Alexandria Fire Department

Friendship Fire House in the 1910s

The first fire company in Alexandria was the Friendship Fire Company, founded in 1774. George Washington is reported to have been a part of it, but no records remain to prove that, however he did purchase a fire engine for the company in 1775.[4][5]

The first paid firefighters were hired in 1855 and the Alexandria Fire Department was established in 1866. Before that the City of Alexandria was served by multiple volunteer departments. By the end of the Civil War, many of the volunteer companies were under staffed so, in 1866, the City Council passed an act to combine the remaining fire companies into the Alexandria Fire Department.[6]

In 1977, the department announced they were no longer hiring firefighters who smoked and anyone hired "signed a contract that included a provision against smoking", as part of a larger push for stricter health requirements.[7] Alexandria was among the first departments in the country to have similar requirements.[8]

Volunteer fire fighters, as opposed to volunteers who work in stations and other roles, effectively ended in 1981 when the City passed new regulations requiring all fire fighters to meet the stricter standards applied to career fire fighters.[9] Former volunteers continued to protest that decision through the mid-1980s, often invoking George Washington's name who they regard as taking part in the first volunteer fire company in Alexandria.[10]

Along with other departments, units from AFD responded to the September 11 attacks at The Pentagon and the Congressional baseball shooting in 2017, which took place in the Del Ray neighborhood of Alexandria.[11][12][13]

In early 2021, Alexandria became the first locality in Virginia to authorize public unions to collectively bargain, after Virginia allowed localities to do so for the first time on May 1, 2021 after the Supreme Court of Virginia banned the practice in 1977.[14][15] The union representing Alexandria firefighters, IAFF Local 2141, became the first that voted to collectively bargain.[16]

On June 12, 2021, the City of Alexandria Fire Department will implemented an organizational restructure. It included Specialty Team relocations, apparatus relocations, Advanced Life Support (ALS) unit upgrades (Four of the Engine Companies and One Truck Company are Advanced Life Support (ALS) Units), Battalion Management Teams (There are two Battalion Management Teams) (One Fire Battalion Management Team and One EMS Battalion Management Team), the addition of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) lieutenants and other quality improvements.[20]

Advanced Life Support (ALS) Suppression Units will be minimally staffed with one Advanced Life Support (ALS) provider on several suppression units (There are Four Engine Companies and One Truck Company marked with "(Advanced Life Support) (ALS)" in the chart below). Upgrading these units to Advanced Life Support (ALS) units improves ALS coverage in Old Town and Landmark areas, higher medical call volume.

A new station is planned as part of the Landmark Mall redevelopment.[21]

• List of Virginia fire departments

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Alexandria Fire Department.

• Official website
• Friendship Firehouse Museum

38°48′17″N 77°2′50″W