fire-Rescue Commission Chair Douglas G. Rambo will be on hand today at 3:30 PM at 801 Sycolin Road, 1st Floor in Leesburg, Virginia to address any questions regarding this incident.  If you are interested in attending, please contact PIO Mary L. Maguire at 703-777-0333 or 571-436-1054 as soon as possible.  

Going Back in Time……Fire Apparatus
Rouss Fire Company – Winchester, VA

by Mike Sanders   mnsand@visuallink.com

Welcome to what I hope will be an on-going segment for VAFireNews.com.  There is a strong interest in older fire apparatus.  The Old Dominion Historical Fire Society, or ODHFS (check out their web page at www.odhfs.org) is a great resource of antique fire apparatus throughout Virginia.  Numerous fire trucks have been saved from the scrap yard by collectors who have spent countless hours bringing new life to older apparatus.

Going Back in Time will not only highlight existing antique trucks that are a part of the ODHFS, I will highlight apparatus now gone from Virginia fire departments.  I had the opportunity to acquire a slide collection of Virginia apparatus as photographed by the late Robert Kimball of Maryland.  Robert was a good friend and a gentleman who joyfully wanted to share information and photographs of fire apparatus that he photographed and collected in Virginia during the late 1960′s, 1970′s, and 1980′s.  The departments he visited throughout the Commonwealth had some real nice trucks, and I want to share those with VAFireNews.com viewers. Robert was a tremendous help to me personally when I documented the fire apparatus history of Loudoun County, Virginia apparatus (Arcadia Publishing – Images of America – Loudoun County Fire and Rescue Apparatus History) and he was very helpful with assistance on a book Pete West and I published on the apparatus history of Fairfax County (80 Years of Fire & Rescue Apparatus in Fairfax County, Virginia:  1923-2003).  Please contact me at mnsand@visuallink.com regarding the availability of either book.

To kick off our first posting, I am beginning close to home with the Rouss Fire Company of Winchester, Virginia.  Rich in history, the Rouss station needs to be a must visit if you come to Winchester.  Most of the apparatus were painted in a “Sherwin Williams Green No. 27”, and Pirsch fire trucks were a tradition at one point.  Most of these photographs were taken throughout the 1970’s.  Some brief information:

A beautiful 1940 Peter Pirsch 75’ midship ladder truck equipped with a 250 gpm pump and a 150 gallon water tank. After service at Rouss, it was sold to the Bridgewater VFD and can be seen today at numerous ODHFS shows in Virginia.

1969 saw the delivery of a pair of Pirsch fire engines to Rouss. A 1969 Peter Pirsch 1000/500 engine and a Peter Pirsch 100’ midship ladder truck. The Pirsch engine later saw service at Weyers Cave, Virginia and began their tradition of green apparatus at Weyers Cave. The ladder truck had its roof later painted to white (and white stripes added) and is currently owned by a collector in the Winchester area.

1969 Pirsch Engine. The Pirsch engine later saw service at Weyers Cave, Virginia and began their tradition of green apparatus at Weyers Cave.

This unusual 1956 American LaFrance was one of the few trucks not painted green and was purchased used. Members painted it red, white, and blue in celebration of the Nation’s Bi-Centennial. Interestingly, because it was not painted green, it never had the “Rouss” name on the truck. Tradition.

A 1979 Ford F250 with a Reading squad body served as “Squad 2”. After service at Rouss, it later served at the Hamilton Volunteer Rescue Squad in Loudoun County where it went through an interesting squad conversion.

This photograph of a 1978 Hendrickson/Pierce/LTI 85’ tower was probably taken not long after the Tower was in service. The Rouss members later donated the tower to the Leatherwood, Kentucky VFD via the Helping Our Own program.

Today, Rouss is the ladder truck station for Winchester and operates two ladder trucks painted in green and white.

Keep checking VAFireNews.com for additional postings of “Going Back in Time – Fire Apparatus”.

At approximately 1:43 a.m. on September 1, 2010, the Loudoun County Emergency Communications Center was alerted of a fire at 15050 Lee’s Crossing Lane. Emergency personnel arrived on scene shortly and reported a large wooden barn well involved with possible extension into an adjacent barn. Since the property was located in a non-hydranted area in Lucketts, crews utilized tankers to shuttle water from a cistern to the fire ground.

As a result of the fire, the barn was a total loss. However, the adjacent barn sustained minimal damage due to the aggressive suppression operations of firefighters. The Loudoun County Fire Marshal’s Office is currently investigating the fire and there is no damage estimate at this time.

Emergency crews from Lucketts, Leesburg, Lansdowne, Lovettsville, Hamilton and Loudoun Rescue responded to the fire and remained on scene for several hours.

Submitted by Chief Joseph Murphy

Visit the Middleburg VFD online at their new website here

On April 6, 1936 members of the Middleburg Community gathered in the school auditorium to organize a volunteer fire department. Dabney Simpson was the temporary chairperson and Mr. Walter Farr, Chief of the Herndon Fire Department, addressed the meeting. On this night the first Chief for the Department was appointed, L.G. Collier, along with the first President, Dabney Simpson. During the next several weeks, while meeting in various places such as the bank building and school auditorium, the by-laws were written, fundraising initiated, and tne department was well on it’s way.

On August 24, 1936, the department was incorporated and on October 2, 1936 the department purchased its first fire truck, a Seagrave with a 150 gallon booster tank and 150 ft. of 3/4 inch hose on reel. The truck was delivered in January of 1937 at a cost of $6,000 and was housed in a metal garage on Liberty Street, behind the B&A Grocery.

By 1940, the department had acquired property on the east side of South Madison Street where a stone firehouse was constructed, that also housed the police office and jail.

Eventually, more room was needed to house the equipment and for parking, therefore, a piece of property was purchased in 1976 on the west side of town. In 1977 a much larger building was erected and is where the department is still housed today.

The Middleburg Volunteer Fire Department is expecting start renovations on that same building with the next year. With the addition of more Office space, Living Quarters and Storage.

The Middleburg Volunteer Fire Department recently started changing their apparatus from Yellow to White. The Rescue and Wagon were purchased by the County of Loudoun for the Middleburg Fire Department.

Come January, Lucketts resident James Goss will have served the Lucketts Volunteer Fire Department in some capacity for 50 consecutive years.

A lifelong Loudouner, Goss knows a thing or two about his hometown: he has lived within five miles of it all his life. Yet he sees the county changing around him. Having entered the fire department at age 28 the same year it was founded, in 1960; Goss recalls a time when every member was an unpaid volunteer and only the most local residents – those, like him, within five miles of the town – were sought out for service because too many had volunteered. Now, Goss says, the slow, intensely communal way of life the volunteer department represented is giving way to a faster-paced suburban culture.

We recently sat down with Goss at his Lucketts home to discuss his service with the fire department, his recollections of its early days and his observations on the county that he has watched transform.

Read More Up Close: James Goss | LoudounExtra.com | The Washington Post.

You can now listen to Loudoun County Fire & Rescue via live dispatch. The link is here.

You can also check out some of  the other live dispatch’s available in Virginia here.

Let us know if you have another one to add to the list.

A charred coat and helmet, propped up on a table outside an elegant conference room in Lansdowne, looked like a long-lost relic from a bygone era of firefighting.

But to Lt. John “Bones” Earley, it was a reminder of his brush with death 10 months ago. With friends and colleagues huddled nearby Tuesday afternoon, Earley examined his ash-covered turnout gear for about 15 minutes, gingerly poking and prodding its singed sleeves and buttons.

He then peeked into the front pocket. Nothing there. He smiled.

via Rare Award for Firefighter – washingtonpost.com.

Loudoun County Fire-Rescue crews extinguished a fire and saved a life April 7 in Leesburg.

Crews were called to a home at 17638 Old Waterford Road shortly after 7 p.m. for a fire, Loudoun County Fire-Rescue spokeswoman Mary Maguire said.

When emergency personnel members arrived, neighbors told them that there was a disabled resident in the home that needed help escaping.

via Loudoun Times.

By Mike Sanders mnsand@comcast.net

The Purcellville Volunteer Fire Company in Loudoun County recently placed into service a new Pierce Quantum PUC. Engine 602 is a 2008 model equipped with a 1500 gallon per minute pump and carries 750 gallons of water. In addition, there are two foam tanks each holding 40 gallons. The new Engine 602 has replaced a 1988 Pierce Lance engine.

In addition to the new Quantum, Purcellville operates the following apparatus:

1998 Pierce Quantum 1250/750 engine

2003 KME Aerialcat 102’ 1250/300 ladder truck

2006 International 7600/2007 4-Guys 1500/3000 tanker

1997 Ford F Super Duty/EBY/Singer 500/300 brush unit

2000 Jeep/2007 RKO/2008 FD 90/75/5 brush unit

2002 Ford Excursion/Fast Lane command unit

Pictured are the new Pierce Quantum PUC and the 1988 Pierce Lance which it replaced.

New Delivery – Sterling Volunteer Fire Department – Quint 618
by Mike Sanders mnsand@comcast.net

In late August of 2008, the Sterling Volunteer Fire Department in Loudoun County placed into service a new Quint 618 that primarily runs from Station 18. Sterling Fire operates from two stations – Station 11 and 18. Fire Station 18 serves the Cascades, Countryside, Sugarland Run and Lowes Island areas of Sterling.

Quint 618 is a 2008 Spartan Gladiator that was built by Smeal. It is equipped with a 105’ rear mount ladder and has a 2000 gallon per minute pump and carries 500 gallons of water.

The Sterling FD operates a variety of aerial units. In addition to Quint 618, a 2000 Spartan/Smeal 75’ rear mount with a 1500/500 operates as Quint 611. Tower 611 is a 2006 Seagrave equipped with a 104’ aerial platform. The new Quint 618 backs up Tower 611 when it is out of service.

by Mike Sanders mnsand@comcast.net

Station 19 in Loudoun County is located in the South Riding community, just off of Route 50. The fire and rescue station is a joint venture between Loudoun County and the Arcola Pleasant Valley Volunteer Fire Department (which also operates Station 9 in Arcola).

Station 19 has recently placed into service two new trucks – Engine 19 and Tower 19. Engine 19 is a 2007 Spartan Gladiator that was built by Ferrara. It is equipped with a 1500 gallon per minute pump and holds 750 gallons of water. The words “The Big Top” are on the cab representing Station 19’s first fire station, which was a large tent type structure that was a temporary fire station until the new station was built. The 2007 Spartan/Ferrara replaces a 1999 Seagrave engine.

Tower 19 is Loudoun’s newest truck company, organized in October of 2007. The county had on order a new Pierce tower for Station 19, but it had not yet arrived. A 1993 Pierce Arrow 100’ tower was provided to Loudoun County by Singer Associates to be used as a loaner until the arrival of the new Pierce. Once the new Pierce tower arrived, the 1993 Pierce tower loaner was returned to Singer Associates and eventually sold to Chatham, Virginia, located in Pittsylvania County, not far from Danville.

The newer Tower 19 is a 2007 Pierce Dash complete with a 95’ tower. The sign on the ladder says “Route 50 Truckin’ Company”.

Note: Engine 19 and Tower 19 are marked as “619”. As part of the metropolitan Washington D.C. area Council of Governments (COG), Loudoun County units are assigned the number “6”. Thus, Engine 19 and Tower 19 will have the designations of Engine 619 and Tower 619 when running mutual aide calls with other counties.

by Mike Sanders mnsand@comcast.net

Loudoun County, Virginia has recently placed into service three new Pierce Dash engine’s at fire station 4 (Round Hill), 10 (Lucketts), and 16 (Neersville). The engine’s are equipped with 1500 gallon per minute pumps, 750 gallon water tanks, and 50 gallon foam tanks.

In addition to these three new deliveries, a new Pierce Dash was recently delivered to Loudoun County and is currently being readied for service as Wagon 3 in Middleburg. The new Wagon 3 is painted white with a yellow stripe, which is the Middleburg colors. Engine’s 4, 10, and 16 are painted red and white.

Engine 16 is assigned to the Neersville station and is a 2007 Pierce Dash equipped with a 1500 gallon per minute pump, 750 gallons of water, and 50 gallons of foam.

Engine 10 is assigned to the Lucketts station and is a 2008 Pierce Dash model with the same specifications as the other Pierce engines. Engine 10 was photographed in front of the burn building at the Loudoun County Fire and Rescue Training Center.

by Editor Rhett Fleitz

Has a staffing precedence been created following the outcome of the Meadowood Court fire in Leesburg (Loudoun County)? Today’s article in the Leesburg today might have some thinking so.

From The Leesburg Today
Meadowood Court Fire Draws Workplace Citation

The Loudoun County Department of Fire, Rescue and Emergency Management has been cited by the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry’s Occupational Safety and Health Compliance division for violation of workplace safety standards. The violation notice stems from a May 25 house fire in which seven crewmembers were injured.

Specifically, the violation is for “employees that were exposed to fire hazards while engaged in search, rescue and interior structural firefighting activities at a single family residence.”

The department has presented additional information to the state agency in an effort to reverse the findings of a violation. Fire-Rescue Chief Joseph Pozzo said this is the department’s first occupation health and safety citation.

The document states that there was insufficient staffing on site at the time that fire-rescue crews entered the burning home on Meadowood Court near Leesburg. The citation, dated Nov. 24, does not impose a fine because Virginia law does not permit such penalties against public agencies.

It further states:

A separate three-month regional investigation into the incident resulted in 64 recommendations for the fire-rescue department, ranging from additional training programs, communication processes and staffing. The final report suggests an increase to the minimum staffing requirements for engines, trucks and rescue companies to four qualified firefighters, a measure that would most likely require additional local tax funding from the county’s budget.

Pozzo said the crux of the violation is staffing, but he has made a presentation to VOSH that disputes some of the claims in the citation. One of the National Fire Protection Association standards recommended for adoption by VOSH, 1720, was adopted by the county in December 2005 when the department’s service plan was adopted by the previous Board of Supervisors. Under that standard, staffing levels for a suburban area should be 10 firefighters arriving within 10 minutes of receiving the call. While acknowledging that there were not 10 firefighters on the scene, Pozzo said the department was still within the boundaries of the standard.

I know that the County will not be fined, however one would think that this would open up a slew of civil liabilities for the injured firefighters as well as the homeowners. For years, firefighters and fire service professionals have stated that a safe minimum staffing standard must be adhered to but all too often it falls on deaf ears.

Read more about the incident here

“No day is ever the same, so firefighters must be prepared for every different kind of situation,” said Mary Maguire, public information officer for Loudoun County Fire-Rescue.

Probably the most important career skill is knowing how to deal with people and remain calm.

“When a citizen is screaming at you because their car is wrecked or their house is burning, if you can’t defuse the situation, it will blow up,” said Denise Gay, a Loudoun County career firefighter and EMT who is currently working in administration.

Loudoun Times.